tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91622142871651062992024-02-19T08:07:13.460-08:00Author Patricia CrandallI like to write mysteries because I like to read mystery stories. It all began with the Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene when I was a pre-teen in the 1950s. I have four published novels, poetry and short stories.pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-58053085209743298032019-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:002019-03-06T06:00:10.989-08:00Chances are You Will Want to Come to New York City<div style="color: #510606; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: center;">
In 1958<br />Her streets were paved<br />in yellow brick<br />leading to Fifth Avenue<br />and 42<sup>nd</sup> Street.<br />You might have seen<br />a zealous couple<br />dance-walking towards<br />Broadway’s winking lights.<br />You might have heard jazz<br />eking out of the Metropole;<br />Ahmad Jamal<br />polishing white keys<br />with rhythmical fingers.<br />Small armies of white hats<br />took leave then<br />from hulks of ships.<br />Bell-bottom trousers flapped<br />in the glittering glass town<br />past steel palaces<br />exerting attraction on<br />click-clacking<br />high heeled shoes and<br />saucy red lips,<br />interchanging magnetic pick-ups.<br />Today<br />culture explosion and<br />a caravan of chic boutiques<br />marketing on the upper east side,<br />symbolize the best and<br />worst of New York.<br />Yet, bright young thing,<br />Chances are you will want to come to New York City.</div>
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Copyright © 2019 Patricia Crandall</div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-67542893592703824432019-02-20T06:29:00.001-08:002019-02-20T06:30:11.738-08:00The Garden of Love, By Patricia Crandall, Published on The Back Road Cafe<div style="color: #510606; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: justify;">
“Elisa, I love you,” Hendrik said.</div>
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“I am engaged to your cousin. Tory has promised me the manor and I do love this garden.” Elisa dropped her hands among the folds of her rose and white striped cashmere dress.</div>
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“Tory’s an empty-headed boy.” Hendrik reclined beside Elisa on the grass and whispered, “You should be mistress of several manors. I’ll give you European gardens laid out with exquisite taste.” He pulled her to him.</div>
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Elisa screamed.</div>
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A tall youth darted from behind a hedgerow. Tory raised a sharpened meat cleaver over Hendrik’s head.</div>
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“Cut!” ordered the world famous director.</div>
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Copyright © Patricia Grandall</div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-74383725137734791512019-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:002019-02-11T09:02:25.910-08:00The Wedding Reception, By Patricia Crandall, Published on The Back Road Cafe<div style="color: #510606; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: justify;">
Julie raised an impish face with ‘wise owl’ eyes to newlyweds, Dianne and Hugh Levitt. She wished she could be as happy as they were. She felt something, but it was not happy. She stared down at the ground, making an effort not to drag her feet along the macadam road which stretched past dairy and livestock farms. In the midst of this pastoral setting sat a nifty Cape Cod styled house the Levitt’s would soon call home. They swung their hands in unison, strolling to a lawn reception to be held at the home of Dianne’s gal pal, Abigail Dawes.</div>
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Tears stung Julie’s eyes. Things seemed pretty cool right now. She was ten years old, growing up fast, but not fast enough. Dianne and Hugh were in the process of adopting her. But nothing good ever lasted.</div>
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The threesome made a right angle turn and went down a rutted dirt road past a huge wood pile in a clearing which narrowed to a drive bordered by hedges. As they drew near to a freshly painted white farmhouse with green trim, Julie released each pulsating hand and skipped ahead through a grassy triangle cut out by the sun beneath tall poplars.</div>
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Abigail was leaning over an elaborately set long white table, fussing with a centerpiece of white camellias, white roses and delicate baby’s breath. She turned at the sounds behind her and looked up. “The guests of honor have arrived,” she announced.</div>
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Julie slid her hands down the lush material of her pale pink lace dress, pleased that it was a girlie garment with elegant bows front and back on her tiny waist. Hand-tooled, silver barrettes held her side swept auburn hair in place. The grown-up style made her look older; at least twelve.</div>
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“You’re a knock-out,” Abigail gushed. “That is a stunning dress. I meant to tell you how much I liked it at the ceremony.” She had a wide smile and her cheeks were flushed. “Would you help me serve these? I don’t have enough hands and many of the guests have arrived. I know you would rather be doing something than standing around looking beautiful.”</div>
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Julie accepted a platter of canapés and sampled three. “They taste good. I’m hungry.”</div>
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“Save some for the guests,” Abigail called after her.</div>
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Julie headed in Dianne’s direction. The bride was talking with her father, John Hobarth. She listened as Mr. Hobarth congratulated his daughter, “Dianne, you look ravishing. You deserve to be happy with a remarkable husband and a charming daughter.”</div>
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“I feel blessed.” Dianne beamed as Julie drew near with the tempting tray.</div>
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“Have one of these little sandwiches, Dianne,” Julie pressed. “The peanut butter and jelly ones taste best.”</div>
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“Um, they all look delicious, honey; just one – the one with a cucumber on top.”</div>
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A black limousine with a Massachusetts license plate drove into the yard and stopped. Julie watched Yvonne Baleaux step out of the back seat of the vehicle while two silver-haired, jeweled ladies climbed out of the front of the car. They each carried gifts. Abigail greeted them with smiling assurance and guided them to a table set up for the purpose of displaying the gifts. A circle of white crepe paper bells danced overhead.</div>
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Yvonne made a bee line to Hugh. Julie crept up behind Yvonne and Hugh and spied on them.</div>
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“Wow, super day,” Yvonne said breathlessly, shaking out her luxuriant red hair with blond highlights. Hugh leaned his cheek down to her. With her slender, musk scented hands she turned his face sharply and kissed him full on the lips. “Congratulations bridegroom. I hope you’ll be happy with the little woman.” Pouting, she looked across the sweep of lawn at Dianne mingling with guests.</div>
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“I’ll be reasonably happy,” Hugh drawled. “I knew from the moment I met Dianne I loved her.”</div>
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Yvonne’s laugh was contemptuous. “You’re not a romantic, Hugh. Love…you! A forty-one year old kiddie counselor, hitching up with an old-maid social worker? You were more exciting when you were an ad executive!”</div>
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Hugh’s eyes narrowed. “What pointed nails you have, Yvonne. Why don’t you make an appointment to see me at my office? I have just the therapy to help you function socially.”</div>
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Julie nudged Hugh and offered him canapés from her tray. He placed several on a napkin and winked at her. She turned deliberately away from Ms. Baleaux and proceeded on her way.</div>
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“And, you have a brat in the package!” Yvonne snapped her elegant fingers in the air. “Now, about that offer, Doctor, if you are considering couch therapy …”</div>
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The guests were called together at one o’clock to feast on a sumptuous luncheon. Mid-way through the gala, Julie left her barely touched plate and walked over to a table situated adjacent to the main one, to view the beautifully decorated, two-tiered wedding cake. She stared for a long time at the miniature bride and groom ornamenting the top of the cake. She suddenly ached for the dysfunctional mother whom she would never see again, and, at the same time, a rush of abusive memories threatened to paralyze her.</div>
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Out of the blue, Dianne appeared and handed Julie a napkin. “Here, you’ll want to wipe the kool-aid ring above your lips.”</div>
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Julie rubbed the paper napkin over her mouth and crumpled it into a ball.</div>
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“Come with me,” Diane smiled down at her.</div>
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Julie followed the vision in the rustling, white taffeta dress across the lawn, away from the celebration. They stopped beneath the network of paper wedding bells where splendid arrays of white, silver and gold packages were spread out on the table.</div>
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“It’s too early to open gifts,” Dianne explained. “We must wait for the proper time but I want you to open this one.” She picked up a small package wrapped in glossy white paper and handed it to Julie.</div>
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“Go ahead, open it.”</div>
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Steadily, Julie looked up at Dianne. She dropped the napkin on the grass and ripped the paper off the box, removing its cover. Inside a folded tissue lay a gold charm bracelet with a triangle charm fastened to it. She held the dainty piece up in order to read the inscription appearing on each flat surface of the charm. It bore the names of Hugh, Dianne and Julie. A tiny silver cross dangled in the middle with the name Levitt and the wedding date inscribed on it. She extended her thin arm out to the flushed bride. “Put it on my wrist!”</div>
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“Please,” Dianne coaxed.</div>
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Julie rolled her eyes impatiently. “Please.”</div>
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Dianne secured the hasp. An intense, warm feeling came over Julie and she burrowed her face into a pleasantly-scented bosom. In the next moment, Hugh’s strong arms encircled them both. At that moment, Julie knew in her heart contentment would grow.</div>
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Copyright © Patricia Crandall</div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-69123252031713859292019-01-30T19:33:00.001-08:002019-01-30T19:38:36.106-08:00Nadia Bhagg Manages the System, By Patricia Crandall, Published on the Black Road Cafe<div style="color: #510606; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0em; text-align: justify;">
Nadia Bhagg pulled on her winter jacket, grabbed her purse, and went outside to her car. She walked cautiously across the driveway, icy from freezing rain.</div>
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She reckoned with a little luck and a prayer, it was an ideal time to draw out the rogue who was stalking her and her family during ice and freezing rain storms. It had all began in December during the first ice storm of the season. Her son Joe had been forced off the road into a ditch. Then it had been daughter Tam. Each had described a red Dodge truck appearing suddenly behind them, bumping their car until they lost control of the vehicle and it went off the road. Fortunately for the Bhagg's no-one had been seriously injured thus far.</div>
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As she suspected, the back road to the PC Market was covered with black ice. Nadia choked up on the wheel and adjusted the speed of the Subaru to twenty miles an hour.</div>
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Suddenly a red truck appeared and rammed the rear bumper of her Subaru. With her heart racing, Nadia raised her eyes to the rear view mirror and exchanged looks with a blood-curdling, defiant stare.</div>
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The truck struck the bumper repeated. The Subaru spun, left the road and struck a tree.</div>
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Sergeant Patsy Dibbs stared at Nadia Bhagg’s swollen, black and blue eyes. Gauze bandages swathed her bruised hands and arms.</div>
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“Why not spot the person now?” the tall and slender policewoman asked. Her silken blond hair was twisted into a tousled knot at the nape of her neck.</div>
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“Later,” Nadia said, grim-faced, her brown eyes looking even darker beneath the bruises.</div>
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“Okay, then, I’ll read your statement back to you, Mrs. Bhagg.”</div>
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Patsy accepted a printed form from Nick Barnes. The EMS technician had transported Nadia to her home from the ER at St. Theresa’s hospital. “If this is correct, please sign your name by the X.”</div>
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“On the way to the Price Chopper Market in Bennington, Vermont, I, Nadia Bhagg, while driving along roads where black ice frequently appeared, was tailgated by a red pick-up truck. I slowed to less than twenty miles per hour due to the hazardous conditions and the truck rammed the rear bumper of my Suburu. My car was repeatedly struck until it spun out of control, left the road and crashed into a tree.”</div>
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“Is this statement correct?”</div>
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Nadia winced as she nodded her head. “Yes.”</div>
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As she signed her name, several family members crowded into the small, spice-scented kitchen.</div>
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"Ma, what happened?" Joe Bhaggs removed his hat and slammed it down on the counter. "You know better than to drive in weather like this." His dark eyes stared at his mother behind his glasses. "You're aware of the situation we're dealing with."</div>
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“I’m fine, Joe. Please don’t fuss.” Nadia's split lips turned down reflexively.</div>
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Grandson Joe Junior, a slump-shouldered youth, scuffed over to the counter and helped himself to a chocolate chip square from the cookie jar.</div>
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Slack-faced Jacob, another grandson, widened his stance and cracked his knuckles.</div>
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Nadia considered the police officer and said, “Families are complicated, aren't they, Sergeant?"</div>
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Patsy Dibbs eyes widened.</div>
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Nadia went on in an exhausted voice. "You cannot conceive of my agony, my despair when I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the devil behind the wheel of the truck manifested as one of my kin.” She lowered her voice. “The family calls 911 every time he terrorizes one of us.”</div>
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Joe Bhagg, braced against the faded counter, cleared his throat. “Ma, we’re private folks. We’ll deal with our own.”</div>
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Pushing back gray tendrils of loose hair, Nadia said sternly, “This kin ends up in jail and the evaluators send him to rehab where a calming medication is administered. Within a week, he’s released because he acts normal.” She folded her bandaged hands across her bosom. “I don’t want to repeat this scenario, Sergeant Dibbs. I want this latest incident treated as a medical emergency and <em>not</em> as a crime scene.”</div>
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Joe Junior darted toward the door. The tech tackled him and pinned him down. With an assist from Junior's father and brother, Barnes gave him a sedation injection to stabilize him.</div>
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“Sorry, Jacob,” Patsy Dibbs said moments later, “I had you pegged for the car basher and not your brother.” She shifted her gaze back to Nadia. “I’ll facilitate Joe Junior's treatment through my captain’s recommendations and those of the head psychiatrist at the psychiatric ward. I guarantee he will remain in the clinic for as long as it takes to treat his illness. Thereafter, he’ll have the proper follow-up and drug therapy.” She looked solemnly at Nadia. “In the meantime, Joe Junior will be charged for this crime but it’s likely to be tossed due to his illness.”</div>
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After everyone left, Nadia collapsed in her favorite chair and blessed herself. It was hard managing a futile system, one that forced her to stage an accident. If she had managed well, Joe Junior would get the remedial assistance he so badly needed for schizophrenia and the family would begin to heal.</div>
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Copyright © Patricia Crandall</div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-3348655255590238242018-10-14T17:59:00.001-07:002018-10-14T17:59:43.133-07:00America, a poem by Patricia Crandall published by <span style="font-size: large;">The Back Road Cafe</span>! Good reading.pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-68149556575086813672018-09-11T12:24:00.005-07:002018-09-11T12:24:50.437-07:00A Pinch of Spice by Patricia Crandall<a href="http://www.thebackroadcafe.com/-stories-by-patricia-crandall/2018/9/4/a-pinch-of-spice.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">THE BACK ROAD CAFE </span></a>pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-70381959189805975572018-08-29T13:14:00.000-07:002018-08-29T13:14:18.523-07:00The Review-Getting Nudge By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,<div align="center" class="yiv6951111449MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">
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<b>Excerpted from the newest book in Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, <i>How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career</i>.</b></div>
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You need only a few essentials in your Amazon tool box to build the traffic crucial for your reviews to be seen—and to convince readers to buy your book. <i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">, <a href="http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career</a></span></i><i> </i>helps you get the reviews that influence Amazon’s sales ranking and this section gives you everything else you need to maximize them.</div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/u/1/null" name="_Toc448670678" rel="nofollow">Amazon sales rankings</a><b> </b>are dandy little aids for evaluating how your book is selling. Not that you should fixate on that, but having an indicator that your book might need a little sales boost is nice. And—when those ratings are nurtured—they prod Amazon’s algorithms to lead people who read books similar to yours to <i>your</i> Amazon buy page.</div>
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The problem is that most authors and publishers know little if anything about how those rankings come about. That isn’t their fault because I doubt if Jeff Bezos, the brains behind the entire Amazon model, knows exactly what his algorithms measure. If they’re anything like the rest of the Amazon site, they change from day to day anyway. You don’t need to know the magic behind them; you do need to know what they are and how to prod them a little:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">Find your sales ranking (or rankings) on your book’s buy page under “product details.” Often called “metadata,” these details are the specifics for your book like ISBN, publisher, number of pages, etc. Scroll down a bit to find this section on your page.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">If you have a ranking of 24,800, that means that 24,799 books listed <i>in your category</i> are selling better than your book and that up to millions of books in your book’s category are selling less well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">The lower your sales ranking number for your book the better. Sales rankings for your Kindle (e-book) page will not be the same as the one on your paperback page.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "New serif";">Note:</span></b><span style="font-family: "New serif";"> When the pages for your paper book and e-book are digitally connected properly, your reviews will be the same on both pages. (There should be a link on each page pointing to the other.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">If you market and promote, your efforts may lower those rankings (lower is good!). If so, celebrate because this doesn’t always happen. Sometimes the marketing you are doing does not improve your rating at all, though it should contribute to your overall branding effort.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">Don’t try to translate a drop in your ratings to the number of books sold. The algorithms are a lot more complicated than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings;">§<span style="font-family: New; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "New serif";">Sales rankings fluctuate (sometimes wildly) during the day.</span></div>
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<b>Warning:</b> Do not spend a lot of time checking your ratings. They should be used as indicators. They shouldn’t become an obsession. It’s best not to obsess, but if you can’t avoid it, Bookbuzzr.com and others provide services available for pinging ratings to you in your e-mail box.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdvCx2dadpGLW2PKY5frXVdbK1Z0penl9vZXJgjFVDKHIPB3hQRyIuTBsxc76pmcFtof6oWucJCU7994NWXVLJQMcipASa3jY46Nz9Kag5SP_yNMi6JR4F_KFfaz4Y0hXPksKvlu-sm0/s1600/Carolyn+reviews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfdvCx2dadpGLW2PKY5frXVdbK1Z0penl9vZXJgjFVDKHIPB3hQRyIuTBsxc76pmcFtof6oWucJCU7994NWXVLJQMcipASa3jY46Nz9Kag5SP_yNMi6JR4F_KFfaz4Y0hXPksKvlu-sm0/s320/Carolyn+reviews.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her </span><a href="http://howtodoitfrgually.com/writers_books.htm" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. All her books for writers are multi award winners including both the first and second editions of </span><a href="http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Frugal Book Promoter</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and her multi award-winning </span><a href="http://bit.ly/FrugalEditor" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Frugal Editor</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The author loves to travel. She has visited eighty-nine countries and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes. Her Web site is</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #196ad4; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><a href="http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">www.howtodoitfrugally.com</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.bookbuzzr.com/Carolyn-Howard-Johnson" rel="nofollow" style="color: #338fe9; outline-width: 0px !important;" target="_blank">Carolyn Howard-Johnson</a></span></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.bookbuzzr.com/read/21330/The-Frugal-Editor" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">The Frugal Editor: Do-it-yourself editing secrets for authors</a></div>
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Amazon Profile - <a href="http://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile</a></div>
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Twitter - <a href="http://www.twitter.com/FrugalBookPromo" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">@FrugalBookPromo</a></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-61886194091491824212018-08-06T10:33:00.001-07:002018-08-06T10:33:58.458-07:00 CORN HUSK DOLLS<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One stands tall,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">two stand small.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Flaxen hair,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">pin-eyed stare,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">basket of strawberry flowers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Three pretty maids</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">all in a row,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">fabricated</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">within an hour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> by Patricia Crandall</span></div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-51082660055931445982018-08-02T13:51:00.000-07:002018-08-02T13:51:21.323-07:00Tricky Sentence Structure by Mary Deal<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-inside: auto;">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s analyze a sentence from a story:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The story: Two women discuss a visit to a doctor. The one who saw the specialist is fine and found to be in good health. She tells the other....</span></div>
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“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The cardiologist said my heart was strong enough to last another fifty years.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The parts of the sentence that don’t jibe are the words </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>said</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>was</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The word </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>said</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> implies something already spoken and is being related in the conversation. This word is correctly used.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The word </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>was</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> is past-tense and ambiguous. Used as it is in this sentence, it implies something has changed to the woman’s health since she visited her doctor; was healthy then, but now....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">As stated at the top of this article, we know that the woman’s health is still fine, so the bit of dialogue must accurately show that as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Though the dialogue talks about something that happened in the past—the conversation with the doctor—the health condition has not changed in the present. The correct way to write that bit of dialogue is:</span></div>
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“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The cardiologist said my heart is strong enough to last another fifty years.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The word </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>was</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> is replaced with </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>is</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">, implying the woman’s heart remains healthy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Simple nuances like these go undetected by most, even by many avid readers. Misuse of certain words and phrases are part of the colloquial way our English has evolved over time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">To be grammatically correct with past, present and future tenses in writing, we need to be astute and analyze our sentence structures and make them cohesive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mary Deal</span></div>
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<br /><b><i></i></b>Author, Painter, Photographer</div>
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<b>Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner<br />National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist (past)</b></div>
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<b>Pushcart Prize Nominee<br />Global eBook Awards Nominee</b></div>
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<b>2014 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist</b></div>
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<b>Global eBook Awards Bronze</b></div>
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<b>Global eBook Awards Silver</b></div>
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Blog: <a href="http://www.writeanygenre.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.marydeal.com</a></div>
Art Gallery: <a href="http://mary-deal.fineartamerica.com/" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com</a><br />Gift Gallery: <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/islandimagegallery*" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">zazzle.com/IslandImageGallery*</a></div>
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Gift Gallery: <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/localme" rel="nofollow" style="color: #196ad4; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.redbubble.com/people/localme</a> </div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-5761003650033223482018-07-27T13:08:00.002-07:002018-07-27T13:08:13.822-07:00Last of the Blueberries by Patricia Crandall<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">My poem, </span><a href="https://www.writerscarnival.ca/last-of-the-blueberries/" target="_blank">Last of the Blueberries</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">, won second place in Writer's Carnival Poetry contest.</span></span>pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-83690886035072427642018-07-17T14:50:00.001-07:002018-07-17T14:50:05.757-07:00Inside the End Quotes by Mary Deal<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-inside: auto;">
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Much confusion exists about what goes inside or outside of the end quotes in dialogue.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To digress briefly, the only sentences that should be included in quotation marks are something that someone said. Quotes are used a lot to set off passages taken from other writing. Though allowed, quotation marks are being over-used to draw attention to words and phrases other than dialogue. Considering dialogue, quotes can also be used to set off a repeated portion of something another person said. An example:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">~ His response to revealing the secret was that it was “deep and dark.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now consider this sentence:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">~ San Francisco is known as “The City by the Bay.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the examples with quotation marks, I would immediately wonder who said that. Yet, it isn’t written as dialogue. The correct way to set off a title or information other than dialogue is to present it in italics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">San Francisco is known as </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The City by the Bay</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Having clarified that, what follows is the correct positioning of the end quotes on various forms of dialogue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">All punctuation, whether statement, question or exclamation, belongs </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>inside</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> the end quotes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Where did you go?” she asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In the above sentence, the question mark must follow the question, then the end quotes. Even though we use a question mark instead of a comma, the sentence continues with </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>she asked</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We went to the movie first.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t believe it!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I told you, I did it,” she said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Notice in the last example above that the sentence wasn’t complete until after the word </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>said</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">. A comma was used after </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>it</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">, then the end quotes. The variation from the sentence above with the question mark is that a question mark always follows a question, regardless that there is more to the sentence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Then we get into a person relating something someone else said. That’s where you find </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>single </i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">quotes inside double quotes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When she became obstinate, her mother said, ‘Go to your room!’”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">In this example of dialogue, the sentence within a sentence – </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Go to your room</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> – is set off with single quotation marks. Notice that the exclamation point ending the dialogue goes inside both sets of end quotes: The exclamation point, then the single end quote to end the dialogue within dialogue, and then the double end quote signifying the final end to the entire string of dialogue.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The exclamation point belongs with the string </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Go to your room</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">, so belongs inside the single end quote. In the cases where an exclamation point should end the </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>embodying</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> string of dialogue, the exclamation point would be placed </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>between</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> the single end quote and the double one, like this:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I hated that he quietly said, ‘It’s over’!”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Notice here, too, the lack of a period after the repeated dialogue. Someone else said </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>It’s over</i></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> but it is not the end of the whole sentence that is being spoken in anger. So the exclamation point belongs after the single quote mark but inside the double end quotes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For most writers, the simple rule is that all punctuation goes inside the end quotes. When it becomes more complicated is when you begin to quote dialogue where one person is telling what another person said. Then many more variations exist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Much to any writer’s chagrin, instruction for proper usage of quotation marks could fill many pages. It’s wise to have a reputable book of punctuation nearby and seek out the exact examples and solutions you may need for your prose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">To assure your punctuation won’t get your prose rejected, I highly recommend </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors and Publishers.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify; text-indent: 48px;"><b><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yc7mk253" target="_blank">WriteIt Right- Tips for Authors – The Big Book</a></b></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26286"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mary Deal</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br clear="none" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26288" /><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26289"><i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26290"></i></b>Author, Painter, Photographer</span></span></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26293"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner<br clear="none" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26294" />National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist (past)</span></span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26297"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Pushcart Prize Nominee<br clear="none" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26298" />Global eBook Awards Nominee</span></span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26301"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">2014 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist</span></span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26304"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Global eBook Awards Bronze</span></span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26307"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Global eBook Awards Silver</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blog: <a href="http://www.writeanygenre.com/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26310" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.marydeal.com</a></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Art Gallery: <a href="http://mary-deal.fineartamerica.com/" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26311" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com</a><br clear="none" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26312" />Gift Gallery: <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/islandimagegallery*" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26313" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">zazzle.com/IslandImageGallery*</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gift Gallery: <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/localme" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1485372502311_26316" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.redbubble.com/ people/localme</a> </span></span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-16942481585029616872018-06-21T14:49:00.005-07:002018-06-21T14:49:45.293-07:00Not Suitable For Children<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial Black, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Read
my story, Not Suitable For Children published in <a href="http://www.thebackroadcafe.com/-stories-by-patricia-crandall/" target="_blank">The Back Road Cafe</a> </span></div>
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<br />pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-51525392443051756692018-06-19T15:19:00.001-07:002018-06-20T14:39:48.656-07:00Those S and ES Endings<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">These
endings have always troubled me until I finally decided to get it
right. Compare the versions and pick out the correct usages in this
name ending with the letter </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>s</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Joneses came for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Jones’s came for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Jones came for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">John Joneses car stalled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">John Jones car stalled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">John Jones’s car stalled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That Jones’s girl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That Joneses girl.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That Jones girl.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The correct sentences are:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">The Joneses came for dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">John Jones’s car stalled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">That Jones girl.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Some tips:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-inside: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When a name ends with an s, and
when speaking of the family as a group, add </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>es</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">,
as in Joneses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When speaking about something
John Jones owned, it is his property and, therefore, an apostrophe
and s shows ownership, as in </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Jones’s</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">When speaking about a person in
the singular, use only the name Jones.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-inside: auto; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">However, when speaking about a
group of girls all named Jones, you would write that sentence: </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The
Jones girls</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">. Notice
that the name stays the same but the </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><b>s</b></i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">
is added to the word </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>girl</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">,
stating more than one exists with that name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Mary Deal</span></div>
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<b>Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner<br clear="none" />National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist (past)</b></div>
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<b>Pushcart Prize Nominee<br clear="none" />Global eBook Awards Nominee</b></div>
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<b>2014 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist</b></div>
<div>
<b>Global eBook Awards Bronze</b></div>
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<b>Global eBook Awards Silver</b></div>
<div>
Website: <a href="http://www.marydeal.com/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">https://www.marydeal.com</a></div>
Art Gallery: <a href="http://mary-deal.fineartamerica.com/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">http://www.MaryDealFineArt.com</a><br clear="none" />Gift Gallery: <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/islandimagegallery*" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">zazzle.com/IslandImageGallery*</a></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-21863155037752422772018-05-17T13:05:00.002-07:002018-06-20T14:40:27.371-07:00The Rules of Grammar by Mary Deal<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The rules of grammar are to, first, benefit a reader.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Grammar is standard format to which good writers will adhere. Secondly, it provides all writers a standard to follow that makes the written word fluent. Proper grammar is the backbone of all written prose, regardless some be written in colloquialisms, laced with foreign words, slang, or any other variation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">See it this way–<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">An avid reader picks up a book written according to the rules of grammar. They read through the book quickly and immensely enjoy the story because nothing impedes their reading experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet another well-read reader opens a book only to find grammar flaws such as poor format, incorrect sentence structure, irregular or incorrect speaker tags and beats, and other jarring errors. It’s difficult for this reader to enjoy the book because the author did not follow the rules of correct grammar that make for a smooth read and which is constant in all good books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Poor grammar and composition in an otherwise great story deflates the reader’s enthusiasm. The reader may think twice about having to pick their way through a plethora of errors in any new book by that author. Some will not complete the read of the present book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our school system requires all graduates to have studied English grammar. I’ve found that many have forgotten what they learned. Too, it’s erroneous to believe that because we studied grammar in school that we know how to write.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Truth is, few remember.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Another truth is that most writers have never been told how to write a story of greater length. Writing a story or book length manuscript is different in the real world than composing high school or college papers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A short cut to learning proper grammar is as I always recommend: Get your hands on a copy of <i>The Chicago Manual of Style</i> and a thesaurus. Any time you have difficulty, for example, composing a sentence or deciding whether to use a colon or semi-colon, or need a more descriptive verb, refer to these thorough and concise research aids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Don’t ask a friend to help you sort out grammar inconsistencies. Friends may not be able to solve your problems and then leave you to make an arbitrary decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">You can post your questions on a website. Others will reply with a variety of answers, but whom do you believe? If you’re sure the friend you ask is a professional with grammar, then go ahead and trust their response if they seem certain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">An inexperienced writer having to relearn grammar all the while writing a book will surely destroy a friendship if that writer constantly expects the friend to advise them all along the way. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">At some early point, every writer must take responsibility for learning how to make their stories as perfect as possible.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Two other references I always recommend – I could recommend many but will skim the best off the top of the list here – are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Writing with Clarity and Style</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> by Robert A. Harris<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Complete Stylist and Handbook</span></i><span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> by Sheridan Baker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Should you feel you are knowledgeable enough to write your opus but you encounter problems along the way, then to the list above, I would suggest you freely refer to my book, <b><i>Write it Right – Tips for Authors,The Big Book</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Particular information found here is meant for writers who progress nicely, but find problems that should be smoothed out in order to compose fluid prose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Maintaining a library of reference books to guide you is best. Many books offer bits of information about this and that, but no one book will solve all of your problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Those able to write stunning prose based on her or his current knowledge or ability may not need a lot of books. Any questions they have can be researched in reference books or writing reference sites on the Net.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial black" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Any early uncertainties about writing abilities overall could be solved with a course or two in writing to give some sort of foundation or base from which to begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://tinyurl.com/yc7mk253" target="_blank"><b>Write ItRight- Tips for Authors – The Big </b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "comic sans ms", sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px;">Mary Deal</span><br />
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<b>Amazon Best-Selling Author</b></div>
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<b>Eric Hoffer Book Award Winner<br clear="none" />National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist (past)</b></div>
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<b>Pushcart Prize Nominee<br clear="none" />Global eBook Awards Nominee</b></div>
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<b>2014 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist</b></div>
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<b>Global eBook Awards Bronze</b></div>
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<b>Global eBook Awards Silver</b></div>
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Website: <a href="http://www.marydeal.com/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="color: #196ad4;" target="_blank">https://www.marydeal.com</a></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-1639078541288383072018-05-09T10:54:00.000-07:002018-05-09T10:54:52.084-07:00SPRING CONCERT by Patricia Crandall<div align="center" class="yiv9327190053ydp2b6f9ad3MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Melodic soft voices</span></div>
<div align="center" class="yiv9327190053ydp2b6f9ad3MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #26282a; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">drifting in <i>harmony</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">as dark-suited boys</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">and white organdy girls</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">wear gentle expressions</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">of spring</span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-46339117693731381502018-04-04T12:19:00.000-07:002018-04-04T12:19:17.062-07:00Infinity, a poem by Patricia Crandall<br />
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<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2487" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div>
<div id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2489" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2490" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2491"> </span>Passage</span></div>
<div id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2493" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2494" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2495"> </span>In drifting waves</span></div>
<div id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2497" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2498" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2499"> </span>A jewel of a lake</span></div>
<div id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2501" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2502" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2503"> </span>Unable to rein in my gaze</span></div>
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2485" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2488" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2492" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2496" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2500" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2504" style="background-color: white; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
<div id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2505" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2506" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="yiv9799114198yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1522806854519_2507"> </span>Earth…sky</span></div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-45531236918153511632018-03-05T12:38:00.001-08:002018-03-05T12:38:13.264-08:00MY EYES ARE A CAMERA, a poem <div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3701">
<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3868">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3870" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 239px; word-break: break-word;"><tbody id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3872" style="width: 238.4px;"></tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;"><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3882" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;"><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3883" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3884" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3885" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3887" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3890" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3972" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3973" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span></span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3886" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 392px; word-break: break-word;"><tbody id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3888" style="width: 392px;">
<tr id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3889"><td id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3891" style="border-spacing: 2px; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0in; text-align: left;" valign="top"><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3892" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3893" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3894" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3984" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">Icy tunneled roadways</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3895" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3896" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3897" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">give shelter from wintry winds</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3898" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3899" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3900" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">where tousled, snow-fingered limbs</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3901" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3902" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3903" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">harbor iced patterns</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3904" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3905" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3906" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">on fragile leaves</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3907" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3908" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3909" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">yet to fall off armies of trees.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3910" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3911" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3912" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">A tree-lined lake<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3913"> </span></span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3914" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3915" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3916" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">mirrors blue and gold</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3917" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3918" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3919" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">(ice and sun).</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3920" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3921" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3922" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">The brightest star shines</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3923" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3924" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3925" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">higher than its counterpart,</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3926" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3927" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3928" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">(a quarter moon). At night,</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3929" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3930" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3931" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">moonlight showers</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3932" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3933" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3934" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">are white-gold</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3935" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3936" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3937" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">like a husky’s fur.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3938" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3939" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3940" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">In the woodland,</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3941" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3942" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3943" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">early spring moves slap-dash</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3944" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3945" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3946" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">through a running brook.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3947" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3948" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3949" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">At dusk, birds share</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3950" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3951" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3952" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">bounteous feeders.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3953" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3954" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3955" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">New snowflakes fall</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3956" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3957" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3958" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">on the frozen ground.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3959" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3960" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3961" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">At the roadside,</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3962" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3963" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3964" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">snow-capped mailboxes</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3965" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3966" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3967" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">and snow-shelves</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3968" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span><div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3969" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3970" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;">bank along the passageways.</span></div>
<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3971" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></td></tr>
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<span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3974" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;"><span id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3975" style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="yiv0412782396signature" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520277006343_42615" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv0412782396signature" dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520277006343_42615" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">by</span></div>
<div class="yiv0412782396signature" id="yiv0412782396" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;">
<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3733">
<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3732" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3745" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Patricia Crandall</span></div>
<div id="yiv0412782396yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1520125854721_3744">
<span style="font-size: large;"><var id="yiv0412782396yui-ie-cursor"></var> </span></div>
</div>
</div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-24621479463623304922018-02-20T12:43:00.001-08:002018-02-20T12:43:50.025-08:00The Best of Fiction on the Web is now available to buy<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519152313421_49217" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>The big day has finally arrived. <span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519152313421_49219" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Here are the links to buy copies of the book:</span></b></div>
<div id="yiv4543445651yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519091658511_3832" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></b></div>
<div id="yiv4543445651yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519091658511_3835" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>UK <a class="yiv4543445651OWAAutoLink" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Fiction-Web-1996-2017/dp/0992693918/" id="yiv4543445651LPlnk668915" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Fiction-Web-1996-2017/dp/0992693918/</a></b></div>
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<b>USA <a class="yiv4543445651OWAAutoLink" href="https://www.amazon.com/Best-Fiction-Web-1996-2017/dp/0992693918/" id="yiv4543445651LPlnk343010" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Best-Fiction-Web-1996-2017/dp/0992693918/</a></b></div>
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<b><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></b></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><b>If you asked for a free copy, you will receive it at the beginning of March.</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">What next?</span></b><div id="yiv4543445651yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519091658511_3837" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519152313421_47985" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>- I've attached a press release - please spread it far and wide! Let's try to get people excited about this wonderful charitable anthology.</b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519152313421_47987" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b><br style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;" /></b></div>
<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1519152313421_47989" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<b>- You can also direct people to this web page: <a class="yiv4543445651OWAAutoLink" href="http://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/best-of.html" id="yiv4543445651LPlnk215530" rel="noreferrer" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.fictionontheweb.co.uk/p/best-of.html</a></b></div>
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<b>- When you read the book, please leave a review on Amazon.</b></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-76802671703799544582018-02-19T16:51:00.002-08:002018-02-19T16:51:44.252-08:00 AMERICA, by author Patricia Crandall<div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10550" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;">
<br /><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10694" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10695" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5in;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10696" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></div>
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10697" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10698" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10699" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Jet streams pass over</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10700" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10701" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10702" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>a cherished heritage</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10703" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10704" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10705" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>America.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10706" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10707" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10708" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Eagles soar beneath,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10709" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10710" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10711" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>symbols of righteous freedom.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10712" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10713" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10714" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>I retain</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10715" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10716" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10717" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>one part of the main,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10718" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10719" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10720" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>New York</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10721" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10722" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10723" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>industrious and powerful.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10724" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10725" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10726" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Vacationing south, I</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10727" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10728" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10729" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>traveled wide</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10730" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10731" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10732" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>of New England’s crowning vistas</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10733" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10734" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10735" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>and meshed through warm, flat straights,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10736" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10737" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10738" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>wending into Florida,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10739" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10740" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10741" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>poignant with crowded sunshine</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10742" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10743" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10744" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>and Mickey Mouse.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10745" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10746" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10747" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>I am</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10748" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10749" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10750" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>desirous yet to see</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10751" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10752" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10753" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Colorado Rockies</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10754" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10755" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10756" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>California style</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10757" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10758" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10759" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Arizona</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10760" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10761" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10762" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Indiana,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10763" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10764" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10765" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>all territories united.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10766" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10767" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10768" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>America</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10769" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10770" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10771" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>you have aged well, being</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10772" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10773" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10774" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>worthy of infinite beauty and greatness.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10775" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10776" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10777" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>And through all the dark</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10778" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10779" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10780" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>you give us light.</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10779" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 171pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;">by </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Patricia Crandall</span></b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv7788064379yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1518656694157_10781" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-71144943463993708002018-01-19T11:10:00.001-08:002018-01-19T11:10:56.216-08:00WINDOW BIRD WATCHING by Patricia Crandall<div id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2199" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
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<b id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2281"><span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2282" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></b></div>
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<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2285" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Do you have an invalid living with you? Or an elderly parent, a hyperactive child, too-busy husband or wife, unexpected guests? Face them toward a window where they can view bird feeders visited by cardinals, sparrows, juncos, mourning doves, chickadees, grosbeaks, nuthatches, titmice, pine siskin, starlings, blue jays, woodpeckers and hummingbirds. The entertainment is delightful. And, in your harried moments, you might face that window.</span></div>
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<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2288" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Bird feeders come in all shapes and sizes as do birds. There are plastic feeders in which to hold wild bird seed, sunflower seeds, thistle seeds, and hand-crafted, wooden feeders. A favorite feeder of mine is a wooden chickadee with three cut-out holes, to hold peanut butter and seeds pressed into it. What sheer poetry to see a chickadee perched on its wooden equal.</span></div>
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<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2291" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2292"> </span>One particular feeder comes in the shape of an apple with a skewer, to hold suet. You can make a homemade suet container by discarding all bacon grease and grease products into the bottom half of a milk carton. Fill it with pan drippings until you have enough to insert into your suet feeder. Cut it to fit. Birds love it. Suet keeps them warm, and it costs nothing.</span></div>
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<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2294" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2295" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><br clear="all" id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2296" style="break-before: page;" /></span><span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2297" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2298" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2299" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Each May, in Upstate New York, hummingbirds arrive at our feeders filled to the brim, with glistening red nectar. After a long journey, these tiny birds populate the northeast for a brief summer season. During this time, it is thrilling to observe the vibrant colors of the males, and the muted colors of the females, as they build their basket nests, and tend to their young. These birds are so small, it helps to have a pair of binoculars on hand. The males are territorial and chase predators three times their size, to protect their families. As predictable as they are to arrive in May, they generally leave mid-September.</span></div>
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2300" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2301" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2302" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Children delight in bird watching and it beats staring at the TV, Ipad or iPhone all the while. Grandma enjoys tea at a cozy table indoors where it is warm, with a vantage point to view the birds. John, in a wheelchair, is drawn to nature, observing the wildlife.</span></div>
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2303" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2304" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2305" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Wild ducks come to our feeders in early spring to eat the seeds that fall on the ground. Although not as welcome as the others, black bears awakening after a long, winter’s nap, visit our feeders and cause havoc.</span></div>
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2306" style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><div id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2307" style="line-height: 32px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2308" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Squirrels are pesky at times. One solution to this age-old problem is to set the feeder on a pole rather than attach it to a tree limb. Then grease the pole with Crisco. These gray critters cannot shimmy up a slippery pole; however, they are agile ‘out on a limb!’</span></div>
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<span id="m_3733012153836974834yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1516320031089_2311" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">All things considered, bird watching is therapeutic for everyone. It is a quiet, peaceful, harmonious way to enjoy nature.</span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-18294941550985136602018-01-18T14:21:00.001-08:002018-01-18T14:21:05.242-08:00Contest Winner on Nature Poetry<div id="m_-6192168147323304699yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1515980574417_5382" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
Thank you to all that entered this Poetry Contest.</div>
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First Place: Let's Applaud The Kingdoms by Salvatore Buttaci</div>
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Salvatore wins a $30.00 check and an autographed copy of I Passed This Way by Patricia Crandall.</div>
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Thank you to all who entered this contest. Although your poems did not win they are worthy choices and I hope you consider this Contest again next year. It will be announced in fb and on my blog.</div>
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Let me leave you with this Toast by Charles Chigna</div>
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Here's to creativity,</div>
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to paths outside our comfort zone</div>
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where each new block is not a rock,</div>
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but just a stepping stone.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://patriciacrandallauthor.homestead.com/" target="_blank">Patricia Crandall</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://patriciacrandallauthor.homestead.com/" target="_blank"><var id="m_-6192168147323304699yui-ie-cursor"></var> </a></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-37579357848362585542017-12-05T12:14:00.001-08:002017-12-05T12:14:16.119-08:00 ONCE UPON A WINTER WALK by Patricia Crandall<div id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_8880" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif;">
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9022" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Once upon a winter walk</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9023" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9024" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9025" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>down a foot worn path,</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9028" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>after a new fallen snow,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9029" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9030" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9031" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>tree limbs were heavily laden</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9032" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9033" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9034" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>with stark white condensation</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9035" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9036" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9037" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>and footprints appeared before me.</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9040" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>Hush!</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9041" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9042" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9043" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>It is a small white</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9046" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>scurrying animal.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9047" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9048" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9049" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>I considered the path yet not trodden.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9050" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9051" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9052" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>My winter boots make an imprint</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9053" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9054" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.25pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9055" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>over the delicate tracks.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9056" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9057" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.5pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9058" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>All beauty and majesty</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9059" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9060" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1.75pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9061" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>are in this white kingdom.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9062" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9063" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 3pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9064" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>I witness the splendor of new fallen snow,</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9067" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>winter wonderland white.</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9070" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>I alone see and shall retain</b></span></div>
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<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9073" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>this momentary vision</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9074" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9075" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9076" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>during a late afternoon walk.</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9077" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9078" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 2.5pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9079" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>The wind stirs a branch,</b></span></div>
<b><span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9080" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"></span></b><div align="center" id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9081" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span id="yiv3302134528yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512436368848_9082" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: large;"><b>snowflake falls lightly upon snowflake.</b></span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-54043705989306907452017-12-05T12:09:00.000-08:002017-12-05T12:09:08.871-08:00Realistic Poetry Book Winner<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512500471732_15032" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I entered the Realistic Poetry International contest. My name was drawn and I received a free book of poetry called, "LIFE, LOVE, AND THE LORD by </span><a href="https://about.me/leeschultheiss" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Lee Schultheiss</a><span style="font-size: large;">."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">I was one of six that are receiving this book.</span></span></div>
pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-60255102584847442142017-11-27T11:51:00.003-08:002017-11-27T11:51:38.292-08:00Never Ignore Your Dream By Carolyn Howard-Johnson<div class="yiv2657020605MsoNormal" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, "Lucida Grande", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">
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I once read an article/editorial from Jeff Rivers, an expert in writing query letters in the late, great Dan Poynter’s newsletter. It was titled “What I Learned from Janet Evanovich: Write for your Audience.” It is hard to argue with experts like Jeff and Janet. But I do disagree-or at least mostly disagree.</div>
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Certainly, authors like Evanovich and James Patterson have done very well for themselves and for their readers by “Writing for Your Audience.” And maybe they followed their hearts and gathered their audience along the way. When that’s the case, it <i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">is</i> a risk to take a path going in a different direction from the one an audience expects. John Grisham did that with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385337930/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385337930&linkCode=as2&tag=howtodoitfrug-20&linkId=TCEKBLAZHNB5GSYR" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank"><i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">A Painted House</i></a> and his courtroom drama readers weren’t much taken with it.</div>
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I was, though. Very taken.</div>
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I became a stronger fan of his work. And it’s my theory that <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385337930/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0385337930&linkCode=as2&tag=howtodoitfrug-20&linkId=TCEKBLAZHNB5GSYR" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">Painted House </a>was the novel that had been lying inside his little writers’ soul all the time. That it brought him pleasure to write it. Maybe that it kept his writing passion alive. Maybe that brought more readers into his circle of avid fans.</div>
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So, maybe sticking to your audience’s tastes too long is also a risk. Or maybe starting out with a project designed only to please others and not your creative self would doom you to be a short-lived author. Maybe an author needs to occasionally open a new door and let the beam of passion light the work they are doing.</div>
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I do a bit of acting and learned from a dedicated actor who taught new actors that new actors give the director not what they think he or she wants, but to give of themselves—to give what they feel is best to give. But life has thrown me mixed messages. When I was a retailer, I certainly learned that one couldn’t “buy for oneself” when it came to selecting merchandise for my store. When I did, I very often brought whatever I brought home because my customers wouldn’t buy it. See my books on retailing at <a href="http://howtodoitfrugally.com/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://howtodoitfrugally.com</a>.</div>
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But back to writing!</div>
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That same balanced note is a good one for writers to follow, too. They must keep their audience in mind. As an example, they must trust their audience to be readers. They, after all, have been reading their whole lives. So we authors don’t want to insult them. And certainly, authors should do the research necessary to avoid writing the same book someone else has written.</div>
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Still, there is another side of the coin and here it is:</div>
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When you write for yourself, your audience will follow. Do not mistake this for advice that writers go off willy-nilly with no training in craft, no awareness of rules (which we may then choose to break). But we must love what we do to be successful. Find your voice and your passion. Keep at it. Keep learning more about both writing and the publishing industry as a whole. Market your work. Do all that and an audience will find you. <i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Your </i>audience will find you.</div>
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You can do that once and you can do it all over again if you don’t mind the risk. Risk of getting less income than you’re used to getting with whatever you wrote when you garnered that first audience. Risk of teeing off some of your original readers who came to you with preconceived expectations.</div>
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I’m an eternal optimist. I believe we can balance the two philosophies. But I also see some real danger for the author (or beginning writer who still feels uncomfortable calling herself an “author”) who denies his or her dream and considers only what she figures someone else wants of him or hear or—worse—what she has been told will “sell.”.</div>
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~Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning novelist, poet, and writer of short stories. A many-genered author, if you will. She is also the author of the multi award-winning series of HowToDoItFrugally series of book for writers including <i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The Frugal Editor</i> (<a href="http://bit.ly/FrugaEditor" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/FrugaEditor</a>),<i id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1511808206668_26678" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1511808206668_26677" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px;">, How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career</span></i><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1511808206668_26681" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 15.3333px;"> (<a href="http://bit.ly/GreakBkReviews)" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1511808206668_26680" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/GreakBkReviews)</a> </span><i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"> </i>and the much applauded <i style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">The Frugal Book Promoter</i> (<a href="http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo</a>). The first two are in their second editions and the third was published in 2016. Learn more about all of her work at <a href="http://howtodoitfrugally.com/" rel="nofollow" shape="rect" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://howtodoitfrugally.com</a><span class="yiv2657020605MsoSubtleEmphasis" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">. </span><span class="yiv2657020605MsoSubtleEmphasis" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1511808206668_26663" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">and come tweet with her @frugalbookpormo. </span></div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9162214287165106299.post-66361573068216156412017-11-06T11:45:00.001-08:002017-11-06T11:45:47.479-08:00GOOD READING AND MARIA VON TRAPP by Patricia Crandall<div id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2503" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2509" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;">Many of the poets and authors I read in the small press should be on top of the pile rather than a number of the best-selling authors I have attempted to read, only to put them down and reach for a well-read classic. Two books I have recently read are “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville and “The Red Badge Of Courage” by Stephen Crane. These books are heavy reading; not for those who like to move along fast. However, once you have read them, you feel as though you have been on the high seas or survived a war.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2723" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: Times New Roman;">Another writer I admire, who in my opinion is now classic, is Maria Von Trapp of <u id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2514" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">Sound of Music</u> fame. The books written by Maria are special for the reason each February, my family and I pack skis and winter gear and vacation at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont. This has been a tradition for twenty years. At first, we stayed at the original lodge until it was destroyed in a fire in 1980. The present Inn is very beautiful and luxurious, but it cannot compare to the homey atmosphere of the original lodge.</span></div>
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<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2641" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"> </span>My favorite recollections of Maria are of her greeting guests in the dining room each evening, wearing a traditional Austrian dress and an endearing smile. At Mass at the quaint Blessed Sacrament Church in Stowe, I can still see her bustling down the aisle, attended by a companion or family member. I have been privileged to meet one of God’s chosen.</div>
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<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2643" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2648" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"> </span>Maria was an iron-willed woman who never hesitated to say anything. She would not have survived in this country without her strong will. At her funeral in 1987, attended by approximately 200 friends and relatives, Monsignor Paul Taggart quoted a colleague as saying;</span></div>
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“God is going to be in for some surprises with Maria.”</div>
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The following books by Maria von Trapp, I warmly recommend;</div>
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<b id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2658" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">A<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2659" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"> </span>FAMILY ON WHEELS </b>tells the story of the Trapp Family’s successful American and International concert tours which carried the entire family from South American cities to the hidden leper island of Molokai in Hawaii.</div>
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The Trapp family fled Austria to escape Hitler’s scourge, and arrived in America nearly penniless to begin a new life as professional musicians. In this book, Maria shares the family’s fascinating experiences of home life at picturesque Stowe, Vermont; and their six-year global tour to almost every city of any size in South America, New Zealand, Australia, America, and Europe. On their visit to Austria – after a twelve-year absence – they received a royal ovation which was for Maria an unforgettable moment of happiness and triumph.</div>
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<b id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2666" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">MARIA, MY OWN STORY</b>: reveals poignant scenes of childhood, convent life, marriage, and escape from Hitler’s Germany. Maria traces Baroness von Trapp’s adventure-filled and spiritually-overflowing life through the growth of her children, the Lodge at Stowe, Vermont and her dedication to God.</div>
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<span id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2669" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;"> </span>Maria von Trapp grew up in Austria and was left as an orphaned child at a very early age. She joined one of Austria’s strictest convents on the hopes of becoming a nun. As the ‘will of God’ she married Baron Georg von Trapp and became the second mother to his seven children.</div>
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Hitler struck Austria and Maria became the guiding force of the family.</div>
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Maria was not only a musician, mother, homemaker, lecturer, and world traveler; she is also an accomplished writer. The <b id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2676" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">STORY OF THE TRAPP FAMILY SINGERS </b>was made into the famous play and movie, <b id="yiv3650806769yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509808437895_2677" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px;">THE SOUND OF MUSIC</b>, the thrilling story of Maria.</div>
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Trapp Family books can be obtained from the Trapp Family Gift Shop located in the Austrian Tea Room, Stowe, Vermont 05672.</div>
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*This review was in part taken from book jackets.</div>
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pcrandall123http://www.blogger.com/profile/12413044712798318645noreply@blogger.com0