Author Talk

I'm at work - and listening to the author of the book "Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen" - Susan Gilmore - great book about a southern girl growing up in the 60's. Yes, a coming of age book - but so very much worth the read.

More later - I want to hear her talk. :)

Sunday Rain

It's June and that usually means hot, humid days, but not today. It is overcast, cool with a gentle rain falling. As I sit here in the living room, in front of my open window (the porch outside allows me to do this in the rain), a light breeze blows the sheers. It smells cool and clean. This is a day to be enjoyed, even if from the inside.

With the coolness comes new ideas - brought in by the freshness. I type away, noting down stray thoughts, hoping they come together into some sort of cohesive solid. Something with form that I can fill out and add to.

In the meantime, I have web pages to work on, books to read, stories to write - and nice cool temperatures to do so.

May you have a good day full of ideas.

Father's Day

My dad was many things in his life: a soldier, a cook, a cop, a lineman, a farmer, a janitor, a lay minister, a guide, and much more. But to me he was always a teacher. One thing he taught me about was books. Dad was a voracious reader who read everything from Shakespeare to Zane Grey. He loved westerns and mysteries, history and biographies, poetry and drama, and silly little "bathroom" joke books.

He taught me to enjoy words. Anytime we were waiting in a parking lot, he would point out a word on a sign and challenge my brother and me to find as many words in that one word as we could. He made learning how to spell fun. I remember the games of Scrabble we used to play, though we stopped when I went to college. He said I knew too much for him. Hah.

It is because of him and his love of the written word that I am able to follow my dream of being a writer. Thank you, Dad.

Another thing Dad taught me was the gift of time. To all the fathers (and anyone who is in that role), give your children your time. Spend time with them. Teach them what you can. The lessons you give them will last a lifetime and beyond.

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.

I want a book

I was at work this afternoon and had to paste a smile on my face and be the perfect salesperson to a mother I wanted to say not so nice words to. She was in with a young boy and a teen girl. The kids immediately went to their various areas and started searching for books while the mom sat in one of our comfy chairs to wait. Shortly, the boy came out with two used books, about $5.00 in total. The girl picked out one for about the same amount. The mother put the boy's books up on the counter. The girl looked at her, asked if she could have the book. Her mother said "Not today." The look on the girl's face was one of complete and utter disappointment.

In listening to the conversation, the mother wasn't denying because of content or any other reason, just a 'not today.'

Now granted, I don't know if anything else went on in the family that day. There may have been other reasons why she didn't want the girl to have a book this day. Maybe she'd spent money on the girl earlier, or anything. But the hurt on the teen's face when her brother walked out with his books and she couldn't was very telling. There are few enough teens willing to pick up a book to read and I am a firm believer in encouraging reading whenever possible. I hope that girl does get a chance to come in and get her book.

In the meantime, I love being surrounded by books. And I'm finding all sorts of new authors to read. I can think of no better way to pass a quiet day than with a book in hand.

New Book Catalogs

I went into work today (I work very part time at a small, independent book store) to find my boss digging through a huge box of catalogs. She was just back from BEA (Book Expo of America) and had brought back a lot of "stuff". Since business was slow, we sat there and started looking through all the publisher catalogs. We were looking specifically for materials for the store to purchase for sales, but we couldn't avoid having some fun for ourselves.

There were a lot of books that we would have loved to get, but knew they would never sell in the store for one reason or another. In most cases, it was price. We know how much people are willing to spend in our area. Note to publishers: $28.00 hardback novels aren't it.

In some cases, it was geography/sociology. As a former librarian, I do not and cannot condone censorship. But by the same token, as a salesperson in a small book store in a small town in a very conservative area, my boss and I are keenly aware of what will not sell. Erotica is not it.

But for the rest, we had a good time, pointing out good buys to each other, marking them for possible inclusion on the list, showing each other what we'd personally like, but wouldn't buy (the cookbook showing decadent chocolate desserts looked wonderful, but at almost $50.00? No.) Favorite authors and best sellers were debated. Children's books looked over and carefully considered.

In the hour we spent, we got through most, but not all, of the catalogs and I can't wait for the orders to go in, and the books to arrive because looking through the actual books is a whole lot more fun than just reading about it in a catalog.

And one of these days, my books will be in those catalogs for someone to consider. Someday soon, I hope! :)