Rain, rain, go away, come again another day...

Rain is a common cause of driving collisions. With winter just around the corner, it’s a good idea to review safe driving practices, especially for driving in the rain.

● Consult your car owner’s manual for specific safety instructions regarding brakes, cruise control and tires.

● Replace your windshield wipers at least once a year, ideally at the beginning of winter.

● Take time to defog your windows to improve visibility.

● Use extra caution for the first few hours after a long dry spell. Oil and grease accumulate on the road, making it extremely slick.

● Practice extra caution at intersections, on and off ramps, and parking lots. Road oil accumulates more in areas of slow traffic.

● Remember the rule: “Windshield wipers on, cruise control off.” Cruise control slows your ability to recognize changes in weather-related road conditions. Also, when there is less traction, cruise control is apt to malfunction.

● The deeper your tire tread, the more traction you have. Replace worn tires before winter.

● Avoid driving through standing water unless you know it is shallow.

● Vision is compromised in the rain. Another rule: “Windshield wipers on, headlights on.”

● Watch for pedestrians. They’re thinking about staying dry and may make a dash across the street to get out of the rain. Also, rain muffles road noises and they don’t always hear you.

● Posted speed signs are for ideal weather. Reduce speed for less than optimal conditions.

● When it’s raining, slow down. Reduced speed cuts your risk of hydroplaning and allows you more time to stop on slick roads.

● Allow more space than normal from the vehicle in front of you. For one thing, you avoid their spray; for another, it takes longer to stop in wet conditions.

Follow the Dream by Heidi M. Thomas follows the life of Nettie Moser who finally has what she’s longed for–life on a horse ranch and the freedom to ride rodeo with her handsome cowboy husband, Jake Moser. Her dreams are coming true.

Then along comes an opportunity of a lifetime. Her friend, famous bronc rider Marie Gibson, offers Nettie an opportunity to go to London and ride with Tex Austin’s International Rodeo. It’s almost too good to be true. Riding rodeo in London!

But dreams don’t always come true. As family responsibilities become more of a reality, dreams sometimes have to take a back seat. Nettie still dreams, but the dreams become more distant. Survival occupies her time and energy now. Riding rodeo, let alone going to London, seems even farther away.

Life is hard in the late 1920s and 30s. Money is scarce and even the weather turns against them, leaving dust where once lush grass grew. It’s a constant struggle to find enough grass for the horses to graze. Although the Mosers own their stock, they don’t own the land. As the drought drags on, they decide to trail the herd of 50 horses to Idaho, 300 miles away. The drive, an exciting, pivotal adventure of the book involves excitement, hardship and many anxious moments.

Moving back to Montana, life changes. The need for horses in the work-a-day world is dwindling with tractors replacing plow-horses and engines replacing the need for horse-drawn logging equipment. Their treasure isn’t worth what it once was. Their home becomes what they can find for shelter–tents, tarpaper shacks, a run-down hotel, even a granary. Jake takes whatever work he can find. Enduring love make the hardships easier to bear and again Nettie watches their dreams shift and change.

Thomas weaves an exciting, strong, credible tale with this story of love, hardship and adventure that spans 14 years. Follow the Dream is a sequel to her previous novel, Cowgirl Dreams, but each book stands alone as strong and engaging.

Follow the Dream is available through your favorite bookstore, through publisher Treble Heart Books www.trebleheartbooks.com/sdheidithomas.html in both print and e-book formats and autographed copies from www.heidimthomas.com

It is my pleasure to have as my guest Kathleen Ernst. Welcome, Kathleen. I have found your experiences with reenacting fascinating and am delighted to have you tell our friends more about it.

I’m grateful to Mary for allowing me to be a guest today. And I’m grateful to readers! I love my work, and I’d be nowhere without you. Leave a comment here, and your name will go into a drawing for one free book. The winner can choose any of my sixteen titles. Old World Murder, one of my American Girl mysteries, a Civil War novel—the choice will be yours!

My husband, daughter Meg, and I reached Spring Hill, TN, in a driving rain. The temperature was dropping. The parking lot—a field intended to hold the vehicles of 10,000 or so Civil War reenactors and their gear—was a sea of mud. The actual camping areas were located well beyond the parking lot. The horses and wagons provided to help haul gear had trouble slogging through thick muck on the hilly terrain.

Fortunately, my family was traveling relatively light. Meg and I would be spending the weekend in a recreated refugee camp, helping visitors remember that soldiers weren’t the only people affected by military campaigns during the Civil War. After we hiked to the clearing where the refugee camp was being created, Scott helped Meg and me set up our little tent. We watched him tramp off to find his military comrades, the incessant rain darkening his wool coat and dripping from his hat brim.

Welcome to the wonderful world of reenacting.

That weekend was challenging, to be sure. It was also one of the best experiences I had during the decade plus I spent reenacting. The people organizing the refugee camp had done an amazing job of researching and presenting a bit of life as it might have been for some of the thousands of Southern civilians left destitute and homeless during the war.

It also provided me with an amazing opportunity to immerse myself into the 19th century for a few days. We talked with visitors as they came through, but at the end of “public time” each day, we ladies and children were alone in the clearing, with no modern intrusions in sight. I savored the richness of sensory details the experience provided. One evening we heard hoofbeats, and a column of Union cavalry emerged from the trees and rode past our camp. A woman ran to the lane, shouting “Give ‘em hell for East Tennessee!” Her portrayal provided a vivid reminder that the pocket of Union sympathizers in that area suffered terribly during the war. It was an unexpected and magical moment.

I knew before the weekend was over that I needed to channel the experience into a novel. The result was Hearts of Stone, about a young woman named Hannah Cameron from East Tennessee. After Hannah and her younger siblings were orphaned, they wandered through Tennessee and eventually took shelter in a refugee camp—much like the one I helped portray.

If you write historicals, there’s a good chance that someone—or many someones—reenact your period. Even if you don’t want to participate yourself, visiting a reenactment can transform a story from ho-hum to wow. Reenactments can provide a myriad of specific sensory details to bring your story to life. Learn what musket smoke smells like, listen to musicians playing period music, discover (with permission) what homespun linen feels like. If you get lucky you may experience one of those unexpected “bubble” moments, when—just for a split second—you forget that you live in modern times.

Many reenactors are passionate historians. They know a lot, and they love to share what they know. Some are also collectors. If you have questions about material culture during your era, you can likely find the answers.

One word of caution: attending a reenactment to do research is like searching the world wide web for information. You’ll find a lot, but you will need to use some filters. Don’t assume that everything you see and hear is accurate.

I don’t do much reenacting these days, but my experiences and memories will always help inform my work. In my new book, Old World Murder, protagonist Chloe Ellefson is a curator at the historic site where I was first introduced to the hobby of reenacting. I plan to get Chloe to other historic sites as the mystery series continues. Sooner or later she’ll experience a reenactment. She’ll encounter a mystery to solve. I’ll get to revisit some great memories.

Kathleen Ernst is celebrating the publication of her first adult mystery, Old World Murder (Midnight Ink). She has also written eight mysteries for young readers. Several have been finalists for Edgar or Agatha awards.

I began to think we were traveling in circles. Driving south on our way to Coos Bay, Oregon, we passed over an attractive bridge in Newport. It’s graceful arches spanned more than half a mile across the bay and, in the middle of the bridge, spires pointed to the sky, like miniature castles. Now, as we approached Waldport, we drove over another familiar-looking bridge. “Didn’t we just do this?”

What we were to discover is that along Highway 101, a stretch sometimes called the Oregon Coast Highway, a series of bridges look similar, and for very good reason. The same man, Conde B. McCullough (1887 - 1946) built most of the bridges linking the coastal highway. In the waterfront town of Waldport, we visited the historic Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center to learn more about these fascinating structures.

Though McCullough designed hundreds of bridges in Oregon, it was not the quantity of bridges that made him famous, it was the quality and innovative graceful arches, pylons and spires.

Using the most advanced techniques of the day, McCullough built bridges with a combination of function, form and grace. He served Oregon’s State Highway Department from 1919 to 1946. Remember, in those days there were no design tools like computers or even calculators. Everything was done by hand. A display at the interpretive center shows a replica of McCullough’s office with its drafting table, wooden file drawers, a clunky typewriter and surveyor hand tools.

After World War I, the United States’ military encouraged the completion of the highway as a means of national security. With the popularity of automobile travel, the tourism industry added impetus to completing the highway. Up until that time, channels along the coast had to be crossed by ferry.

Many of McCullough’s bridges are eligible or have been listed on the National Register.

If you have a chance to visit Oregon’s spectacular coastline, be sure to take special notice of these inspiring structures.

Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Ballantine Books) is a remarkable story of family dynamics, cultural clashes and bittersweet love that spans all chasms.

Toggling between the war years of mid-1940s and mid-1980s, Ford chronicles the life of Henry Lee, a Chinese American. In the mid-40s, at a time when many Americans were suspicious of all Japanese as the result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Henry is torn between his loyalty to a school friend, Keiko Okabe, a Japanese American, and his father who has an ancestral hatred of the Japanese.

In the mid-80's, Henry, now widowed, is drawn to the Hotel Panama, an old boarded-up building where, it has recently been discovered, Japanese war-time household effects were stored. Old memories surface, memories that haven’t really been buried that deep.

Ford handles the cultural differences between Chinese and Japanese with honesty and skill. Old World Chinese prejudices leave no room for even a casual friendship with the Japanese, not even with an innocent girl whose family loses their home, their livelihood, their community status, during the Internment years.

Another special friend who ties many of the strings of this novel together is Sheldon, an African American, a saxophone jazz player who brings down-to-earth observations and genuine friendship over the 40-year span of the book.

War is ugly with its gruesome battle scenes, death and destruction, but, as Ford depicts in the story, the devastation goes deeper than that with cruel attitudes and inhumane treatment of innocent individuals caught up in the hatred of a few.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a satisfying story, told with historic detail and realism. It’s a book that lingers in the mind and heart.

Fort Churchhill’s remaining buildings are in ruins, the adobe walls remaining in a state of arrested decay.

Highway 50, dubbed in 1986 by Life Magazine as “The Loneliest Road in America,” may be lonely but the sights are many.

On a sunny June day, with our truck and camper, we travel west on Highway 50 through north central Nevada, from California to the Utah border.

Carson City, the first major stop along Highway 50, is a wonderful introduction to what is yet to come. Crammed with history, Carson City, Nevada’s capital, was founded in 1858 and was indirectly named after the famed scout and frontiersman, Kit Carson.

We stop at the Nevada State Museum in the old U.S. Mint building to pick up brochures and walking tour information. From there we stroll down tree-lined streets and view beautifully preserved homes and churches, many with plaques describing their place in history. Colorful, quaint flower beds decorate the yards of these historic homes.

In Carson City we learn the story of the famous Pony Express riders. From April, 1860 to October, 1861, dozens of hardy young men braved the 1,800 miles between Sacramento, California and St. Joseph, Missouri. They faced extreme elements, Indians, desperadoes and sheer exhaustion to deliver their mail pouches in a mere 10 days time. Stopping at Pony Express stations along the way-–some still visible today--a rider could quickly dismount, grab a canteen of water and a fresh horse to resume his dangerous ride.

Even back then, this colorful chapter in Old West history fell victim to technology, when, just four days after the completion of the first transcontinental telegraph, the Pony Express was out of business, closing a short, but never to be forgotten chapter in the history of the Old West.

Fort Churchill State Historic Park offers a historical glimpse of Nevada’s first military post. The Visitor Center shows the story of Fort Churchill through interpretive boards, pictures and displays.

The desert environment appears to be devoid of life, but one of the exhibits at Fort Churchill demonstrates how many species of plants and desert wildlife flourish in that area alone, each dependent on certain conditions of moisture and soil.

Beginning at Silver Springs, the highway now takes us through Carson Desert and into the heartland of the Great Basin, the great interior sink of the western United States.

The city of Fallon, a community surrounded by farms and ranches, is also known for Naval Air Station Fallon, one of the premier training bases in the country and home to the famous Navy Fighter Weapons School, “Topgun.”

Back on the highway, we visit Grimes Point, one of the largest and most accessible petroglyph sites in northern Nevada. The petroglyphs cover 150 or so basalt boulders and date from between 5000 BC and 1500 AD.

Whoa! What’s that? As we round a bend in the highway, a 600-foot tall, 2.5-mile long, glistening sand dune looms, beckoning us to stop, look and listen. Sand Mountain changes its shape every day as the prevailing southwest winds deposit new sand while pushing and pulling the old. Did I say “listen?” Yes! This strange and wonderful mountain sings! The dry, polished sand particles produce low, booming sounds as they shift. It’s dry and hot at this wayside–we’re thankful to have a good water supply in our rig.

At Sand Springs we stop to look at a Pony Express station and walk the interpretive loop trail. This station was rediscovered by archaeologists in 1976, and subsequently excavated and stabilized. We walk through the station and its various rooms separated by thick stone walls.

Near Middlegate we see a silly sight–a large cottonwood tree draped with hundreds of pairs of shoes. Apparently a fight between lovers resulted in her shoes ending up in the tree and a tradition was born. We move on, our own shoes intact.

We pass a sign “Toiyabe National Forest” but there’s not a tree in sight, just big sagebrush and ricegrass. Our rig climbs to the 7,484-foot Austin summit. Almost the entire state of Nevada is in the Great Basin which also includes sections of California, Oregon and Utah. Although to me the word “basin” suggests lowlands, much of it is higher than 6,000 feet, even in the valleys. Daytime temperatures are high; nights are refreshingly cool.

Tonight we’ll camp at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) camp, Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area. Armed with an interpretive brochure, we view petroglyph panels along a cliff face. At an overlook we gaze at the Toquima Mountain Range to the left, the Big Smokey Valley straight ahead, and the Toiyabe Mountain Range to the right.

We pass through Eureka, one of the oldest mining towns in the state. This town has made a supreme effort to restore its buildings and, in fact, has won a prestigious award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for renewal of the Eureka Opera House.

Next comes Ely, another historic mining town with many interesting restored buildings and museums. Five miles east of town, the Ruth open pit copper mines show mounds where waste rock was removed to uncover ore. These mines produced nearly $1 billion in copper, gold and silver during the first half of the 20th century.

Great Basin National Park, created in 1986, is Nevada’s newest treasure and the last stop on Highway 50. Of the five campgrounds in the park, we choose Upper Lehman – it’s cool and comfortable in a forest of shimmering quaking aspen. While there we visit Lehman Caves. The Caves, at the base of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, are chilly and we’re glad we brought light coats. From our guide we learn about the fantastic display of geologic decorations, including an array of stalactite and stalagmites developed over hundreds of years.

True to its name, “The Loneliest Road in America” has very little traffic–at times we’ve traveled hours without encountering another vehicle. We’ve loved this leg of our Nevada journey. What an adventure!

Image by Bruce Trimble: OK Quarter Circle Barn, Built in 1933

America’s barns provide a nostalgic link to yesteryear. Before the advent of gasoline powered tractors, when teams of horses provided the necessary energy to produce our country’s food, the barn was the hub of American farms.

It was in the barn where the farmer sheltered horses, stored hay and grain, fed livestock, milked cows, stored and mended harnesses and other tack. The barn provided warmth and protection needed for birthing farm animals. Our agricultural ancestors conducted much of their daily business in the family barn–it often provided space for dances, weddings, church services, community meetings and a spacious, exciting play arena for farm children.

In Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Valley, a tour of America’s past is offered in the form of a self-guided barn tour. Following an excellent guide book, The Wallowa Valley Barn Tour II (see details at the end of this blog) visitors are given driving directions to several area barns.

The nostalgic barn tour involves barns of all sizes and shapes, many of which are being used today though rarely for the purpose for which they were originally built. The snow-capped peaks of the Wallowa Mountains tower over rolling fields of hay, peas, wheat and other crops, accenting the area’s spectacular variety of barns.

The flavors of country are bountiful here. In the early summer, fields of brilliant wildflowers--purple, yellow, white and orange--provide excellent photographic opportunities. Meadowlarks, barn swallows, magpies and owls are in generous supply and the air is filled with their melodious songs. Deer graze with little fear, as long as visitors keep their distance. Stock–horses, cattle and sheep–view newcomers with curiosity and it’s not unusual for horses to crane their necks over the fence to get a better look.

You can drive for miles before encountering another vehicle, and then it’s inevitably the locals’ vehicle of choice, a diesel, 4-wheel drive, flat-bed pick-up, sporting one or two border collies (the obvious dog of choice) scrambling to balance themselves on a tool box in the back. These are working dogs, by the way, not your fluffy city pooch. These no-nonsense dogs have real work to do in gathering, cutting, and generally keeping stock in line. Many of the dogs looked as though they would neither appreciate nor tolerate a pat on the head by a stranger.

Especially in the early days, many farm families lived in sub-standard housing while investing their money and labor in erecting a sturdy barn. The barn was the core of their existence, a necessary element from which their livelihood stemmed.

Barns often reflected builders’ ancestry with design characteristics of German, English and Scandinavian influences. Later, barn designs of New England, Pennsylvania and Kansas were transplanted and adapted to America’s West and built with materials at hand. Roof slopes, barn construction, the shape of windows, rain hoods, ventilating cupolas, lightning balls and weathervanes often indicate a barn’s cultural history. The sides of Pennsylvania Dutch barns often sport colorful geometric decorations known as hex signs, occasionally seen in western barns today.

Connected farm buildings, called rambling barns, evolved so that the farmer could avoid trips outdoors in harsh weather. At the same time, the configuration of a rambling barn blocks winter winds, providing a protected barnyard for the animals.

The color red is a common color for a barn and is traditionally the result of old-time farmers preserving their weatherboards with a mixture of materials at hand–red oxide from their soil, linseed oil from their flax crop and casein from cows’ milk. Or, to cut expenses, a farmer could sometimes get a free paint job by allowing a company to paint an advertisement on his barn.

Barns connect us to our past but the need for them has become functionally obsolete. Work horses once used for plowing, planting and harvesting have been largely replaced with high-powered machines. Today, specialty buildings have largely taken the place of the all-purpose barn.

Preserving barns is a noble endeavor which provides a link to our past. Caring for these structures is expensive and time-consuming. Even so, replacing or repairing a roof, painting, shoring up the side of a barn, buys communities time to cling to our country’s agricultural past, a chance to recognize and appreciate our heritage.

In some parts of the country efforts to preserve barns have gained popularity. While the individual family farm is slowly disappearing, there are still families whose livelihood depend on their land and what it can produce. Many of these families are investing time and money to preserve their barns. In some cases, community organizations have chipped in to save barns from their inevitable demise.

Touring Eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Valley barns, whether to photograph, sketch, paint or simply appreciate, is immensely rewarding. Viewing yesteryear’s barns gives us a rich appreciation of our rural heritage and of those people who today are preserving that heritage by lovingly caring for these relics of the past.

Acknowledgment: An excellent guide book, The Wallowa Valley Barn Tour II, provides pictures and historic information on the area’s barns. The book is available through The Bookloft, 107 East Main Street, Enterprise, OR 97828, or call (541) 426-3351.

Nineteen months is a long time to be unemployed, no matter how you look at it. My husband Bruce recently returned to the work force after 19 months of job searching. The company where he’d worked for 18 years moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, not a viable option for us. Bruce thought it wouldn’t be difficult to get another position, but when the economy took a dive, so did job opportunities. We had our anxious moments, but we survived.

We’re thrifty by nature. We’ve been married 32 years and many of those years were lean ones. First, Bruce went to college while I worked. Later, I went to college while he worked. During our years together, there have been other times with no appreciative income, namely when we served with the Peace Corps and when we sailed the South Pacific. We’ve learned to manage with little or no income.

One of our hard and fast rules has always been to stay out of debt. Except for our house, we’ve never purchased an item on credit. Oh, we use a credit card, but pay it off each month so we’re never charged interest.

Bruce received unemployment benefits, which were a tremendous help. Other than originally going into the Employment Security office, most of the job search was conducted on-line. He was required to make personal visits to the job security office three times during the 19 months–they understandably need to see hard-evidence of job seeking.

Looking for employment is hard work. In today’s job market, making cold-calls for managerial positions is almost unheard of. In fact, it’s usually impossible. The State’s Employment Security Department has an active on-line job listing, and there are several other job search engines available.

What Bruce found, however, is that most of the jobs listed are often not real positions, or they are positions that will be filled from within the company. In these hard-economic times, companies are just not hiring new people. An obvious flaw to this, however, is that people are often promoted to levels beyond their capabilities, and companies are falling behind in production. When massive lay-offs occur, the remaining workers are over-worked, creating an unhealthy environment. Or, companies are letting important elements of their business slide, also a risky trend. Some companies have the unfortunate policy of not hiring anyone currently unemployed, but rather seek those who are and entice them away from their current position.

Bruce diligently filled out applications, kept his resume current, tweaking it to fit the job description, and wrote cover letters. Many of the applications were long; most questions required narrative responses. Many applications were confusing and he’d click where told and all his work would disappear. He formally responded to 270 job openings, most of which took hours to complete. Rarely did he get a response; occasionally an automated acknowledgment of application received. He did get a few personal interviews and some of them went very well, but the result was often that the company eventually hired from within, they’d changed the job description, etc. Many times employers didn’t call when they’d promised and Bruce would follow up only to be disappointed again.

During this time, to save his sanity, Bruce expanded his interest in growing native plants. A neighbor who sells produce from his farm asked Bruce to start some plants by seed and he happily grew vegetable starts to be sold at the produce stand, along with northwest specialty plants, such as salal, flowering current, red osier dogwood, etc.

Bruce also has a keen interest in photography and he researched the possibility of pursuing this interest commercially, including real estate photography. Unfortunately, the economic climate for real estate wasn’t much better than the job market. But it was a way to productively keep busy and feel as though he was accomplishing something. My third novel, Tenderfoot, was released this past year and Bruce designed the book cover, and was invaluable in helping me with promotional material such as postcard design, press releases, posters, etc.

I was amazed with Bruce’s positive attitude and dedication to whatever he was doing–job search, gardening, photography or promoting my work. Also, I was appreciative of his respect for my time–my work, with the release of my new book, went on as before.

After all those 270 job applications, it wasn’t any of those that resulted in a job. It was a former colleague who works for a company that could use Bruce’s skills. The position was an obvious fit and within 2 days of the interview he had a job. Not only that, he is again working in the marine industry, where he has spent his working career. Perhaps this is another example of “it’s not what you know, but who you know” that is key to finding work in today’s marketplace.

Long saga with a happy ending. Let’s hope that all the many others who are diligently seeking work will soon find a satisfying and productive position. Being out of work is no fun, but it still can be productive.

Carolyn Wing Greenlee’s recently released book, Steady Hedy: A Journey through Blindness & Guide Dog School is a journey into another world, a world without the benefit of sight. Through Greenlee’s delightfully graphic writing, the reader is given glimpses of what she has suffered with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition that leads to incurable blindness. At the time she attended Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) in San Rafael, California, her vision had dwindled to 4%. In her class of ten, three were totally blind; the others were in various stages of debilitating visual impairment.

For years, Greenlee chafed at the inconvenience of her deteriorating vision loss. Simple tasks took longer, going shopping, especially in a strange store, was a formidable task. Walking brought fear of bumping into something or falling into a hole. The worse part was giving up driving, which meant giving up much of her independence.

People who suffer from blindness feel isolated, no longer feeling that they are a part of the group. They require help which in turn make them feel guilty. They miss communication through body-language and, especially in a group, feel they’re missing out on the flow of conversation.

By a series of surprising connections, Greenlee finds herself surrounded by a community of support, individuals who help bridge this gap by providing counseling, technology, mobility skills, and a fresh prospective on blindness. They enable the disabled. The year-long preparation she receives from these many groups and individuals make Greenlee’s admission into guide dog school possible.

At the school, Greenlee launches into a world of unknowns–unfamiliar surroundings, challenging tasks, unknown fellow students, new routines. A third-generation Chinese American, Greenlee constantly battles feelings of insecurity, incompetency and inadequacy as the result of her Confucian background. She questions whether she will measure up to the task of learning the work and successfully bonding with a guide dog.

After three days of orientation, the students receive their dogs and Greenlee is given Hedy, a small black lab. She’s bitterly disappointed not to have the color of dog she hoped for–a yellow lab. For one, with Greenlee’s limited vision, the light color itself would allow her to see the dog more clearly. To Greenlee, Hedy seems small, smelly and indifferent. It is not love at first sight for the dog, either. It’s obvious Hedy longs for her previous trainer and shows Greenlee no fondness, only aloofness. Clearly, the dog is only there because she has to be. The staff assures Greenlee that with patience and consistency Hedy will come around. It’s a partnership: the handler directs the dog and the dog delivers its owner safely. But it takes patience, time and trust. Especially trust. With hard-headed Hedy, Greenlee worries. Will they ever become a truly interdependent team?

Greenlee chronicles the ambitious activities of the school. While at first she wonders what they could possibly find to do for 28 days, now it is a rush to get everything done. Along the way, the students have adventures, form close friendships, and have a surprisingly good time even though the schedule is grueling. Step by step they face the challenging obstacles placed before them. With the support of GDB, the students become courageous, adventurous, and full of hope, aspirations they hadn’t thought possible.

Stedy Hedy is an engaging, often funny, and thoroughly satisfying story of new found freedom in the face of catastrophic loss, where, as Greenlee says, “Your worse nightmare can become the source of your deepest healing.”

Steady Hedy: A Journey through Blindness & Guide Dog School can be ordered through your favorite bookstore, through the publisher Earthen Vessel Productions (www.earthen.com), Amazon.com, Kindle and iBooks.

Fraud comes in many forms--telemarketing, mail scams, bunco schemes. If you're approached with a deal that's “too good to be true,” it probably is. If "you've gotta move on it now," you'd better take your time. Watch your step if you're approached by one of these "get rich quick" schemes:

The Bank Examiner A phony bank examiner, IRS agent, or policeman contacts you and asks your help in catching a dishonest employee. You're asked to withdraw funds from your account and give it to the "examiner" so serial numbers can be checked. Of course, the money vanishes, along with the "examiners." Banks, IRS, or the police never use this procedure.

The Pigeon Drop In this bunco scheme the victim is approached by someone saying they have found a large sum of money and will share it. The swindlers ask that you withdraw "good faith" money from your account. They take your "good faith" money and then make phony arrangements where you can pick up your share of the found money. It’s hard to believe so many people fall for this one, but it happens.

Telemarketing Fraud Many types of fraudulent businesses are promoted by telephone, such as travel scams, prizes offered by postcard whereby the victim is asked to call 900 number at a high fee, magazine promoters, charity solicitations. Not all telemarketing is fraudulent, but it's a good idea to ask the company for their offer in writing.

Pyramid Schemes An illegal pyramid scheme requires that you make an initial investment to become a member. Then you must recruit others into the investment who also pay a fee. For each person you bring into the program, you either receive money or bonuses. In an illegal pyramid scheme, making money depends not on how much merchandise is sold, but how many people you bring into the business.

Phony Repairs Auto, roof, and plumbing repairs account for many swindles. Sometimes the victim is charged an outrageous price for work done; sometimes no work was done at all but the victim has signed a "contract" and the swindlers claim money is owed. Or, the contractor may say he needs much of the money up front so that he can buy materials and that’s the last the buyer sees of him. Always get a written estimate before work begins. If you are unsure about the company, call your local Better Business Bureau. It’s also a good idea to ask for local references. Better yet, ask your friends if they know of a reputable repair company.

Work-at-Home schemes These endeavors rarely make money as claimed. By the time the victim has bought the kit or required supplies, the market for the finished product has disappeared and the company won't buy back the supplies.

Here are tips to avoid being a victim of fraud:

1) Be leery of "get rich quick" schemes. The quicker you say “yes,” the quicker the perpetrator gets rich.

2) Don't be pressured into making hasty decisions for offers made for "a limited time."

3) Never give your credit card or bank account information over the telephone to anyone other than a reputable company.

4) Beware of free prizes that require you to pay tax, shipping charges, or handling costs. Refuse a prize if you have to make a purchase to claim it.

Of all the planets, earth is the only one known to be covered with a thin layer of dirt. This dirt, or soil, is alive and capable of sustaining life. The video Dirt! The Movie is a documentary about the value of soil and its necessity for our survival.

Man’s existence is dependent upon healthy soil. Experts, naturalists, from all over the world recognize its importance to survival. Unfortunately, the quest for money gained through commercially exploiting natural resources has disrupted the natural cycles nature has provided. Tearing up the ground for mining, drilling for oil, cutting down forests, paving fertile ground, even short-sighted farming techniques have altered the natural use of soil and has adversely affected the lives of people all over the world.

The movie, directed by Bill Benenson and Gene Rosow, and narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis, also features experts who have experimented with returning the soil to doing what it’s supposed to do. In one instance, a Los Angeles school yard’s pavement was removed and in its place the children planted vegetables and other life-sustaining crops. Their thrill, plus the vivid demonstration of the power of soil, was a heart-warming reminder of the value of returning to natural earth.

In stark contrast were scenes of barren land, devoid of life because of excessive chemical use, over-planting, and misuse of the land. Sick, starving people are the victims of the misuse of soil. One of the most memorable quotations from the movie, “Drought, climate change, even war are all directly related to the way we are treating dirt,” is a dramatic statement of man’s mistreatment of our fragile planet.

We can take heart, however, by taking action. By doing a few small things correctly, each one of us can do a lot to restore dirt, to become aware of its value, of its life-giving qualities. “What we’ve destroyed, we can heal.”

I encourage everyone to see this memorable DVD documentary, Dirt! The Movie. For more information and to order the DVD, visit www.dirtthemovie.org.

Serving where needed is a way of life or Roy Lesher. He recently returned from ten days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where he worked with a team dispensing free eyeglasses to 2,498 patients, people who couldn’t afford to buy glasses for themselves. Roy, a member of the Lions and VOSH (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) plans to return to Mexico within a year, though to another location. The team’s future plans also involve Jamaica and El Salvador. The common link to both the Lions and VOSH is Helen Keller who inspired both organizations to serve the blind and conserve sight.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1939, Roy attended school and college in his home state. He served with the U.S. Air Force from 1962 through 1985 and retired as Lt Colonel. Most of his military career was oversees–Taiwan, Korea, Spain, Turkey, and almost all countries in the Far and Middle East. He also served in the U.S. in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia and Washington DC. While in Washington he served with the Pentagon and White House Communications Agency.

After leaving the military he received a Master’s Degree in International Studies and another Master’s in Business Administration. He worked for several years in the industrial pump field, and served as an International Tech Consultant. Finally, retiring a second time, Roy and his wife Sally moved to Camano Island, WA in 2004.

But “retired” isn’t exactly a fitting word for Roy. He continues to serve on numerous community organizations. Today he spends most of his volunteer time with the Stanwood Lions Club as Treasurer and Chairman of the Sight and Hearing Programs. Aha! So that’s the story behind Roy’s particular skill of sight screening! The Lions Club screens more than 2,100 school children throughout the district every year.

Roy Lesher is well known locally for his community on-line newsletter. I first heard of it when a friend e-mailed a copy to me. It has become the most reliable and timely way to learn about what’s going on in our community. Roy thoughtfully colors the new material in blue, but leaves the previous but still current news in black. Many organizations make their announcements through Roy Lesher’s newsletter.

When Roy isn’t serving the community, he spends time with family–he and Sally have five children and five grandchildren. He also follows his passion of genealogy, occasionally trekking to Salt Lake City, UT for research.

Our community is richer because of Roy Lesher. He serves for the love of it, for the love of his fellow man. When Roy says, “We’re always at our best when we’re helping people,” he really means it. He lives it.

To receive Roy’s newsletter, contact RoyLesher@aol.com to be placed on his distribution list.

Much to everyone’s surprise, including scientists who have studied the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens extensively, a resurgence of life has returned to Mount St. Helens. The landscape has shifted dramatically from a gray, still and nearly barren panorama to an environment that is green, active and life-filled. The mountain’s return to vibrant life is a remarkable reminder of the power and beauty of nature.

When Mount St. Helens erupted thirty years ago, the landscape looked as though it would never support life again. The lateral blast left 234 square miles of standing-dead or blown-down forests, killing an estimated 10,000,000 trees. As the north face of the mountain collapsed, creating the largest landslide in U.S. history, wind and heat wiped out virtually all animal and plant life. An estimated 7,000 deer, elk and bear, and untold thousands of birds and small animals perished. The Toutle River grew so hot witnesses reported seeing fish jump out of the water to escape the heat.

Sparkling Spirt Lake, directly in the path of the blast, was pushed more than 800 feet up the side of a neighboring mountain by debris and came back down to rest several hundred feet higher than it was before, leaving all marine life eradicated.

Even outside the blast zone, a hot slurry of mud from the Toutle River churned over the land–taking with it huge trees, dozens of homes, and every living thing in its path.

How could this miracle of rebirth happen? The weight of wet snow packs and summer heat have effectively deteriorated the blown-down trees, making fertile ground for wind-blown seeds. The distinctive irregular surface of the landslide entraps runoff from rain and snow melt, forming new ponds and wetlands, spawning new life. The little pocket gophers survived the blast from their underground tunnels and continued feeding on roots, leaving droppings containing seeds along the way. Spiders blew in and birds followed to feast on the spiders. They, too, left rich droppings for future growth. Today, the downed forest in places is almost hidden by an assortment trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and weeds, fodder for returning elk, deer and other animal life.

Even Spirit Lake has gone through a remarkable metamorphosis, returning to near pre-eruption conditions. The lake’s once cold, clear waters were transformed into a primordial soup, a rich broth of sediment and organic matter covered by a floating log mat. Bacteria populations exploded in these ideal conditions, cleansing the lake. Today, Spirit Lake hosts vibrant ecosystems and even trout, although scientists believe the fish were illegally introduced by visitors after the eruption.

Much of the recovery has been instigated by nature. However, employees of Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the world, planted 18,400,000 trees by hand in an effort to rebuild some of the forest after the blast. It took workers four years to complete the project.

The effects of the 1980 eruption are still very evident–the enormous crater is stark evidence of the magnitude of the event. From Johnston Ridge, named after geologist Dave Johnston who lost his life in the blast, visitors can see a close-up of the lava dome, crater, pumice plain, and the landslide deposit.

Mount St. Helens is witness to and a lesson in nature’s remarkable evolution. From a colorless, barren landscape to an array of color and life, the mountain again beckons visitors to its wild beauty. When was the last time you visited Mount St. Helens?

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

My guest today is Paty Jager, Award-winning Western Romance author. She’s joined us today to share insights of her latest novel, Doctor in Petticoats. At the end of the blog, Paty tells us about her contest being held during this blog tour.

Welcome, Paty. Tell us about your work.

All of my Halsey brother books have a heroine with an occupation that at the time was male dominated. Doctor in Petticoats is set in Oregon in 1889 which was fifty years after the first woman, Elizabeth Blackwell, earned a degree from a U.S. medical school, there were still lots of prejudice against women as doctors both from male doctors and patients.

My editor and my critique partner both made comments when my heroine is considering if she should forgo motherhood to be a doctor. I read several books written by some of the frontier women doctors and they felt if they had children it would 1) take up time they would need to start a practice and 2) the possibility that they could bring home a disease to their own children. Several waited until their practices were well established before they had children and then they would only do obstetrics or scale down their practice. It was also felt by the male doctors that female doctors were too weak to control any sexual urges they might have toward male patients. As we all know the male is much weaker when it comes to that than females. But it was one of the major concerns of the male instructors in colleges, that women had too frail a constitution to handle crisis situations and resist their desires. Mothers for centuries have been dealing with far more than men.

Here are a few more stats on women physicians:

♥The Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania was the first women's medical college and it opened in 1850 with 40 students.

♥By 1860 there were about 200 women medical doctors in the U.S.

♥ In 1864 Rebecca Lee Crumbler became the first African-American woman to earn an MD and Mary Walter became assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Army.

♥ In 1889 Susan La Flesche Picotte became the first Native-American

woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S.

♥In 1897 Eliza Ann Grier, an emancipated slave, became the first

African-American woman to practice medicine in Georgia.

.

Blurb for Doctor in Petticoats

After a life-altering accident and a failed relationship, Dr. Rachel Tarkiel gave up on love and settled for a life healing others as the physician at a School for the Blind. She's happy in her vocation--until handsome Clay Halsey shows up and inspires her to want more.

Blinded by a person he considered a friend, Clay curses his circumstances and his limitations. Intriguing Dr. Tarkiel shows him no pity, though. To her, he's as much a man as he ever was.

Can these two wounded souls conquer outside obstacles, as well as their own internal fears, and find love?

Excerpt

“I’m going to look in your other eye now.” She, again, placed a hand on his face and opened the eyelids, stilling her fluttering heart as she pressed close. His clean-shaven face had a couple small nicks on the edges of his angular cheeks. The spice of his shave soap lingered on his skin.

She resisted the urge to run her cheek against his. The heat of his face under her palm and his breath moving wisps of wayward hair caused her to close her eyes and pretend for a few seconds he could be her husband. A man who loved her and wouldn’t be threatened by her occupation or sickened by her hideous scar.

His breathing quickened. A hand settled on her waist, slid around to her back, and drew her forward. Her hand, holding the lens, dropped to his shoulder, and she opened her eyes. This behavior on both their parts was unconscionable, but her constricted throat wouldn’t allow her to utter the rebuke.

Clay sensed the moment the doctor slid from professional to aroused woman. The hand on his cheek caressed rather than held, her breathing quickened, and her scent invaded his senses like a warm summer rain.

Blog Tour Contest

This is my twelth blog on my fifteen blog/twelve day tour. Leave a comment and follow me to all the blogs on my tour and you could win an autographed copy of my June release, Doctor in Petticoats, a B&N gift card, and a summer tote filled with goodies. To find out all the places I'll be, go to my blog- http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com to find the list.

Paty Jager

Award- Winning Western Romance Author

Website: http://www.patyjager.net

Blog: http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com

Buy: http://www.thewildrosepress.com

The Good Times are All Gone Now: Life, Death, and Rebirth in an Idaho Mining Town, by Julie Whitesel Weston takes a refreshingly frank look at the author’s hometown, Kellogg, Idaho.

Weston delves realistically into the gritty world of a town’s quest for lead, silver and zinc by Bunker Hill Mining Company, the community’s largest employer. Although the book begins with the author’s return to Kellogg to witness the 1996 demolition of the mining company’s smokestack, much of the book takes place in the fifties and sixties, during Weston’s years as a school girl. But she also reaches back to the nineteenth century of Kellogg’s founding and the townpeople’s involvement in this stark mining environment, as well as five generations of her family in Idaho.

Weston takes an honest look at her family’s dynamics–a supportive mother, an older brother and younger sister, and a well-respected father, much admired as a skilled physician, but who at home is feared for his drunken rages. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Weston thrives among the hard-working townspeople, is at the top of her class at school, and makes life-long friends.

Kellogg, known for its rich mines and notorious for its tough way of life, its brothels and gambling, is nevertheless Julie Whitesel Weston’s hometown and she mourns the demise of a way of life. Although the mines brought wealth to the community, they also brought sludge piles of contaminated waste, causing devastation to forests and rivers.

Toward the end of the book, the author recognizes a new Kellogg emerging, a town with a different focus, turning years of decay into new life, opportunity and jobs. The realization that her hometown has changed forever is mixed with the bitter-sweet memories of the past, but hope for the future.

The Good Times are All Gone Now: Life, Death, and Rebirth in an Idaho Mining Town is a funny, sad, touching and skillfully-told story of a town and its people, of a young girl influenced by all she saw and experienced. Weston does a remarkable job of putting the reader inside the heart of a town, giving a fresh viewpoint to otherwise casual observers of that unique way of life.

The book is available through the publisher, The University of Oklahoma Press, the author’s website www.julieweston.com/books.htm, and Amazon.com.

Five of us sat in the doctor's waiting room. To my right, a woman handed her little son a truck she'd selected from a toy box in the corner. The boy sat on the floor while he carefully examined the underside of the truck. With a cautious, pudgy finger he turned one wheel and studied the truck's rotating axle.

I opened my book, taking advantage of the wait to get in a little reading.

"That boy's going to be a mechanic," boomed the man sitting across from me.

Startled, all eyes darted his way. He was a large man, sixtyish with big square hands, a prominent nose, and a full head of curly, silver hair. He wore blue denim work clothes with "Len" embroidered on his shirt pocket, and heavy, black shoes. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, strong hands folded, watching the boy.

The mother nodded. "His dad's a mechanic and when he's home, the boy never leaves his side."

"I know what you mean," the big man said. "I've been a mechanic all my life. My four sons all are mechanical, but none do it for a living.

"Watching him, it takes me back." He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on his round stomach. He radiated strength.

"When the boys were in their teens our place looked like an auto wrecking yard. At one time we had no fewer than six cars—my wife and I each had a car and each of our sons had one. Of course, there was usually another car or two—one getting fixed up to sell, or they were working on a friend's. And our house is right in the middle of a city block! My poor wife. She took such pride in her yard. But with all those cars, there was no hope. Our backyard was always a mess with cars parked on the lawn, parts strewn about.”

I lowered my book, captivated by the big man’s story.

"Well, what can you do? Kids, especially boys, need cars. They all had jobs and earned the money for their own cars and insurance. I was proud they could work on 'em themselves.

"You pay a price with kids," he said, nodding, remembering.

"Finally, one by one they left and took their cars with them. All but Nick, the youngest, he stayed on. I hate to say it, but it got irritating, having him still at home. Here he was, twenty-four, a college graduate and a C.P.A. and still living with Mom and Pop! My wife did all his laundry, still cleaned up after him. I'd complain to her, but she wasn't anxious for him to leave. He was her youngest and you know how mothers are.... Anyway, with only one at home, she'd fixed up her yard. She was happy."

He looked at each of us. He had our undivided attention. Even the little boy didn't move, but clutched the truck and listened to the big man's rumbling voice.

I will just die, I thought, if the nurse calls me and I can't hear the rest of this story.

"One night Nick didn’t show up for dinner. As usual, no call to his mother saying he would be late. When he did come home, he switched on the TV and plunked down in front of it. My wife scurried out to the kitchen, heated up his dinner, and brought it to him on a tray.

"For some reason, I went into orbit. `That's it!,' I yelled. `This is plain ridiculous. Nick, in one month you're on your own. You get your own apartment. Do you hear me?'"

The man leaned forward again, easing his back.

"If there's anything that infuriates me, it's that five-mile stare a kid gets when they think you're being absurd. All of them had better sense than to say it to me, but they would get that look in their eye.

"`Do you hear me?'

"`Sure Dad, I hear you.'

He shook his head and sighed. "Well, after two weeks I didn't see anything that looked like progress so I approached him again.

"`Nick, have you found an apartment, another place to live?'

"`No, were you serious?'

"`You bet I'm serious. Now you've got two weeks.'

"The day came and I was ready to throw all his stuff in the front yard. But a couple of his friends came with a van and helped him move in with them.

"I noticed he took with him some odds and ends of our furniture and I started to protest, but my wife stopped me. She had given him that stuff to get started, she said.

"He didn't say a word to me. At one point on moving day my wife went into his room and they talked, but he didn't say anything to me.

"For months.

"Then one day I heard my wife on the phone. `I want you to come on Father's Day. Your brothers are coming and I want you here, too. No excuses. Yes, you can bring a friend.'

"`He still living with those friends?' I asked her after she'd hung up.

"`No,' she said, `he borrowed $4,000 from me for a down payment on a house, a little fixer. He's paying me back $200 a month.'

"I fumed about that but figured at least he's doing something for himself. If he'd asked me for the money I probably couldn't have turned him down, either."

Oh, please, please don't call me now, I thought. I've got to hear the end of this.

"Father's Day came and my other three sons, their wives or whoever, and my three grandkids from the oldest two, arrived. I tried not to notice that Nick wasn't there, but my wife kept going to the dining room window. She was getting really steamed.

"Just as we were ready to eat, Nick came, with a girl, a nice girl. He kissed his mother and introduced his girlfriend to the family. We're sort of a noisy bunch and there was a lot of confusion. We sat around the table and with all the commotion I'd hardly noticed that Nick and I hadn't really spoken.

"Dinner was over and we were about to leave the table when Nick got up and came over to me.

"`Dad,' he said, `for a long time I really hated your guts for kicking me out. You are one tough hombre. But I want to thank you. It's the best thing you could have done for me. I really like my place, my home. I wouldn't have it if you hadn't kicked me out.'

"`I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day,' he said, and kissed me." The man tapped the spot on his forehead. "Right there. It had been years since one of my boys kissed me.

"I looked around the dinner table to see if the others had heard. Except for the grandkids, who didn't know what was going on, there wasn't a dry eye in the place."

"That's a wonderful story," I said, blinking. "Thanks for telling us."

He shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Sure."

"Leonard?," the nurse called.

The big man stood, nodded to us, and fell into step behind the nurse.

When 13 year-old Joe Aberdeen’s world is ripped apart after his mother’s tragic death, he feels torn between his neighboring grandparents, whom he loves and in whose home he is always welcomed, and his father, divorced from his mother several years earlier and living 1,200 miles away. Although his father has visited him from time to time, Joe hardly knows his father’s new wife and their daughter–Joe’s step-sister. He admires his father, but feels a special closeness to his grandparents and to the area where he has been raised in Indiana. His grandparents want him to live with them and he wants to stay in the place where he is most familiar.

Joe’s father must take a stand and, to the objection of Joe and his grandparents, takes his son with him to Arizona. During the long drive, Joe mentally reaches back, back to what’s familiar and what he loves. He’s resistant to the new sights his father points out, resistant to the inevitable change that’s in store for him. He resists all attempts of affection shown to him.

Arriving in Arizona’s high-desert country and forced to be with a family he barely knows, Joe finds himself overwhelmed and homesick to the core. The only friend he makes is the family’s wolf-dog. Through the family’s patient efforts, Joe gradually thaws. His feeling of belonging is improved when he makes a friend, a boy his own age whose home is close by. Still, he branches out alone much of the time and begins exploring, finding relief in creating a fort, his own stronghold. In the process of building his stronghold, Joe finds buried items, which he soon learns to be ancient ruins.

At school, Joe finds he is a racial minority–a strange situation for him. All the other students and even the teachers are Native American. He finds himself accepted and becomes absorbed in a surprisingly interesting class–social studies. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in a dangerous situation involving Indian artifacts.

I found Stronghold an absorbing book, interesting for all ages, though it is primarily for young adults. The author speaks with authority having taught Navajo children and raising her own family in a multi-cultural environment.

Stronghold is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.com/Kindle, Barnsandnoble.com, and other on-line stores. For more information, visit the author's website http://www.terrimcintyre.net/

As soon as you’ve signed a contract, or if you’re self-published, as soon as you’ve established a publication date, it’s time to get serious about promotion. On May 23, 2010, I discussed electronic promotion and this week we’ll talk about hard-copy promotion.

Hard-copy Promotion

Business Cards: Business cards provide a professional image and are a valuable marketing tool. Have plenty of them printed and always have them with you. At a minimum, a business card should have name, address, phone number, e-mail address and website URL. Some writers have their book’s cover art on their cards; other writers have several writing interests and want to present a wider image.

Bookmarks: Have a stack of bookmarks handy at personal appearances. Slip a bookmark into books as you sell them, or hand them out as incentives. I’ve found that bookmarks measuring 1 ½ x 7 inches a practical size and allows 6 bookmarks across a page. Card stock of 110-pound weight is perfect for making a substantial bookmark. Include cover image, author’s name, a short synopsis, a reviewers blurb, where the book is available, the ISBN, and author’s website. Bookmarks can be printed on your own color printer. For sharp looking bookmarks, cut them with a paper cutter.

Postcards: Postcards involve a little more expense, but they are well worth it. I’ve had many book orders because of this promotional tool. By shopping on-line and designing the postcards myself, the cost was a little over $50 for 500 cards.

I saved and studied many book announcement postcards that I’ve received over the years to decide which features I liked and wanted to incorporate. On the picture side of the postcard is the book’s cover image. On the left of the reverse side is the book’s title and author, a synopsis, and a reviewer’s blurb. Include the ISBN, price, ordering information for personalized copies and where else the book is available, such as a favorite bookstore, the publisher, or Amazon.com.

Again, start assembling address lists early–don’t wait until you have the book in hand. I printed out address labels for the postcards and, once the book was available, sent them to about 400 people and have used the rest of them at events. Recently, I ordered another 500.

Press Release: Press Releases are used for media business contacts such as newspapers, professional reviewers (such as Midwest Book Review). A press release should be one full-page and include date of release, contact information, and a title that includes the purpose of the release. As an example, I’ll use my release: AS THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOUNT ST. HELENS’ DRAMATIC ERUPTION APPROACHES, AUTHOR MARY E. TRIMBLE RELEASES HER TIMELY NOVEL, TENDERFOOT. The release continues with a one-paragraph synopsis, a reviewers blurb, a short bio, where the book is available, ISBN and price. Also included in my Press Release is the book’s cover image and an author image.

Save the Press Release file in PDF format so that it can be either e-mailed to media contacts or printed.

Posters: Posters are good event marketing tools and serve to validate a writer’s achievement. When I appear at fairs or speaking engagements, I have a poster at my table, along with my books. Usually, my poster is in a clear plastic stand-up 8 x 10 inch picture holder, though I’ve also had posters enlarged and made a stand for them.

It’s handy to have generic posters made, but for special events, it’s also a good idea to use the basic poster and add the date and time of the event. Title your posters; for example, “Coming Soon,” “Just Released,” “Meet the Author.” When you are scheduled for a presentation, booksigning, etc., deliver two or three posters well ahead of time so the host location can promote your appearance.

For poster art, my picture appears with a solid background, a barn, leaving space beside me to over-lay the book cover image. This half-page picture (5 ½ x 8 inch), can be seen from a distance. Under the picture is the book’s title, author, and a short reviewer’s blurb.

Marketing and promotion take time and involve a little expense. But, after writing the book, the next step is selling it and aids such as those I’ve mentioned will build momentum and will help launch your book into the hands of readers.

Books don’t launch themselves–they need a big push. Most writers don’t have the luxury of having a big publishing house behind them to handle promotion. Except for really big names, most writers need to do most of their publicity. As soon as you’ve signed a contract with a publisher, it’s time to turn your attention toward promotion. Don’t wait until your book is published before creating your promotion–you’ll want to hit the ground running once you have your book in hand.

As a writer, your book is your product, but you are the brand. Success in selling involves promoting both the brand and the product.

It’s a good idea to start on promotion long before you have the book’s cover art. You’ll definitely want to include the cover image, so just leave a space for it and start working on text and layout.

Reviews

As soon as your book has been professionally edited, find at least two well-known writers to review your book. Reviews are vital for publicity and promotion in a competitive market. Don’t expect a full-length review, but rather a blurb, a 50 to 100 word description, such as you see on the back cover of books. You can use these blurbs in much of your promotional material. Most reviewers will give you permission to tailor their comments to suit your needs. Blurbs are valuable.

Also seek reviews from established review organizations, such as Midwest Book Review. In the early stages, however, all you can offer them are unbound galleys. Later, when you have your book, definitely seek reviews that will appear in publications.

Internet Promotion

E-Mail Signature: One of the simplest forms of self-promotion is an e-mail signature. On most e-mail programs, it can be set to append to every outgoing e-mail message. With many programs, you can have a selection of signatures, depending on the nature of your message. Keep it simple, and keep it short. Ideally, an e-mail signature should not be more than three lines, four at the most. An example might be: List your name, your latest book, publishers website, your website.

Website: Today, people turn to the Internet to learn details of persons or items of interest. A website should answers questions and supply information about you and your product. For several years, I had a webmaster and he was very good. But the day came when I needed to make quick changes or additions and it was more hassle to go through a middle man than maintain it myself. There are several good website building programs on the Internet that make creating a website quick and easy, and many are free. I used Microsoft Office Live (www.officelive.com) and have had many favorable comments. I can dash in and out in minutes to make a quick change, such as changing “Coming Soon” to “Just Released!.”

It’s important to have your own domain–mine is www.MaryTrimbleBooks.com. Website building programs assist you in creating your own domain. Keep your website simple, easy to navigate, and give it a name that makes sense. One resource to check domain availability is www.GoDaddy.com.

Blog: I did not jump on the blog wagon until a couple of years ago. Once I took the plunge, I was delighted to find I could talk about many issues–it’s my blog and I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. Sometimes I discuss writing, sometimes my involvement with the American Red Cross. I review books, interview people–whatever strikes my fancy. Setting up a blog is very easy, most often free, and there are a variety of blog-creation sites on-line to assist you every step of the way. I use www.blogger.com and have been very satisfied. My blog appears on my blog host, but it is also set up to automatically appear on my website.

E-mail Announcement: Start building groups of contacts to whom you’ll send an e-mail announcement when your book is released. I found it more efficient to create separate e-mail sub-groups in my address book. For easy access, I began each group with the name “Book Promo,” then added the specific group name. You’ll be surprised how many people you know–your writing associates, prior customers, your spouse’s work contacts, family, friends, etc.

Because e-mail programs and browsers display messages differently, make the entire announcement a .jpg file image. Further, at the top I had a statement “Having trouble viewing this e-mail? Click here.” and linked this directly to my website where a similar announcement exists. In your e-mail announcement, include the cover image, a two-paragraph synopsis, a review blurb, ISBN and price, where the book can be purchased, and an invitation to visit your website for autographed or personalized copies.

When e-mailing the announcement, send it “Blind Copy” for recipients’ privacy and so that people don’t have to wade through a long list of names to get to the message.

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, etc. might be excellent means of promotion, but at this point I’m not convinced the time spent is worth the gain. I personally need to study this further and would love to hear your input in the Comments section.

Next time I’ll discuss hard-copy promotion–something tangible to give to prospective customers.

A Checklist: Making a Family Plan for Emergencies by Nancy Overton covers every possible aspect of preparedness. Its step-by-step approach makes preparing for disasters less overwhelming.

The book’s convenient 3½ X 8½-inch size allows the reader to slip it into a pocket or purse to take to the store for reference. You can set the book down and its spiral binding allows the book to lay flat and open.

The book’s format is a series of check-off items sorted under the appropriate possible disaster such as fire, earthquake, flood, hurricane, tornado. It delves into home safety features for utilities, safe water, adequate non-perishable food, personal comfort, sanitation, first aid supplies, etc.

Overton emphasizes that adequate preparedness won’t happen overnight–it’s a goal to work toward. Further, she suggests that people can help make preparedness more affordable by going in with neighbors and shopping in bulk for emergency food items. She suggests scouring garage sales and second-hand stores for items like tents and tools.

According to A Checklist, collecting items is only the beginning. Emergency items must be organized and accessible in the home, car and workplace. Lists should be made so that in an emergency supplies can be gathered quickly in the event the family needs to evacuate the home.

Besides purchased goods, other preparations are essential such as copies of important documents to use for personal identification, proof of ownership for car and home, copies of driver’s licenses and insurance.

Other important items are lists for children with family and out-of-area contact information; and lists for parents with the same contact information, plus attorney, insurance companies, etc.

By following the essential steps Overton suggests, you will increase your family’s self-reliance, be more knowledgeable about what you need to do in an emergency, feel confident about being prepared and know your family is safer because of your preparedness.

A Checklist: Making a Family Plan for Emergencies by Nancy Overton is available at Amazon.com and the author’s website, www.preparedness101.com.

May is the 30th anniversary of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. For many, it’s notable as one of those events that you can remember just where you were when it occurred, whether or not you were affected. What lessons did we learn from this catastrophic event that took 57 lives, reduced hundreds of square miles to wasteland and caused over a billion dollars in damage? What could we do differently knowing what we know today to prepare for disaster?

Although most of us don’t live in the shadow of a mountain ready to erupt, we can still learn from this disaster. The obvious, of course, is to heed warnings about tempting fate. Scientists and local authorities repeatedly warned people to stay clear of the mountain, but still many people lost their lives as the result of the eruption. Some were scientists, some were people who had business there, primarily loggers and media people, but many were people curious about the activity, people who didn’t want to miss out, who lost their lives to satisfy their curiosity.

What lessons can we take from all of this? That major disasters happen. In our area, one of the most likely is earthquake. Haiti is a tragic example of total unreadiness. Their inability to cope was unfortunate, but understandable. Haiti had little infrastructure and was already an extremely poor country. Unbelievable suffering occurred before the world could get organized to help. Most Haitians were simply unable to help themselves. Hopefully, we’re better prepared.

A more realistic example for comparison to our situation is Chile when, in February 2010 they experienced a magnitude 8.8 earthquake. Chile is considered to be more the equivalent to the United States in terms of geological similarities, infrastructure and preparedness. Between the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, at least 500,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, with an estimated death toll close to 500.

One of the newscasts we saw on the sixth day after the Chilean earthquake showed a large extended family living in a home not damaged by the earthquake, but who did not have enough food and water. Roads leading to their home were severely damaged and they couldn’t get to a store. In any event, many stores were closed. The lesson? Keep enough food and water on hand to last six or more days.

Because of lack of electricity, communication was seriously impacted. Chilean citizens grieved about relatives and friends in the hardest-hit areas. This always takes time, but often lines of emergency communication can be restored. Another lesson: Be prepared to listen for ways to communicate with loved ones. The American Red Cross offers their “Safe and Well” system as soon as communications can be set up.

In coastal areas, tsunamis were expected as a result of the Chilean earthquake. Lesson: Have in mind a place to retreat to higher ground. Discuss with your family where you would meet in the likely event you’re not together when you need to move quickly.

Chaos will always be a part of a disaster. Lesson: You can reduce your personal feelings of helplessness by being prepared.

Prepare a personal “Go-Kit” for every member of your family for your home, work and car. Inquire with your children’s school district to learn what emergency preparations they have made. Many school districts have made preparedness a priority.

The top eleven items that should be in your go-kits:

Food

Water

Clothes

Flashlight with spare batteries (or hand-crank)

Whistle

Duct Tape

Large Garbage Bags

Radio with spare batteries (or hand-crank)

First Aid Kit

Identification Papers

Personal Items (medication, eyeglasses, hearing aid)

Keep in mind that without electricity, ATM's will not be available; your credit cards and checks won't work either. During an emergency, banks and stores might be closed. If stores are open and electricity is off, much of their equipment will be inoperable. Have on hand a supply of cash in small denominations so that you can purchase necessary goods.

Many kinds of disaster can strike: earthquake, flood, terrorism, tsunami, even an erupting volcano. Assembling emergency supplies will give you confidence and peace of mind should disaster strike. If you need to evacuate your home, or be confined to home, you will have the basic supplies you need. Act now to protect your family.

Walking Your Blues Away, subtitled “How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being,” by Thom Hartmann is an enlightening read. Though we’ve heard time and again the physical benefits of walking, Hartmann’s approach gives walking a new slant by demonstrating how to enable the brain to restore mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

A psychotherapist, Hartmann has dealt with patients’ crippling trauma from various causes, most notably with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In World War I, postwar depression and anxiety was called shell shock; in World War II, it was called battle fatigue. PTSD, as it is now known, mysteriously haunts some veterans and not others. One reason, of course, is that some vets see harder combat than others. Still, there are many differing reactions between vets who have experienced the same event. Hartmann theorizes that individuals processes trauma differently.

Although Hartmann goes into some detail regarding how the brain reacts to traumatic events, a simplistic explanation is that the brain does not always integrate information properly. Information is sometimes “stuck” in an area called the hippocampus, known for its present-time memory, so that the event, or the trauma from it, always seems as though it is happening at the moment, rather than stored as past memory.

Bilateral intervention has been successful in treating PTSD. One such treatment is Eye Motion Therapy (EMT). Although the process is more complicated than I’ll go into here, it involves moving an object back and forth in front of the patient, who follows it only with his eyes, keeping his head still. The idea is to allow information, or the memory of a traumatic experience, into the rest of the brain to be processed, distributing the memory of an event from “present” to long-term memory.

EMT and its variations don’t always work to relieve severe trauma, but its successes do demonstrate how bilateral therapy can be applied to assist the brain in processing memories.

Hartmann goes into some detail about bilateral therapies and early therapists such as Josef Breuer, Sigmund Freud, Franz Anton Mesmer and their various theories falling into and out of favor. For me, the real meat of this book begins with the chapter, “Developing the Walking Your Blues Away Technique.”

The normal motion of walking where the right arm swings forward with the forward swing of the left leg, then the left arm swings forward at the same time as the right leg, in a back and forth motion, is bilateral rhythmic motion.

Capitalizing on this motion, Hartmann suggests consciously walking to get rid of anger, anxiety and other unwanted stresses. Consciously means to walk without distractions, such as radio, window shopping, talking with a walking partner about non-related subjects. Of course, we’re human and we must deal with some distractions. Often at the beginning of a walk we can acknowledge our surroundings and then settle into the walking session.

The book describes in detail the steps to take: Define the issue, Bring up the story, Walk with the issue, Notice how the issue changes, Anchor the new state. This method can be used in many areas of our lives, not just trauma or healing. Walking can be useful for creativity and problem solving, too.

I found Walking Your Blues Away (Park Street Press), a good, down-to-earth approach to vital mental health.

After visiting the Seattle-King County Morgue, my 17 year-old curiosity was peaked about Skid Road, the place where they’d found the unidentified body I’d seen. My father, not wanting me to go there alone, offered to take me.

We set out early on a Saturday morning. Dad parked the car in a safe place, and we started our adventure. It was a whole new world. I was suddenly transported from a nicely manicured middle-class neighborhood to sleazy, dirty surroundings. People aimlessly roamed, or staggered around. Many people talked to themselves, some shouted to no one in particular. A fight broke out on a corner–my dad steered me clear of that. It was as much of an adventure for my dad as it was for me–he was a pretty straight fellow.

In subsequent years, they have cleaned up the area, now called Pioneer Square, but in the days of 1953 the Skid Road district was still very tough.

A bit of history: The area previously called Skid Road centers on Seattle’s Yesler Way. The road was said to have been a “skid road” in the literal sense, where they actually skidded logs to a saw mill owned by Henry Yesler. In the 1800s the term also referred to logging camps and saw mills. The term “Skid Road” was used in other parts of the country as well, but it is believed to have originated in Seattle.

So, there we were. What does one do on Skid Road? There were lots of taverns, which was out of the question for us. Not only was I underage, but my dad was a teetotaler–I’d never even seen a bottle of beer in our refrigerator. We came upon a pawn shop. We entered and got many curious stares from other customers and the pawn broker. My dad pretended to be looking for a watch...for me! I was mortified, but couldn’t come up with a better reason. I asked some questions and the pawn broker explained the purpose of pawn shops and how they worked.

Outside, we stopped at a theater. The pictures on the outside, though not as explicit as they would be now, definitely told us they were not our usual entertainment. The movie house did a brisk business though.

As we crossed a street, I saw a woman sort of hang into a car window at the intersection. I slowed down to hear what she was saying. My dad gently took my arm. “Just keep walking. Don’t slow down.”

“I wanted to hear what she was saying. Do you know?”

“She’s trying to line up her business, get a customer.”

“For what?”

“For herself. She’s selling herself.” His voice was so low I could hardly hear. He closed that conversation with “Let’s talk about it later.”

But I was beginning to get the picture. The recent lessons about VD at the Health Department began to fall into place.

We saw a drunk fellow in a doorway, passed out. I remembered the morgue and wondered if the man was dead. My dad shook his head. “No, I don’t think so–just drunk.”

“Why would anyone want to do that?”

“I don’t know–I don’t understand it either.”

We were fairly grossed out by the end of the day, but it was truly a worthwhile trip. I knew right then that the sleazy kind of life was not for me. That day was among the most valuable lessons I received from my dad. He didn’t judge anything we saw, he simply showed me one way of life and let me draw my own conclusions.

I’d interviewed a nurse in the office of Public Health and had been given research material for a high school class assignment on venereal diseases. Then, while leaving the building, I saw the Seattle-King County Coroner’s Office. What did they do, I wondered? I didn’t have time that day, but the following week, I again took a bus into downtown Seattle for further research–this time not for credit, but for personal knowledge. Well, okay, morbid curiosity.

I stepped into the Coroner’s Office and there the man stood, surprised to see a book- toting school girl. I gave him the same rehearsed speech I had given before about a school assignment, but substituted “coroner’s office” for “venereal diseases.” He looked pretty surprised, but there I was and he had to do something with me. With enthusiasm, he launched into describing all they did. I was impressed and found it most interesting.

Up to that point, I had never seen a dead body–this was 1953 and I was only 17. He pulled open a refrigerated drawer, just like in the movies, and showed me a fellow they’d found on Skid Road. A sheet covered most of his body, but his feet stuck out at one end. The poor man had a "John Doe" toe tag since they had no real identification for him.

The Coroner explained to me the procedure for preserving the body, their attempt to locate and notify next of kin, the County’s responsibility for unclaimed bodies, etc. He went into some detail about the procedure for estimating the man’s age. The Coroner folded back the sheet, exposing the man’s head and shoulders, and explained that the fellow was much younger than he looked due to his rough way of life.

The Coroner asked me if I wanted to touch the body–I didn’t, but then gingerly touched his shoulder with one finger. He felt like wax. The Coroner explained that was due to the embalming preservatives. It was all pretty weird, but very interesting. I was thankful for the Coroner’s forthrightness and honesty.

That night at dinner, just as my dad was taking a bite of food, I announced calmly that I had gone to the County Morgue that afternoon. My mother said, “Oh, Mary, you did not,” really thinking that I was kidding.

My dad looked at me and said, “I’ll bet she did.” He was curious about all the procedures and asked many questions. My mother couldn’t believe it–she wouldn’t have done that in a million years.

When I told them about the fellow in the drawer, I mentioned they had found the body on Skid Road. Naturally, my next questions was, “So...where’s Skid Road?”

“Oh, no. You’re not going there.” He looked at my determined face. “We’ll go together some day.”

“When?”

“Next Saturday.”

Mother’s weak, “Clint, you really wouldn’t take her there,” went unnoticed. I knew he’d keep his word. I could hardly wait.

That’s another story–for next week.

In 1953, our senior class at Lincoln High School of Seattle was among the first participants to have the topic of sex as part of the Health Education curriculum. Although I was encouraged to ask my mother any questions I had about sex, I realized that there was much I didn’t know. I didn’t even know the questions to ask.

The all-girl class waded through the relatively boring topics of muscle and bone structure, blood, and parts of the brain, then, joyfully, it was time to discuss sex.

The teacher, whom I greatly respected, assigned topics for which we were to present both oral and written reports. She expected us to thoroughly research our chosen topic which we selected from a list the teacher provided. I chose VD–I knew nothing at all about venereal diseases.

When discussing methods of research with the teacher, she suggested I go to the King County Health Department in the Public Safety Building and conduct a personal interview with someone in charge. I felt a little uneasy about doing this, but agreed it would be a good approach. I had checked the school library’s material and came up with almost nothing on the topic. So one day after school, I took the bus into downtown Seattle to tackle my assignment.

I found the office, but once in the room, I wasn’t sure where to go. I noticed a long line of people, so I stood in back of the queue. Soon a nurse glanced down the end of the line and scurried over to me. “May I help you?”

I launched into my rehearsed speech and she escorted me into her office whereupon she explained in detail venereal diseases and their unfortunate manifestations, and gave me some good material, pamphlets, statistical reports and a small booklet explaining treatment for the different VD conditions.

She mentioned that I had stood out from the others in line, people who were waiting for treatment. She laughed and said that she seldom saw scrubbed school girls in her waiting room.

After leaving the Health Department, I noticed signs to the Seattle Coroner’s Office and the Morgue. Hmmmmm. It worked once, why not try again? Join me next week and I’ll tell you about my Coroner’s research.

When sixteen year-old Hattie Brooks receives the message that she has inherited her uncle’s homestead claim in Vida, Montana, it solves some of her immediate problems. She now has a place of her own, away from Arlington, Iowa and her spiteful aunt, one of the many relatives she’s lived with since her parents died.

As it happens, she simply trades one set of problems for another, except this time, she invests more than hard labor. She invests herself in becoming a neighbor, a friend, and a responsible member of her community. The scrubby parcel of land boasts nothing but a nine- by twelve-foot claim shack to live in and a barn to house a range horse and a cranky milk cow.

Her tasks are daunting. In order to prove the claim, she has to cultivate one-eighth of the claim, forty acres, and set four hundred eighty rods of fence–all within the remaining ten months of the claim. One of Hattie’s challenges is just to get through the Montana winter. Nothing productive toward working her claim can even be started until the ground thaws.

Hattie Big Sky is a delightful book written in first-person. Throughout the book she corresponds with a school chum, Charlie, who is fighting WW1 in France, and to her uncle, husband of the spiteful aunt. Through her uncle’s efforts, she becomes published in the Arlington paper and receives a small monthly income that sees her through an otherwise bleak existence. Hattie’s struggle for survival is shown in vivid detail and readers learn to admire this young woman’s grit, determination and humor. Hattie is capable of grinding hard work and raw courage, but is also the frequent recipient of the kindness of neighbors. She repays these kindnesses in her own way, endearing and binding her to the kind of friendships she has never known before.

Although this book is considered a Young Adult genre, it is delightful for any age. Hattie Big Sky is fashioned after the author’s own family history and its authenticity is obvious from the very first page.

As early as the 1930's, wind was used to generate electricity in rural farming areas, mostly where electric distribution systems had not yet been installed. Now we have gone full-circle with modern, “personal use” wind turbines designed to produce electricity in homes when the wind is blowing.

Systems are now available that can either store electricity or, depending on the utility company, can spin the meter backwards, sending electricity back to the grid, giving credit to the wind machine owner. When the wind is not blowing, the house is powered by the utility.

Wind turbines can also be used on a larger scale to power neighborhoods, businesses and schools. Large turbines are grouped together into “wind farms,” which provide bulk power to the electrical grid.

When mechanical energy is used directly by machinery, such as a pump used to lift water from underground, the machine is usually called a windmill. A wind turbine is a machine for converting the kinetic (motion) energy in wind into mechanical energy.

If the mechanical energy is then converted to electricity, the machine is called a wind generator.

The two types of wind turbines, based on the axis on which the turbine rotates, are horizontal axis and vertical axis. The most common, horizontal-axis wind turbines, typically have either two or three blades which operate with the blades facing into the wind. Vertical-axis turbines have the motor shaft running vertically to the ground and usually result in lower energy extraction efficiency.

Wind turbines are also classified by the location in which they are used: onshore, offshore or aerial, and each have unique design characteristics. Wind turbines may also be used in conjunction with a solar collector to extract the energy of the sun.

Not all opinions are positive regarding wind turbines, however. Noise and vibrations from the rotating blades may interfere with the tranquility of some nearby country dwellers. In Kansas, many object to the interrupted land aesthetics converting wild prairies into vast industrial areas. Radio, TV, wireless Internet, phone, anything that receives or transmits over the airways may, in some areas, be affected by wind turbines. As a result of these problems, property values could be impacted.

Putting the wind to work is not a new concept and the use of wind turbines has caused problems for some. Corralling wind power for efficient, safe use has a way to go toward perfection. But we’re getting closer to efficiently utilizing the wind’s unlimited potential.

Windmills helped define the American West. Although in many parts of the country we tend to think of windmills as an old-fashioned method of drawing water from a well, they still are widely used today in rural United States and abroad.

On a recent trip to Eastern Oregon, I was fascinated with an old Aermotor windmill on an abandoned homestead north of Grass Valley. The dilapidated house and sagging barn spoke to me of a family with long-passed dreams and plans. The windmill, however, seemed to be in good shape–a few bullet holes, but it appeared to still be operable.

I could easily make out the manufacturer’s name on the wind vane, Aermotor, Chicago. What tales of history that old machine could spin!

Aermotor is known as the most popular water pumping windmill of the 20th century. Their windmills have been called the Cadillacs of windmills because of their outstanding design and quality workmanship. Even today, old reconditioned Model 702 mills, which have been in production since 1933, can command prices almost as high as those of factory fresh mills.

The phenomenon began in 1883 when Thomas O. Perry conducted over 5,000 scientific tests on 61 different experimental wind wheels. As the result of these tests, Perry figured out a way to design a wind wheel that was 87% more efficient than those currently on the market. The company he worked for was unimpressed.

Perry partnered with an astute businessman, LaVerne Noyes, and five years later, Noyes and Perry introduced Aermotor Windmill, much to the amusement of their competitors. But, within four years, Aermotor became the dominant supplier of windmills throughout the world. Not only did these windmills efficiently pump water out of the ground, the Aermotor design reduced maintenance costs. By 1904, Perry and Noyes transformed the Aermotor Windmill of Chicago into a major American industry.

A key to Aermotor’s efficiency is its wind wheel which consists of curved galvanized steel blades which are riveted to steel wheel clips which in turn are riveted to curved steel rims.

The pumping Aermotor is governed through the action of a slightly off-center wind wheel counterbalanced by a coiled governor spring. The wheel automatically turns away from increasing wind, because of its being off center, slowing its speed. As the wind decreases, tension on the spring causes the wheel to turn back into the wind. Thus, the free energy of the wind is captured.

Below the turning wheel, a long rod moves up and down. This “sucker rod” is powered by the windmill’s motor, a unique set of mechanical gears that converts the rotary motion of the wheel into a reciprocating up-and-down motion that powers the water pump located deep underground.

Over the years, the company changed ownership and locations, moving from Chicago, Illinois to Detroit, Michigan, to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to Argentina, back to the United States to Conway, Arkansas, returning to Illinois at Decatur and finally to its present home in San Angelo, Texas.

This remarkable windmill can be seen in many parts of North America today as well as

in many countries abroad. Many thousands of them are in service, efficiently lifting ground water for agriculture and livestock.

According to Bob Bracher, Aermotor’s President and CEO, their windmill company is the “oldest and largest water pumping windmill producer in the world.” Further, they stock replacement parts for all of their windmills dating back to 1933, and many parts for models dating back to 1915. That’s American business integrity and ingenuity at work.

Counting the Cost by Liz Adair captures the essence of love: not always practical, often destructive, but present and undeniable nevertheless.

The fast-moving story takes place in 1930s New Mexico. When eastern society lady Ruth Reynolds moves onto a ranch where cowboy Heck Benham works, sparks instantly fly. There is a big problem though--Ruth is married and Heck is as honorable as he is hard-working.

Fate draws them together, but not without pain and heart-wrenching sacrifice and challenges. Yet, their love shines through at every turn, though the cost is perhaps more than anyone would bargain for.

Adair does a magnificent job of describing the New Mexico setting–its rugged people and stark countryside at a time when nothing came easy. A New Mexico native, she paints the story with meticulous detail and historical accuracy to the ranching and social norms of the era.

Counting the Cost is available through Inglestone Publishing Bookstore www.inglestonepublishing.com, the author’s website www.lizadair.net,or Amazon.com.

Nephew Dan Helfenberger and grandson Jacob Black. Family campout at Bumping Lake Campground, WA

Even in our past-paced world, many families maintain close and loving relationships. Their members live near each other, respond when needed, and socialize together. Other families, due to a variety of reasons, cannot be so close, but still manage to share their lives whenever possible.

Family traditions--the yearly or regular celebration and sharing of personal events-- greatly nurture such closeness. Whether they involve holidays, reunions, or sports, these ritual gatherings not only strengthen families, but also provide life-long memories.

Our grown children now have children of their own. Among the joys of being a grandparent is watching our children pass along the "customs" they enjoyed as kids.

One favorite is sharing ghost stories which their father would tell during family campouts. Years later, our son recited the same eerie tales at a campout. As one of his stories unfolded to ghastly delight, I watched with enchantment as our little granddaughter inched closer to him. The grandchildren have outgrown ghost stories, but not the campouts–they’re still a yearly favorite.

Our campouts began many years ago, starting out with our children, then expanding as they married and had children of their own. Now we include extended relatives and even relatives-to-be. The campouts have traditions of their own–special nights around a crackling campfire, roasting marshmallows and making ‘smores.

Holidays provide a wealth of family traditions. Children love to take part in rituals that commemorate religious, seasonal, or historical occasions. By adhering to certain procedures prescribed for each, precious memories are woven into their sense of belonging.

When I was young, our Christmas stockings consisted of one sock from a new pair of knee-high stockings stuffed with nuts, candy, and small gifts. I continued this tradition with our children and now, our grandchildren. This year we stuffed 13 pairs of Christmas Stockings. Many family members have told us how special these “lumpy socks” are to them and how they look forward to this tradition.

Food is another important part of family celebrations. My daughters, and sometimes granddaughters, too, and I prepare for Christmas by gathering on a chosen day and baking dozens of cookies and other delights. We're always open to trying new recipes, but tradition mandates that old favorites appear on the cookie tray. Each of us prepares cookie trays to give as gifts. For years, in whatever neighborhood my husband and I have lived, we make our rounds to our neighbors, distributing colorful plates of Christmas cookies.

Remember, not every event has to be perfect. Let other people help and add their touch. Personal involvement helps solidify traditions. Failures and challenges are a way of life–it’s how we handle them that can become opportunities for growth. Try to keep a sense of humor and a positive attitude. Who knows, maybe a deviation from the norm will pave the way toward a new tradition.

You don’t have to have a holiday in order to form a tradition. Even the simple tradition of the family eating dinner together is important. Eating together wasn't even an issue when I was growing up--to do otherwise hadn't occurred to us. But in today's on-the-go world of two working parents and conflicting schedules, it's a practice that should be revived more than occasionally. Mealtime is a good time to make family connections.

Each summer, our grandchildren, one at a time, have spent a few days with us. The visit allows us to "catch up" with each grandchild and gives that child an opportunity to soak up lots of individual love and attention. Some of our grandchildren are now on their own and it is no longer possible to carry on the tradition, but the memories remain.

Many traditions, like respect for thrift, are passed down. My husband can fix almost anything, often using materials from other discards that he has carefully dismantled and stored, as his father did before him. Mending clothes, recycling articles among siblings--these and other traditions have proven valuable to our family over the years. These practices have often freed up funds that otherwise wouldn’t be available.

Adolescents sometimes scorn or avoid the family events they loved as little children. My advice: Be patient and allow them to actively make the choice whether to participate. This ambivalence may go on for years, but more often than not, they will return to tradition when they have families of their own.

It's fun hearing our children and grandchildren recall good times from their childhood. Now, when I watch these same traditions being recreated within their own families, it is particularly gratifying. Good times, family times, are important. The magic of tradition is that it not only makes for fun and family enrichment in the present, it also creates strong bonds for future generations.

Jana Richman’s The Last Cowgirl, chronicles the Sinfield family’s move from the Salt Lake City suburbs to a small, ill-equipped ranch near Clayton, Utah. The novel spans over a forty year period, toggling from Dickie Sinfield’s career as a successful journalist in Salt Lake City to flashbacks of her childhood. A family tragedy takes Dickie from her comfortable city life to visit the family ranch, and forces her to come to terms with her childhood.

The move from city to country satisfies her father’s cowboy fantasies. Dickie’s older brother thrives and happily sheds his city skin while her mother and older sister ignore the move and manage to carry on their lives as before. Seven years old at the time of the move, Dickie finds herself excluded from either extreme. Although there are good times with a neighboring boy, Stumpy, and a wise neighbor, Bev, Dickie, accident-prone and without a shred of self-confidence, spends much of her childhood in fear of her environment.

The novel is at times hilarious with the enactment of the cowboy lifestyle, at times sad with the struggle of being placed in an environment foreign to familiar comforts. The Last Cowgirl, however, is always entertaining with its strong characterization, vivid images of the countryside, and deep personal insights. Jana Richman’s honest approach to her characters make you feel like you’ve known them for years.

The Last Cowgirl (William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers) won the 2009 WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction.

For most authors, finding a publisher is the point of writing a book. Sure, we find the actual writing the most pleasurable and satisfying part of our profession. But most of us anticipate the reward of seeing the book published, holding it in our own hands, seeing it in the hands of others, and, hopefully, having it sell.

Once I finished my latest novel, Tenderfoot, a romantic suspense with a sub-plot of the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption, I thought I’d try casting it in the daunting ocean of New York publishers. I didn’t go through an agent, thinking I’d just try it on my own.

To my surprise, I received a telephone call from a New York publisher. Oh, my! She felt the story was well written, but found it confusing. “If this mountain was going to erupt, why would anyone be on it?”

“But, it’s true, fifty-seven people lost their lives as the result of that eruption.”

“Why would anyone be on a mountain that’s going to explode?”

That’s a tough question to answer. Many of those who died were scientists, some were reporters, some loggers, people who had business on the mountain. But many more were people who just wanted to be where the action was, wanted to see for themselves what all the commotion was about, people who didn’t want to miss out.

“Well,” the New Yorker replied, “I don’t understand that mentality and I personally don’t think the story is believable.”

My mind whirled. There seemed to be nothing I could say that would convince this lady that my story, although fiction, was based on the actual incidents surrounding the blast.

“Then,” she continued, “you mention ‘sheriff.’ This isn’t a western. If this story takes place in 1980, you wouldn’t call law enforcement ‘sheriff,’ it would be ‘police'."

I tried to keep out the incredulity from my voice. “Where we live in Washington State, our local law enforcement is conducted by the Sheriff’s Department.”

She sighed. “I guess I just don’t understand you people.”

News of the devastating Mount St. Helens eruption of May 18, 1980 quickly spread around the world. News wasn't the only thing that spread--500 million tons of ash rose nearly 16 miles (63,000 feet) into the atmosphere and within days encircled the earth. A lateral blast of trapped gasses traveled 650 miles per hour across nearby hills, stripping the land and killing nearly every living thing in its path.

Fifty-seven people lost their lives as the result of the eruption. Two hundred thirty-four square miles of forest lands were destroyed. Trees were either blasted away, felled like pieces of straw, or scorched while standing. Wildlife perished by the thousands. Mixtures of melted snow, rock and mud formed wet cement-like slurries which bulldozed through forests, destroying roads, bridges, homes, and livestock. The face of the mountain and surrounding area were changed forever. Lives were changed forever, too.

This true story of Mount St. Helens is the backdrop of my latest novel, Tenderfoot, a story of new beginnings through devastating endings. A story of love–love of family, of land, of life.

Corrie Stevens is looking for a new life. She’s willing to sacrifice comfortable city living for the rugged ranch life that’s always fascinated her. But she doesn’t count on it being rugged on her already wounded heart.

J McClure is tough–you have to be in the ranching business. He’s had years to wall up his feelings of loneliness and despair. When his wife died, leaving him with a little girl to raise and a ranch to run, he had little choice but to put feelings aside and do whatever he could to hold things together.

When Corrie and J run into each other–literally–sparks fly and lives change. It isn’t just the mountain that explodes.

Just released: Tenderfoot

Treble Heart Books http://TrebleHeartBooks.com/METrimble.html

Author’s website: www.MaryTrimbleBooks.com

Imagine this: You live in the State of Washington and see vivid news coverage of a huge wildfire in California’s Orange County. Your son and his family live there! You’ve tried to phone them, but calls aren’t getting through. What can you do?

Contact the American Red Cross, or better yet, go to the Safe and Well website, www.redcross.org. Click on “Getting Assistance,” then on “Contacting Family Members.” You will be prompted to give specific information such as the victim’s name and address or phone number. If the victims have registered, you will be given their specific messages.

What if you’re the victim and must leave your home? How can you let everyone know you’re okay? Go to www.redcross.org and list yourself as safe and well.

This is how it works. The Red Cross assists displaced families to communicate from the disaster area with loved ones outside the area. Victims register themselves as “Safe and Well” by selecting and posting standard messages for family and friends that indicate they are safe and well in a shelter, hotel, or another home, and will make contact when possible.

The 14 standard messages include:

– I am safe and well

– Family and I are safe and well

– Currently at a shelter

– Currently at home

– Currently at a friend/family member/neighbor’s house

– Will make phone calls when able

– Will e-mail when able

– I am evacuating to a shelter

The victim checks as many boxes as are appropriate.

Because of privacy laws, no location information is publicly displayed on this website. The results of a successful search only displays a loved one’s first and last name, the “as of” date, and the Safe and Well standard messages they posted.

When disaster victims register at a Red Cross shelter or go to Red Cross feeding and distribution sites, they are encouraged to contact family members to let them know they are safe and well. If Internet is not available, the Red Cross has a Registration Form that can be completed by hand and which in turn will be entered into the Safe and Well computer system by Red Cross volunteers.

The American Red Cross works closely with many organizations to provide communication during times of emergencies. Contact Loved Ones voice message service, www.contactlovedones.org, 1-866-782-6682, can be accessed by either victims or by concerned family members outside a disaster zone.

If urgent or emergency personal contact between a person in the Armed Services and their family is required, the Red Cross is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to send emergency communication to a deployed service member, a member in training or stationed far from home. In an emergency, call your local American Red Cross chapter for assistance with their Service to Armed Forces program.

The American Red Cross knows how important family contact is during an emergency, for both victims and for their loved ones. The Red Cross has long served in this capacity, but has recently streamed-lined its process through the Safe and Well website.

As your life spins into the busy holiday season, how can you avoid the stress of "holiday blues?" One way is to avoid the tyranny of the "shoulds" and take time to do what you enjoy. Keep the season's purpose in mind and stay within the guidelines of common sense.

Remember to take care of yourself. Holidays often bring attitudes of over-indulgence and then later, feelings of guilt. Eat and drink sensibly─you'll feel better at the time and not have to deal with the consequences afterwards. When things get hectic, take time out for a brisk walk. It's amazing how this clears the head and gives you a fresh outlook. Indulge yourself a little─get a massage, take a hot bath, turn off the television and all those Christmas commercials and curl up with a good book. Give yourself a gift.

Simplify your celebrations by setting up realistic time and money budgets and sticking to them. Limit scheduled special events so that something isn't going on every night of the week. Stay home and enjoy your decorations with family and close friends.

Decide ahead of time how much you should spend for Christmas and then stick with it. To avoid the stress of overspending, make a list of those you buy for and keep track of the presents you've bought. It's easy to forget what you've already purchased when you're in the thick of Christmas shopping. Don't worry about what others are giving, stay within your own financial means.

Some people enjoy the scramble of last-minute shopping. But if waiting until the last minute makes you frantic, do something about it by buying gifts gradually, throughout the year.

If you're giving a party, consider making it pot-luck or at least asking for help. You don't have to do everything yourself and a party doesn't have to be flawless. Remember parties you've attended? Probably some of the best ones were spontaneous.

Not everyone is thrilled with the holiday season. For some, it is a sad, unpleasant time of year. Try to understand their depression and be especially understanding of their needs.

For many, giving of yourself is key to a happy and satisfying holiday season. There is no greater joy than knowing you've contributed to someone's happiness during this time of year. Every community holds charitable Christmas programs. Get involved in whatever way you can within your own time and money constraints by giving food, a new toy or clothing to a needy family. How about driving an elderly person to a mall? If you bake, nothing lights up people's eyes like a plate of homemade Christmas cookies. And be open to receiving another's gesture of love to you.

Above all, avoid the trap of striving for "perfection." Nothing is perfect and trying to make it so only brings on stress and frustration. Settle for a little imperfection and you'll have a more relaxed, carefree holiday.

According to insurance company statistics, 30 percent of carjackings occur in December.

Carjacking has risen dramatically in the last few years, perhaps because more people have equipped their cars with alarms and anti-theft devices. Now carjackers often wait until the car is unlocked and then take it by force from the owner.

Most carjacking occurs while the victim is either coming from or going to the car, usually at a parking lot or gas station. United States Department of Justice estimates that in about half of all carjacking attempts, the attacker succeeds in stealing the victim’s car.

Tips to avoid carjacking while in parking lots:

– Always be alert to what is going on around you.

– Shop at grocery stores that employ people to take your grocery cart to your car.

– Park in well-lit areas or in attended parking lots.

– When returning to your car, have your key ready to unlock the door, get in the car as quickly as possible, and lock the doors behind you.

– If you are in a parking lot, or if you are getting into or out of your automobile and are accosted by a carjacker, let him take the car. Your life is more valuable than your car.

Tips to avoid carjacking while driving:

– Many carjacks begin with a minor accident, one the carjacker has staged. The victim gets bumped from behind and gets out of the car to investigate. The carjacker flashes a weapon and orders the owner to give up the car. If you are involved in a minor automobile accident, particularly at night when no one else is around:

1) Remain in your car.

2) If necessary, draw attention to yourself by honking your horn.

3) Motion to the other driver to follow and then drive to a well-lighted place with plenty of people around. If it's a carjacker, he will likely give up and drive away. Try to get his license number and report the incident to police.

– If being followed by another car, drive to a police station or some public place.

– In traffic, leave space in front of you for a "getaway."

– Have your cell phone handy so that you can call for help when necessary.

Tips to avoid personal harm from a carjacker:

– When driving and stopped in traffic, if you are threatened by someone on foot you must think very quickly what to do. Whether or not you have a passenger, such as a small child in a car seat, adds considerably to your concern.

– You must protect yourself -- and your child -- from personal contact with a carjacker. It is better to surrender your car than take a chance with your or your child's life.

– You can't depend on a carjacker giving you enough time to remove a child from a car seat; he's interested only in a quick get-away. You must try to avoid the dangerous situation of the carjacker taking you or your child in the car with him. Authorities say women and children abducted under these circumstances are in extreme danger. The best solution may be to duck down in the seat (while still able to peer over the dash to drive), honk your horn, and start driving. Drive immediately to a police station or somewhere safe where you can report the incident.

Remember, to avoid a crime, it’s always better to eliminate the opportunity.

Scams are scary and scammers are getting to be more sophisticated. The culprits could be your own bank. We need to stay one step ahead of them.

Have you ever heard of "negative option" marketing? It’s when a merchant or institution sends you some kind of notification either by telephone, mail or e-mail for some charge, such as bank-branded insurance. If they don’t hear back that you do NOT want the service, they will begin automatic premium withdrawals from your account.

We received such a charge. We had sold a piece of undeveloped property and payments came from a collection agency. After many years of regular payments, there suddenly appeared a charge for "buyers insurance." I called and asked what that was and learned that the charge was for investigation to see if the buyer had insurance on the property he bought from us. I remembered seeing that offer in the mail, but I didn’t care if he had insurance or not so I discarded it. They took that as a "yes" and proceeded to charge for the investigation. I called the customer service number and told them to remove that charge and never charge me for anything without my permission. I’m sure I was talking to someone in India, but he could speak and hear English adequately. In any event, that charge was removed and there were no more charges.

Unfortunately, these practices are legal in many states as long as certain notification rules are followed.

One way we can combat charges of this nature is to carefully examine what most of us consider "junk mail." But who has that kind of time?

I think the most practical way to ensure you don’t get unwarranted charges is to take a few minutes to carefully go over every single item on your credit card bill, checking account, or any account where a financial institution has the ability to charge you.

It’s a good idea to save all receipts so that you can reconcile your bank or charge account statements. A few receipts might get by you, but at least make sure you recognize the store and assure yourself that a purchase at that establishment was possible.

Merchants and financial institutions are counting on you just looking at the total amount due and paying it. Let’s not play their game.

Once we received an item on our charge account for shoes bought in Wisconsin from a Canadian account. We called and said that was not possible and the charge was removed. Again, it paid (literally!) to carefully go over our bill.

Another, more scary time, I noticed three charges for the same place for an amount totaling $750. Their 1-800 phone number was listed and I called and listened to a recording with the message to leave my phone number and credit card number! I don’t think so. Their website was also listed on the bill, so I went to that and found it was a foreign video store. I promptly called our credit card company and had those charges removed. Because it appeared our account had been compromised, we had to go through the hassle of opening a new account.

Then there’s a more recent scam we need to watch for. A caller identifies himself as a representative from a credit card company. He has all your information–name and credit card number but needs the 3-digit PIN numbers shown on the back of your card. He claims it’s for security reasons, to make sure you have your card and that it hasn’t been stolen. Don’t give out this number! The only time you need this number is when you’re making an Internet or phone purchase.

Here are some scam-preventive suggestions:

– Save all charge/debit card receipts

– Match your credit card charges with receipts, or at least be able to recognize the store where items were purchased

– Use your credit/debit card only at reputable stores

– Carefully reconcile your bank statement each month to justify every check and charge

– If you have an unsolicited charge, immediately call your bank or credit card company. Customers only have 60 days to dispute charges on mailed statements

– Beware of free offers–they are often negative options

– Insist on a written contract before agreeing to buy anything on time.

– Only give out your credit card number and the 3-digit PIN when making an on-line purchase.

– When you no longer are using a charge account, formally close it. Just not using it any more still leaves the account open.

If you believe you’ve been scammed and want to file a complaint, go to the Attorneys General website, www.naag.org.

Not every one wants to live to the ripe old age of 100. To tell you the truth, I’d only want to live that long if I could still be healthy and productive. In the October, 2009 monthly issue of U.S. News & World Report, Deborah Kotz’ article "10 Tips for Living to 100" in the Health & Lifestyle section, sums up how living to be a centenarian is indeed attainable.

Centenarians tend to share certain traits in how they conduct their lives. How do they do it? Following are 10 tips that make sense. The tips themselves are quotes from the article, the explanations are para-phrased or are my own words.

1. Don’t retire. We’ve all heard about it–someone retires and before you know it, he’s gone. Stay active after you retire from your regular job. Become a volunteer, actively garden, be involved in your community.

2. Floss every day. What? How did that sneak in there? Well, it’s true, according to a 2008 New York University study that showed that flossing every day reduces gum disease-causing bacteria in the mouth. That bacteria is believed to enter the bloodstream and trigger inflamation of the arteries, a risk factor for heart disease.

3. Move around. Studies have shown that exercise improves every aspect of your life, your muscles, bones, mental clarity, your outlook on life. Even 30 minutes a day makes a significant difference.

4. Eat fiber-rich cereal for breakfast. Eating whole-grains first thing in the morning helps to maintain stable blood sugar levels throughout the day, thereby reducing the chances of diabetes.

5. Get at least six hours of shut-eye. Sleep is imperative to regulating and healing cells.

Centenarians consider sleep a top priority.

6. Consume whole foods, not supplements. Eat the real thing, not pills or capsules. Go for dark whole grains, colorful fruits and vegetables and avoid over-processed foods, such as white flour and prepared meals.

7. Be less neurotic. Try not to internalize worries or stress, or dwell on your troubles. Go with the flow.

8. Be a creature of habit. Try to maintain a routine, get up at the same time, go to bed at the same time, eat the same kind of diet and maintain regular exercise. It’s a good way to avoid weakening your immune system.

9. Live like a Seventh-Day Adventist. Members of this denomination have a higher life expectancy than the average American. Adventists treat their body with respect which means no smoking, alcohol, or overindulging in sweets, sticking to a vegetarian diet based on fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. Plus, they focus on family and community. We can use their example in our own lives, possibly not all aspects of their regimen, but use this lifestyle as a model.

10. Stay connected. Regular contact with family and friends is key to avoiding depression, which often leads to premature death. Being involved helps us stay alert. Regular involvement also encourages people to observe you and to make helpful suggestions, such as suggesting you see a doctor.

I think these are good tips to live by, even if we don't make it to 100.

It is my pleasure to have as my guest Ruth Rymer, author of Susannah, A Lawyer, From Tradegy to Triumph.

Welcome, Ruth. I’m so happy to have this opportunity to talk to you. First of all, I want to mention how much I enjoyed Susannah, A Lawyer. It appears you are especially qualified to write a novel with such legal depth. Please tell us a little bit about your background.

Thank you, Mary. I practiced family law from 1971-2000, had an enjoyable career, but wanted more in depth knowledge about nineteenth century divorce law and women's rights. I achieved that goal when I obtained my Ph.D. in 1995. My dissertation was: Alimony and Divorce: An Historical Comparative-Analysis of Gender Conflict. I was ready to write a novel about a late nineteenth century protagonist--one who had a big fight to join the legal profession.

It's always fascinating to read about women's subordinate role in our country's early years. Susannah is a work of fiction, but your research must have uncovered exceptions such as your protagonist, Susannah Reed.

Freedom, individuality and self-determination was the norm, for men only, from the instant our country emerged as the best hope for mankind. Women's break from our subordinate role is a process that continues today. Some woman was the first in everything: the first doctor, dentist, Congresswoman and the first lawyer, historic Myra Bradwell. The latter made an ideal mentor for fictional Susannah.

Saying the book starts out with a strong hook is an understatement. The violent attack Suzanna suffers is a terrifying scene. But even more shocking is the manner in which she continued to be victimized. In your research, did you uncover an injustice such as this?

No, I didn’t encounter any identical situations. However, nineteenth century literature is full of further victimization of women who engaged in sexual activity whether voluntary or violently involuntary as in Susannah’s case–from The Scarlet Letter to An American Tragedy. As Susannah lamented, "How could I descend from princess to prostitute in ten minutes?"

Some writers feel that writing a book that features many characters is more effective in third person. Susannah, A Lawyer, however, is written in first person, yet you manage to share many points of view through your protagonist. Did you find writing the novel in first person limiting or difficult?

I wouldn't have considered writing in other than first person. It permits the author to delve more deeply into the character of her protagonist, both as a narrator, and by italicizing her thoughts. The limiting factor is that other characters must speak for themselves. Susannah, as an attorney, helped them articulate who they were and what they wanted.

Without the book becoming bogged down, you manage to cover in great detail the period's apparel, social mores, family dynamics, and customs. Tell us about your research along these lines.

Susannah is the culmination of my life's work, experientially as a lawyer and as a researcher for my doctorate. Additionally, to prepare for this novel , I read almost everything that I could find about 1875 upstate New York and Chicago, including especially valuable novels written during the period.

Okay, final question. Can we look forward to a sequel of Susannah, A Lawyer? Tell us about your current work-in-progress.

Yes, maybe I'll do a sequel. The Hay Market riots in 1884-85 were another American Revolution - that of the labor movement. Perhaps Susannah will represent a fictional rioter who was badly treated.

Thank you, Mary, for this opportunity to talk about Susannah, A Lawyer, From Tragedy to Triumph. It's available at www.susannah-a-lawyer.com from bookstores and www.amazon.com.

Authors normally have a ready market in book stores. My local independent book store, Snow Goose, in Stanwood, WA willingly carries my books, Rosemount and McClellan’s Bluff. A number of times I have been invited to be a guest author with a nicely arranged table set up for me in a convenient location in the store. What a blessing! I appreciate their recognition and support.

Another splendid opportunity has opened up locally, Brindles Marketplace. Brindles at the Camano Commons, has been a special-interest store and more recently a restaurant, and has now invited local artists, and others with crafts, quilts, baked goods, fresh produce, cheeses, etc., to sell their goods during the holiday season. Sounds like a good place for books to me! I’ve rented three shelves for my books. My husband Bruce created a poster for each book, giving my work a special look in this creative market. Shopping for a unique gift at Brindles not only saves a trip to a distant mall, but it supports local vendors. A win-win for the community.

In addition to writing fiction, I also write destination articles, mainly for RV and travel magazines, and also articles of interest to homeowners. We combine research with camping trips, using our truck and camper, making the trips a vacation, fodder for articles, photographic opportunities for Bruce, and book marketing possibilities for me.

Not every town has a book store, but in our travels to rural areas, we’ve found ready markets in drug stores. Many small-town drug stores actually have a book section and are eager for new material.

Gift stores is another potential market. Often, when a gift store buys my books, I also give them book holders, a way to show off my products to their best advantage.

Since my books have a western flavor, I’ve also found interest at feed stores, western apparel and tack shops.

Many of our trips take us to eastern Washington and Oregon. We like the atmosphere of wide open country, or remote mountain landscapes. Stopping at small towns along the way is a wonderful way to appreciate the area, to get a feel for how the locals live. Most often, we find their lives run at a much slower pace–a nice change for us.

These trips are our vacation, time off for Bruce from his job and time off for me from writing and from my volunteer job with the Red Cross. If I’m wearing sweats or shorts, I don’t let that stop me from calling on a potential customer. I refuse to make these calls a dressy event–I wouldn’t call that a vacation. I’ve never had a store owner look askance at my apparel. Sometimes I’ll mention that we’re camping in the area and they’re pleased to share their part of the country and suggest places of interest to visit. Often, they’ve given me tips on who else might be interested in my books.

It’s common for me to sell 100 or more books on a two-week vacation, all accomplished at a very casual pace. I’ve signed my books in advance and adorned them with appropriate stickers, such as "Signed by Author," "Local Author" and McClellan’s Bluff’s "EPIC Award Winner." Store owners love stickers.

One advantage of non-book store markets is that most often they pay up front, rather than on consignment. In distant towns, bookstores will often pay up front, too, knowing that we won’t be stopping by frequently.

Locally, I’ve participated in fairs or other events. Sometimes I’ve shared space with another writer. That way, we can split the booth cost and we have each other for company. For these events, we sell each others’ books with as much enthusiasm as we sell our own.

I know there’s a huge market on-line, but I haven’t had that much success with on-line sales. My books are registered on many sites, I have a website and this blog. E-books are catching on so that market might open up more on-line sales.

In the meantime, I keep watching for opportunities to reach customers in unique ways. I’d welcome comments about how creative marketing has worked for others, either as a seller or a buyer.

Jane Kirkpatrick’s novel, A Flickering Light, was inspired by her grandmother’s life and characterized by the author as biographical fiction. The author’s typical attention to detail and thorough research make this a story to remember.

Jessie Ann Gaebele’s love of photography dominates her life. Nothing pleases her more than to roam the countryside with her camera to capture Minnesota landscapes. Boys her own age bore her; homemaking is nothing but a series of chores. What could be more fascinating than finding just the right angle, telling stories with her images? At nearly sixteen, Jessie is through with school, but must find work to contribute to her family’s finances.

Jesse applies for a job as a photographer’s assistant. Luckily, the job suites her interests more than some jobs she’s held, though for her, portraits were not as satisfying as the spontaneity of nature photography. Soon though, she finds her niche in the shop, and under the guidance of her employer, Mr. Bauer, shows unusual talent for studio photography. Usually considered a man’s profession, photography in the early 1900's had toxic hazards with explosive powders and darkroom chemicals, including mercury, that could cause serious and recurring illness and even death.

Ms. Kirkpatrick has an extraordinary ability to draw readers into the world of her characters. In A Flickering Light, we recognize Jesse as an emerging young woman, dedicated to her unusual profession, but who soon realizes she can’t control her attraction for Mr. Bauer. We sympathize with Mr. Bauer’s struggle dealing with his children whom he loves, his effort to appease sour and often ill Mrs. Bauer, and the guilt he bears for the tenderness he feels toward Jesse.

Not only is the author adept in drawing us into this complex story, we also are brought into the world of photography, not only its creative nuances, but also the challenges and mechanics of the profession in the early 1900's.

A Flickering Light by Jane Kirkpatrick is an amazing novel, one I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a book you want to savor and don’t want it to end.

A Flickering Light, ISBN 978-1-57856-980-9, is available at your favorite bookstore or through Amazon.com. A sequel, An Absence So Great is due to be released March, 2010. For more information about Jane Kirkpatrick, visit her website www.jkbooks.com.

I had the honor this past week to speak at a writers’ conference. My hosts, Skagit Valley Writers League, in collaboration with Pacific Northwest Writers Association, provided an excellent forum for attendees.

Among the speakers were Jane Alynn, award-winning poet; Liz Adair, novelist and family historian; Lindsey McGirk, bookstore online marketing specialist; Chuck Robinson, co-owner of Village Bookstore in Bellingham, WA; and myself, non-fiction and fiction writer.

My session, "Writing for Pleasure, Marketing for Profit" delved into the nitty-gritty of selling non-fiction. I covered such topics as where to find magazines and other publications to buy your articles. We discussed what to include in query and submission letters.

I stressed the importance of knowing the type of rights to sell, such as all rights, first-time rights, reprint rights. As an example of reprint rights, I mentioned that I have had more than 400 articles published in magazines and newspapers. Many of these articles previously appeared in publications, then were resubmitted as reprints to other magazines. This allows me to reach a broader audience and at the same time get more revenue for my work.

We discussed the importance of a "hook," both in a query letter and in the article itself, something to grab an editor’s attention in the first paragraph. Submitting images is essential to sell most articles, even if the publication chooses to use their own or stock photography for the published article.

Many times research for one article will branch out into other articles. For instance, we went to Molokai, Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary. While there, we risked our very lives, riding mule-back down one of the highest sea cliffs in the world, the steep, 26 switch-back Kalaupapa Trail to Father Damien’s leper colony. From that one Hawaiian trip, I wrote two different articles to submit to two different magazines.

I wrapped up my presentation discussing the importance of record keeping, keeping track of submissions and following the process to its conclusion: query, submission, acceptance, publication, getting paid.

It’s fun being a part of a writers’ conference, talking with people eager to learn from successful writers.

Being a presenter at a conference is also a way of getting your name out there. Name recognition is important for a writer. Also, we writers lead a solitary profession–it’s gratifying to mingle with other writers and like-minded people.

I thank my hosts for this great opportunity.

The dog carries herself proudly. She has a mission and her alert no-nonsense attitude tells everyone they encounter–don’t distract me, I’m busy. I’ve got a job to do, a person to guide safely. This is serious business–my person is counting on me and she needs all of my attention. After reading A Gift of Dogs, these will be my thoughts when I see a person with a service dog.

Carolyn Wing Greenlee’s book, A Gift of Dogs, is a remarkable compilation of twelve stories from San Rafael Guide Dogs for the Blind November/December class of 2008. It’s a book precious for its insightful depth of what it means to be blind and that its definition is as different as the individuals involved. Each chapter depicts a unique solitary journey, but everyone featured in this book has one thing in common: each has been blessed with a guide dog.

Because I know Carolyn Wing Greenlee from our association with the writers group, Women Writing the West, and treasure her as a friend, I was most interested in the chapter of the book which deals with her own blindness. Although she and I had discussed her visual impairment, I hadn’t known of the sheer terror of her sight slowly but surely closing down with RP–Retinitis Pigmentosa. She speaks of her mother’s fatal illness and the thing they held in common: they both shared a deterioration and woke each morning with less.

Carolyn is a writer and a professional photographer with shows at museums and galleries. She is Lake County’s third Poet Laureate and is expected to perform public readings. How could she pursue her career? She felt her life spiraling downward.

A flyer from Earle Baum Center for the Blind came in the mail and she could make out from the large letters that a dog event was happening. She called to inquire and one thing led to another and her world began to offer glimmers of hope. For one, she met a specialist who connected her to technology that would read to her, enlarge and project her work on a computer monitor. She received counseling to help her understand the sorrows, depression and frustrations associated with blindness.

After a four-hour home visit to test suitability, Carolyn was accepted at Guide Dogs for the Blind at San Rafael, California, recognized as one of the best guide dog schools in the nation.

At the school she found herself surrounded by people who understood her limitations, who offered one-on-one training, trips to fascinating places, comfortable accommodations. The program lasted 28 days. Carolyn says that it was barely enough time to learn what she needed to know.

When Carolyn first met Hedy, a small female black Lab, it wasn’t love at first "sight." Hedy, like many Labs, had a stubborn streak and tested Carolyn to the limits. The dog seemed to love her first trainer more than Carolyn. But gradually, Carolyn learned to give clear directions and follow the guidelines of persistent alpha leadership. Hedy was totally managed by Carolyn–feeding, grooming, exercising, working, playing, cuddling. Eventually, Hedy and Carolyn bonded. Through the school’s guidance, they learned to trust one another and become a team.

"It’s everything I wanted and more than I could have wished," Carolyn says, speaking of the privilege of having Hedy. "I have something I could never have had if I were not the way I am, and it makes me feel vibrantly whole."

This is a worthy book that answers questions most of us could never ask in person. A guide dog is priceless to its owner and institutions devoted to the support of this effort are to be applauded. Because of the arduous training of dogs and their handlers, people who were home-bound can now enter the workplace, visit places they would have never dared to go, and become an independent and vital part of our society.

A Gift of Dogs, by Carolyn Wing Greenlee, ISBN: 978-1-887400-40-4, may be purchased directly from the publisher, Earthen Vessel Productions, 3620 Greenwood Drive, Kelseyville, CA 95451, or through their website, http://www.earthen.com/. Please indicate if you’d like to have an autographed copy by Carolyn and/or a paw print stamp by Hedy.

Carolyn Wing Greenlee with guide dog Hedy and Mary at UCLA

It’s a spiritual experience, our Women Writing the West annual conference. Seeing old friends and making new ones is enriching beyond words. Among these women, and a few men, too, we make friendships bound through our love of writing. We share writing experiences, our successes, our hopes and dreams.

This year’s conference was held on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, a departure from previous conferences.

Throughout Friday and Saturday, inspiring panels and workshops broadened our world of writing as we learned what agents are looking for, what makes publishers notice our work, a wonderful session on the evolution of transportation in the west and the role women played. We learned about California’s untapped treasures, we were given the latest in marketing techniques. We all dream about having our work appear on screen and we were given practical approaches in presenting our work to producers. And finally, we were introduced to refreshing creative writing skills.

As we normally do each year, registrants have an opportunity to have one-on-one 10-minute appointments with agents, publishers, marketing specialists and a books-to-screen specialist. This year I coordinated that event. Again, I was reminded of the old saying, "the more you put into something, the more you get out of it." Working on the logistics of this task forced me to learn and work with spreadsheets beyond what I had previously learned. I worked with a great team and was gratified by their dedication and enthusiasm.

My own appointments with several of these experts helped refine my strategies for when my next book, Tenderfoot, is released within the next few months. Today’s marketing is so much more technical than when my last two books were published. Public appearances are still important, but marketing on-line is a vital piece of the process now.

Delightful speakers are always a part of the conference: the Friday evening buffet, Saturday luncheon celebrating the 2009 WILLA Literary Awards finalists, and Saturday dinner celebrating the WILLA winners.

Two tours were offered as "extras." I participated in the Friday morning bus tour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills. What fun! I couldn’t go on the Sunday tour–Getty Center Exhibition–because of my early afternoon flight home.

Many among the membership are successful writers with several books published, others have only one or two, some have never published a word. Yet all are welcomed with the kindness and warmth of a true sisterhood.

My heartfelt thanks to this year’s committee for a memorable conference. For more information on Women Writing the West, please visit www.womenwritingthewest.org

Successful marketing requires presenting the right image. A business card not only provides contact information, it introduces you, your book, product or services. It reflects who you are.

At a minimum, a business card should have name, address, phone number, e-mail address and website URL. If your business has a logo, include that, too. Some writers have their book’s cover art on their cards; other writers have several writing interests and want to present a wider image.

You needn’t be flamboyant, but like all marketing tools, you want to make an impression to help the contact remember you. Look at other business cards and define your likes and dislikes. Your business card defines you–make sure yours is the quality you want to impart.

When you design your business card, make sure the printing is large enough to comfortably read. If you design and print your own business card, use an appropriate card stock weight. Business cards printed on skimpy stock give the wrong image.

Two-sided business cards allow space to show your wares–perhaps a book cover with ISBN, etc. Of course, the more extras you have adds to the cost.

Brian Jud, marketing specialist, emphases the importance of business cards. "Your business card can be a portable, affordable and versatile marketing tool." Jud, author of "How to Make Real Money Selling Books" offers these tips on the use of business cards.

1) Never leave home without them–keep extras in your car, purse, and briefcase. Store them in a card case to prevent damage.

2) Insert a business card with all correspondence.

3) Use proper business card etiquette. Take a moment to study a card when it’s handed to you.

4) Be generous–hand them out at trade shows, personal presentations and networking meetings.

5) Have a professional card with complete, updated contact information in a readable type size.

6) Consider a magnetized card to place on a refrigerator, a daily reminder of your book.

7) Give one to receptionists after your media events to reference when listeners call later to ask about you.

8) Make notes on others’ cards to remember what you discussed and when/how to follow-up.

9) Give people a reason to hold on to your card–write a personal note on the back or a code to receive a discount when ordering.

10) Place them on bulletin boards at local restaurants, supermarkets, libraries, your gym and other public places.

For more marketing ideas, visit Brian Jud’s website: www.bookmarketingworks.com

After a disaster we can usually count on local officials and relief workers to be on the scene, but they can’t be everywhere at once and, depending on the type and scope of disaster, it could take days before help arrives. In most areas we’re used to the efficiency of 911 assistance, but remember, telephones are often knocked out by disasters, along with roads, water systems and electricity.

In a large disaster you likely will be responsible for your family’s safety and well-being for an extended period of time.

In addition to your Disaster Supplies Kit (discussed in my 8-30-09 blog) prepared and stored in convenient places, other important steps should be considered:

Utility turn off Teach every responsible family member how to turn off water, electricity, and gas. If you smell gas after an earthquake, shut off the main gas valve. Keep a wrench attached to the gas meter with a wire. Do not light a match; use a flashlight if electrical power is out.

Plan how your family will stay in contact Consider three possibilities:

– Agree on a location a safe distance from your home in case of fire

– In the event you can’t return home, agree on a location outside your neighborhood

– Make arrangements with an out-of-state relative or friend where family members can call to "check in." Many times local lines are out of order or jammed, but you can still make long-distance calls.

Discuss what to do during an earthquake Discuss and practice with the whole family earthquake and other emergency procedures. If indoors during an earthquake, duck under a sturdy table or desk. "Drop, Cover and Hold" is the slogan to remember for indoor safety. Cover your face and head to prevent injury from glass and debris. If a table is unavailable, move to a major wall or doorway, away from windows or objects that could fall.

If outdoors, move to an open area, away from falling objects and utility lines. If you’re near a body of water, move to high ground. If in transit, stop your vehicle away from buildings, bridges and utility lines and stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops.

Ensure that your home is structurally safe Make sure your home complies with local regulations. Strap upright hot water heaters to the wall, bolt bookshelves to the wall. Go through your home, room by room, with an eye toward safety.

Learn First Aid and CPR There’s no question–First Aid and CPR training saves lives. Contact your local American Red Cross to sign up for these classes.

Remember, it is not difficult or expensive to be prepared, but it is up to you. If a real emergency should strike, your family’s safety and well-being will depend on how adequately you have prepared for them. Don’t feel overwhelmed by the task to be done–just take it one step at a time.

It’s impossible to plan for every potentiality, but your contingency plans will eliminate much of the confusion and inconvenience resulting from a catastrophe. What could be better than the peace of mind this preparedness will give you?

Suzanne Lyon’s A Heart for Any Fate paints a vivid picture of the life of Hannah Allison Cole, an ancestor of the author. Though a work of fiction, Lyon draws on her impressive frontier lore expertise to fill in missing pieces of this extraordinary woman’s life. The story portrays the life of a young woman from her 1790 wedding day in Southwest Virginia to her 1843 death in Western Missouri.

Although many facts are known of this remarkable woman, Lyon has given Hannah dimension through speculation based on research and woman’s intuition. The author shows meticulous attention to the period’s customs and attitudes.

Sections of the story unfold in the journal Hannah keeps, written in the form of letters to her husband’s cousin, Dolley, who later becomes the nation’s first lady, Dolley Madison. Although the letters were never mailed, the journal brings to life woman-to-woman details of a strong marriage, but a marriage of challenge, heartbreak and fear.

True to the time, Hannah follows her husband to migrate west, leaving her comfortable home and family to uncertainty and disasters, yet with hopes and joys. Hannah’s brother-in-law marries her sister, and strained relationships fuel a turbulent attraction of forbidden love.

Wonderfully vibrant, A Heart for Any Fate weaves our nation’s early history into a story filled with emotion, hardship, and most of all, enduring love.

A Heart for Any Fate, originally published in 2005 by Five Star, may be purchased through the author’s website www.suzannelyon.com or ordered by e-mail info@suzannelyon.com

In recent years our country has experienced some serious disasters–hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, mud-slides, wildfires, earthquakes, terrorist attacks. We know it can happen. How prepared are you if any of these catastrophes should it happen in your neighborhood?

Keep in mind that in a large disaster first responders and assistance organizations will be overwhelmed, meaning you likely will be responsible for your family’s safety and well-being for an extended period of time.

Preparedness isn’t difficult and needn’t be expensive, but it takes time and planning. Take the steps now to ensure your family’s safety in an emergency. The American Red Cross urges every household to assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit with enough supplies to last three to five days. This kit will help provide your family with the necessities should you need to evacuate, or to be confined to your home.

Consider these items for your Disaster Supplies Kit:

WATER. Water systems are often damaged during disasters, allowing harmful microorganisms to contaminate water supplies. You must have clean water available to survive and it is a simple matter to have water on hand.

Empty bleach jugs make ideal water containers, but any clean, sturdy plastic containers will work. Keep in mind that an active person needs at least two quarts of water a day, more with intense physical activity. You should store at least a 3-day water supply. For example, a family of 4 should have a minimum of 6 gallons of water on hand.

A water shortage could exist beyond three days. According to the U.S. Department of Health, there are three alternatives you can take to provide clean water for your family: If available, obtain water from a safe source, such as bottled, sterile water; another option is to boil water for three to five minutes, which is possible only if you have fuel for boiling; or, you can treat water adding unscented, liquid chlorine household bleach.

Disinfecting with bleach may be more practical than boiling. Follow these simple steps furnished by the Department of Health, State of Washington, to help ensure water purity for your family:

– Add 8 drops of chlorine bleach to one gallon of water. If water supply source is cloudy, double the amount of bleach.

– Let mixture stand for 30 minutes prior to use. Waiting 30 minutes is very important, because the chlorine needs this time to kill harmful organisms.

– Chlorine bleach treated water should have a very slight chlorine odor; if not, repeat the dosage and allow the water to stand for an additional 15 minutes. If the chlorine taste is too strong, expose it to air when possible, or add additional water.

FOOD. Store at least a 3-day supply of non-perishable food. For food storage, use covered pails, or other containers that can be easily carried and stored. Consider foods that are ready-to-eat or that take very little cooking, such as canned prepared meals, powdered milk, and high energy foods (granola bars, peanut butter, etc.).

If after one year you haven't needed these goods (and let's hope you haven't!), replace these items with a fresh supply. Even canned goods have limited storage life and you want to be sure your emergency food is absolutely safe to eat. Warning: Never use cans that show signs of bulging or corrosion.

FIRST AID KIT. Assemble a first aid kit for your home and for each car. A plastic tool box or tackle box works well for a kit. Include adhesive and rolled bandages, antiseptic, cleansing agents or soap, and other standard first aid supplies such as aspirin, ant-iacid, and anti-diarrhea medication.

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES. If you are campers, you will have most things on hand for emergency tools and supplies. Keep your RV, camper, or tent in ready condition to be used as temporary housing. In your emergency supplies, include dishes, cookware, and stove, plus emergency stove fuel. Include flashlight and batteries, ABC type fire extinguishers, candles and matches.

It's a good idea to keep your car's fuel tank at least half full at all times. In the event of disaster, service stations may be unable to operate their gas pumps, so it's a good idea to keep a can of fuel stored in a safe place at your home.

CLOTHING AND BEDDING. Include at least one change of clothing and bedding per person. Include sturdy shoes, hats, gloves, and rain gear.

SPECIAL ITEMS. Remember special needs, such as for infants or disabled persons, medications, eye glasses, and entertainment items such as reading material, games, and cards. If you must evacuate your home, remember to take your family documents such as medical records, insurance policies, and wills.

Cash is another special item to have on hand. Without electricity, ATM's will not be available; your credit cards and checks won't work either. During an emergency, banks and stores might be closed. If stores are open and electricity is off, much of their equipment will be inoperable. It's a good idea to have on hand a supply of cash in small denominations so that you can purchase necessary goods.

LIST OF EMERGENCY SUPPLIES. Make a list of your supply categories and where they are stored so that nothing will be overlooked in the event you must suddenly evacuate your home: water, food, first aid kit, tools and supplies, clothing and bedding, and special items including cash.

Assembling a Disaster Supplies Kit will give you confidence and peace of mind should disaster strike. If you need to evacuate your home, or be confined to home, you will have the basic supplies you need. Act now to protect your family. For additional emergency management information, visit http://www.americanredcross.org/

Lucy Shook’s Letters from Afghanistan, edited by Shook’s daughter Liz Adair and granddaughters Ruth Lavine and Terry Gifford, is an amazing chronicle of an American woman’s view of Afghanistan from 1965 to 1970. Serving with the United States’ Agency for International Development, Lucy’s husband, Jim, works in agricultural development while Lucy oversees their life in an Islamic country she describes as "2,000 years behind the times."

Shook soon finds that running a home staffed with servants isn’t fully utilizing her capabilities and she takes on the responsibility of a Staff House, a respite for visitors. Along the way, she becomes involved in the lives of those who work for her. She endears herself to these hard-working people of grinding poverty, people who are capable of such love and dedication that she is often moved to tears.

In the course of business or pleasure, the Shooks travel throughout Afghanistan, taking the reader along on camel rides, desert markets, and the oddities of doing business in a third-world country.

Shook successfully manages both her home and the Staff House and becomes known as an expert hostess. Indeed, she frequently manages two or three events in a day, often honoring dignitaries with 150 or 200 guests in attendance.

During their tenure in Afghanistan, Lucy suffered a severely broken leg and several environmental illnesses; Jim recovered from a heart attack and also had sundry illnesses. But they forged on, bolstered by their strong Mormon faith, relying on the love for family, and gathering strength from letters from home.

Shook’s letters to her children reveal great compassion for life and for doing her very best with materials at hand, all with honesty and openness to her own short-comings. Her witty and loving approach to her fellow man endears her not only to those she served, but to her readers as well.

On a personal note, as a former Peace Corps volunteer (1979-1981, The Gambia, West Africa), I appreciated her involvement with the Afghanistan volunteers. Living at the other end of the spectrum, Peace Corps volunteers don’t usually have much in the way of luxuries such as air conditioning, a balanced diet, even opportunities to carry on a conversation in English. Being invited to the Staff House must have seemed like heaven on earth to those volunteers.

Afghanistan has now become a household name, yet I doubt if the people have changed that much since the Shooks lived among them. I highly recommend this book for a look at a country few of us understand; at a people fierce, yet loyal to a degree we seldom see in America. Books can be ordered through www.lettersfromafghanistan.com. Liz Adair’s website is www.lizadair.net.

We’ve all heard the sad story of a beloved parent passing away, leaving the sorrowful family without a clue as to how to take care of the estate. Sometimes, when there are no directives, disposition must be decided by a court. It’s a sad enough time, but when left with the burden of "cleaning up" the deceased’s property and personal affairs, it’s really helpful to have things in order.

My husband Bruce and I tackled this job a few years ago. Our oldest daughter has been appointed the executrix of our estate. We have provided information for either the surviving partner or, in the event of our simultaneous deaths, the executrix to finalize the particulars of our estate.

You don’t have to have an attorney to prepare these papers, although depending upon your situation, it may be wise. There are good forms available for the various documents recommended. However, you should have the documents signed by two witnesses in the presence of a notary public. Following are documents you should consider:

– Individual wills - a legal document declaring a person’s wishes regarding the disposal of their property when he/she dies

– Durable Power of Attorney - documents appointing one another as Attorney-in-Fact, or an executor/executrix if neither survive

– Community Property Agreements

– Living Will - A Directive to Physicians regarding life-sustaining procedures you wish to have

– Directives regarding Funeral and Burial, or Disposition Authorization for Cremation

– Other directives such as whether or not you want to have viewing of bodies, scattering of ashes, traditional funeral or celebration of life, etc.

– Stipulate whether you are organ donors

If you keep important papers in a safe, make sure the executor knows the combination. If you keep things in a file drawer, make sure the executor knows exactly where to look. It’s good to have copies of these documents someplace other than in the home in case of fire or other disaster.

In addition to the documents listed above, another document with the following information will assist the executor or surviving partner in taking care of the many details that present themselves.

– Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Driver’s License Numbers

– Cars - makes, models, license numbers

– Insurance: life, cars, house, health. List policy numbers, agents to contact

– Financial/Investment information with name of bank or institution, account numbers and contact information. Include credit/debit card information. Indicate where statements from these institutions can be found so the executor knows how much money is involved.

It’s a good idea to go over all of this with your appointed executor/executrix ahead of time. Grief is tough enough without having to figure out complicated business issues.

It took us quite awhile to gather this information into one document. Imagine how difficult it would be for someone else to do it!