Don’t Let Your Confidence Issues Stop You From Writing – Novelty Revisions

A writer who isn’t confident can always grow. If there is something you don’t like about yourself — a habit or certain traits, for example — you can set a goal to work on improving upon those parts of you. For a writer, “not having confidence” is not a permanent fixture. Over time, you can work toward feeling more confident in the things you are writing, submitting, and publishing.

Been having a crisis of confidence myself. This was timely.

via Don’t Let Your Confidence Issues Stop You From Writing – Novelty Revisions

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Weekend Reads: “Hocus Pocus & The All-New Sequel”

Hi, everyone. I thought I’d share something seasonal and light this week. Fans of the delightful Hocus Pocus film are sure to like this book.

Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel by A.W. Jantha

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imagine that your dad is the local high school history teacher, and that you’re in his class. That’s where Poppy Dennison finds herself. She’s got a crush on her classmate, Isabella, who wants to ask Mr. Dennison all kinds of questions about something he’d rather forget.

That “something” is how he and his friends released the Sanderson sisters 25 years earlier, and visited all kinds of unexpected witchery on Salem, Mass.

Yep, he’s *that* Max Dennison … the virgin who lit the Black Flame Candle in Hocus Pocus.

The book starts out with the original story, so that readers have a re-cap, and then moves into the new tale. Of course, Poppy and her friends inadvertently release the Sanderson sisters again … and now there are even more problems, because Winnie, Mary, and Sarah are seriously irate about having spent 25 years in Hell … again.

Honestly, this is a cute tale that would be suitable for high school age kids and up. There are some moments that younger kids, depending on their age, would doubtless find too scary. The honest dealing with a teenager coming to grips with both being gay and having a crush on someone she’s sure doesn’t return her interest was refreshing.

This book was a fun, seasonal read. There are laughs, poignant moments, and scary stuff … but in the end this is a story about the importance of friendship and being kind to one another. I enjoyed it.

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“It Happened in Memphis” is now available for pre-order!

Hi, everyone. The latest entry in the Pocketful of Stories series, “It Happened in Memphis,” is now available for pre-order on Amazon US and Smashwords. Other outlets will follow suit. Click through and order today for October 31 delivery!

Here’s the back cover copy:

Evie Boudreaux has a knack for seeing history in action. Why? Because she sees ghosts. Come along on a visit to Tupelo and Memphis, and see the earliest days of rock music through Evie’s eyes! Buy “It Happened in Memphis,” Pocketful of Stories No. 7, today!

Another Loss in Our Community Cat Colony

There’s no mistaken identity this time. Athos was missing from the colony for four days. He came back staggering and acting as though he’d been injured. My husband managed to nab him, stuff him into a crate, and take him to the vet. This was not easy; Athos was the most feral and untrusting member of our little community. I met up with them at the vet.

To make a long story very short, Athos had feline infection peritonitis. I knew it the minute I saw the x-ray. We lost a very young kitten, Gigi, to the disease almost exactly 10 years ago. FIP is 100 percent fatal. We had to let Athos go. I gave him Reiki as he left us. Our very loving, gentle vet was close to tears. She hates this disease, possibly even more than I do.

Athos never let me pet him. Ever. I did it for the first and last time yesterday at the vet. Like I said, he was the most feral of the entire colony. He never wanted to be inside. We chose to have his ashes scattered at the St. Francis Garden at Bubbling Wells, so that he’ll always be outdoors.

The towel and crate we used to take Athos to the vet have been thrown away. The metal dishes we use to feed the colony have been sterilized in the dishwasher. All we can do right now is infection control and hope that none of the other cats develop it. It’s less common in outdoor cats, for some reason. So little is understood about the disease.

Still, I’m glad that Athos knew to come home.

Music Monday: “Silence is Golden”

Hi, everyone. I had the tremendous joy of seeing Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons perform live last night. Frankie still sounds just like he did 50+ years ago. Until last night, I didn’t know that they’d ever recorded this beautiful Brian Poole and the Tremeloes tune. Enjoy!