The Falls: Thanksgiving

     The 13th volume of The Falls small town mystery series, The Falls: Thanksgiving is now available at the Kindle Store for $2.99. Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and special moments. An early morning car accident and the not so savory past of a recent new community member weave twisting, intriguing plots along with Jordan Smith Stone's valiant attempts to put on the perfect Thanksgiving dinner and celebration. Come back to the colorful community of West Sugar Shack Falls, Vermont and join the fun and the mystery. Return to The Falls!

http://www.amazon.com/Falls-Thanksgiving-small-town-mystery-ebook/dp/B00I21RA20/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390918274&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Falls%3A+Thanksgiving

Public Education is Spiraling Out of Control...

     The 40 years before I retired and then promptly started my second career as a writer, I was involved in education. I was a teacher and a principal starting back in the year 1970. I was a principal at the elementary, intermediate, middle school and high school level. I also was an adjunct professor at a teacher's college during several summers. I had several student teachers and assistant principals that I mentored. So you could say I've put in my share of time with public schools, teaching staffs, students of all ages and their parents.

     When I started, testing was a very small part of teaching. We knew where kids were in each subject of course because we worked with them every day. That was a time when kids learned, teachers taught and parents believed in their schools and supported their child's teachers. There was time for teachers and their students to discover, explore and have discussions that enhanced a child's education. There was time to look at the world and all it's wonders. Time to research, question and observe. It worked and worked well. 

     As time progressed, more and more countries pushed the educational envelope and the powers that be (our legislators) began to push our public education to do better and better each year on standardized testing. They were blind. They thought that how a child did on one test was the end-all and be-all of what they knew. They didn't take into account special needs, learning styles, and a student's other natural abilities and skills. These self professed experts pushed harder and harder so they could say that the US had the best students in the world.

     As they pushed, things changed. Testing became an end in itself, not just one way of evaluating what a child had learned. They negatively changed the relationship between student and teacher, and teacher, parent and school. In essence they royally screwed up what was a good system. Before teachers helped students find the way to a world of knowledge. It was a wonderful, mutual relationship, with kids respecting their teachers. After the government began meddling, the relationship became one of teachers having no choice but to try and feed their students bits of information for the test. The test became the goal, not the learning. It was no longer a special, learning relationship between student and teacher. It became time oriented and test based. Oddly enough, once the systems were screwed up and testing became king, they found the the test scores went down. If they had known anything, they could have figured that was to be expected, but no one could tell the legislators, the state school boards and the radical educational revolutionaries that. Instead, they pressed for more state standards and even more testing.

     Now, public education is a quagmire of "failing" schools, frustrated teachers and disinterested students. Unrealistic goals are set where schools must increase their scores every year. Anyone with a even a smattering of mathematics knows that can't last long. Regression to the mean, guys. Ever heard of it?  Parents now blame their child's teachers and schools for their poor test scores. There is no longer the respect for educators that there once was. This is a perfect example of government, of legislators, and of state and national pundits totally destroying a system that worked. 

     The pendulum will swing back again, it always does. And these petty government officials will be forced to exit with their tails between their legs because it will be obvious what they have done. But by then, a lot of excellent teachers and administrators, tired of the red tape, bureaucracy and unreachable standards, will be gone and working in other professions. Shame on you, legislators, government agencies and blue ribbon testing committees. Shame on you. Give education back to the people who understand it and know how to make it work: the teachers and principals. Knowledge isn't just what a child shows that they know on a standardized test. It is learning how to find the right answers, coming to love the discovery and magic of learning and using all their abilities and skills to solve problems and make good decisions in life. Learning is a lot of things that truly can't be measured, with one exception: what kind of adult and community member that child becomes in the end.

     May the dragons watch over you all...    

A Reticent Technonubbie in a Highly Technological World!

     Yes, I invented the word Technonubbie, but it is exactly the right word to use when pinned to me or someone like me. Yes, I have had and loved using computers forever. Yes, I now actually have traded in my dumb phone for a smart one! Yes, I am an avid gamer and have Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Xbox One consoles. Yes, I set up our wireless/wired LAN system around the house incorporating computers, TV, iPad, game systems, DirecTV, printer and router. Yes I have battery backup surge protector upstairs in the loft and downstairs in the living room. Yes, I create my own covers using pictures off my camera and cell phone and a site called myecovermaker.com. Yes, I publish on KDP, and have 20 ebooks there now. Yes, I can reboot everything and usually figure out what I screwed up or the lightning screwed up. Yes, I now blog, FB and tweet every day. Yes, I text family members each evening.

     But, and this is a big but, I simply don't understand a lot of the technical stuff that goes on around me anymore. I feel like a kindergartener after their first week of school. (The first few days they are all enthused and hyper just to be going to school. The second week they begin to realize that school's a place where you have to learn all the stuff you don't know and that's a lot.) I listen to family, friends and colleagues rattle off their technospeak and I simply stay quiet. Because I don't understand it all. I beginning to find out that I don't have the expertise to edit the pictures for my covers properly. I don't understand all the intricacies to blogging or tweeting. I simply marvel at what other people do. I don't use FB to the best advantage, but I'm learning here and there.

     I have a beautiful new iMac 27 screen computer, and yet, there are so many things that I don't understand or know how to do on it. I had to text my daughter this morning to find out how to make a program that freezes all the time quit. Sometimes, I feel like the techno-challenged kid in school, hoping the teacher just won't call on me.

     I just wondered, seriously, am I alone in all this? Am I the exception to the rule or are their legions of people like me, legions of technonubbies somewhere out there? And if there are a lot more of us, can we sign up for meetings, take the technonubbie pledge, start the twelve step program and somehow rise above our techno-infirmaties? Seriously.

     Somehow, the world left me behind when I actually thought I was keeping up. That's a very strange feeling. I will keep at it, but I'm sure I will fall farther behind all the time. But I will struggle on, I'm a stubborn Scotsman.

     But, what  am is a writer. I create worlds where people can lose themselves. I make people stop and reassess their values. I can magically elicit tears, bring forth laughter and make the reader feel the warmth and happiness of pure joy from the words I place on a page. I am a writer, a wordsmith, a teller of tales. I weave a story and wrap it around my reader. Hopefully, there is still room for the likes of me in this ever increasingly technical world. I truly hope so.

     May the dragons watch over us…and keep too much technology at bay... 

Many Thanks!

     The sale of the first four volumes from The Falls small town mysteries this weekend was the first of it's kind for me as a writer. I used the new progressive amount function of KDP a few weeks ago, going from $.99 to $1.99 back up to the regular price of $2.99 of the ebook. I did this for several books (one at a time). This weekend marks the first time I've placed more than one book on sale at the same time. Later on in the year, I will place the next 4 books in the series on sale together, then the next four, etc. It was great to have KDP be more to be more flexible in using to promote sales. I do appreciate it KDP!

     I hope that more writers get used to using the multiple ways you can now use KDP. I believe it brings our little worlds to more people and gives us as business people (I have to admit that's a hard way to look at myself)  a more versatile tool to work with.

     I want to say THANK YOU to all the people (readers and writers) that purchased one or more of the books Saturday and Sunday. I appreciate your support and I'm truly happy to be able to share my little world with you. The town is based loosely on Fair Haven, Vermont, where I grew up and the characters are ones that I have met somewhere in over sixty-six years as a kid, a teacher, a principal, a parent, a grandparent and grandparent on this little planet. 

     As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I am drawn to study people that I meet, taking bits and pieces of each of them to use in characters as I write. I write for a couple of hours in the morning, edit a couple of hours in the afternoon, and never stop thinking about plots, drawing for covers or trying to find new ways to place my little tales before those who might enjoy reading them.

     Again, many thanks to those who took the time and effort to download one of the tales, and I hope to see many more writers using the expanding suite of services that KDP is providing. We owe it to those readers who enjoy our work.

     May the dragons watch over you...

     

BIG SALE!!!!!

     Blockbuster deal! The first four books of The Falls small town mystery series are on sale for only $.99 each today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, January 11th and 12th! That's only $3.96 for all four books in the series! Unbelievable deal!

     The four books on sale are: 

     The Falls: In the Dead of Winter, 

     The Falls: Summer Nightmare, 

     The Falls: Fall of the Rotten Apples, and 

     The Falls: Mud Season! 

     If you haven't read the series, it's set in Vermont with lots of colorful characters and intriguing plots. Sheriff Cash Green, Deputies Ericka Yamato and Horace Scofield along with Doc Stone, Meg Monroe and old timers Jebediah Smith and Ezekiel Peters lead a strong cast of characters in every mystery. 

     Not only that, but the thirteenth volume of The Falls small town mystery series will be out toward the end of the month! Take advantage to fill out any stories you don't have, or jump into the series if The Falls is new to you! Come to The Falls!

http://www.amazon.com/Falls-Dead-Winter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008G4X28O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389194263&sr=1-1&keywords=the+falls+in+the+dead+of+winter

Blockbuster Deal!

     Blockbuster deal! The first four books of The Falls small town mystery series will each be on sale for only $.99 this coming Saturday and Sunday, January 11th and 12th! That's only $3.96 for all four books in the series! 

     The four books on sale will be: 

     The Falls: In the Dead of Winter, 

     The Falls: Summer Nightmare, 

     The Falls: Fall of the Rotten Apples, and 

     The Falls: Mud Season! 

     If you haven't read the series, it's set in Vermont with lots of colorful characters and intriguing plots. Sheriff Cash Green, Deputies Ericka Yamato and Horace Scofield along with Doc Stone, Meg Monroe and old timers Jebediah Smith and Ezekiel Peters lead a strong cast of characters in every mystery. 

     Not only that, but the thirteenth volume of The Falls small town mystery series will be out toward the end of the month! Take advantage to fill out any stories you don't have, or jump into the series if The Falls is new to you! Come to The Falls! (Hint: I will place the next four books in the series up at a reduced price in another month or so as well!)

http://www.amazon.com/Falls-Dead-Winter-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008G4X28O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389194263&sr=1-1&keywords=the+falls+in+the+dead+of+winter

The January Doldrums…

     January comes immediately after a two month block filled with holiday spirit, rich, succulent dinners, joy, good cheer and visits from the Great Turkey, Santa and the New Year's baby. Traditionally, it is a time of let down and slowing down. A quieter, less hectic, time that may well be accompanied by a bit of depression or at the very least, a lack of focus. 

     January is also the time where the winter gets serious in many parts of the country. Snow, sleet, ice along with cluttered, messy roadways and driveways and sidewalks filled with snow further enhance the slowing down theory. Many people in the snow belt retreat into their homes and do just enough to stay warm and out of the elements as much as possible. It has traditionally been the time to reassess and refocus for the coming year as well. A time to put our noses to the grindstone and move forward after the warmth, wonder and magic of the holiday season have evaporated around us.

     Most people, after a little time spent reminiscing, take a deep breath and forge ahead. Some people are stuck, however, in what had been described as 'the winter doldrums'. Their energy is ebbing, their mood's  a bit low, and their emotional state is a bit out of whack.

     I admit, I've never been there for much longer than a day or so, but I know people who hang around in the doldrums for weeks, even months, every year. One has to wonder, what characteristic of those people keeps them immersed in the doldrums when most other people pass through them momentarily and then straighten up and stride briskly on with their lives. Is it a bit of melancholy? Wistfulness to return to the spirit of the holiday season? Are they prone to too much self-evaluation? Perhaps they aren't the most motivated of people? Who knows. 

     As far as I can tell, doctors, hospitals and pharmacists do not have any medicine that will cure or even mediate a case of the winter doldrums. Perhaps we should have a telethon, or sponsor a 10K race or a instigate a charity for the doldrums. We could give it the catchy nickname of TWD (The Winter Doldrums) to energize interest in the cause. Then we could do blind studies on thousands of Doldrumites to find out what might work as a cure. 

     It could work. Or, we could just accept that some people, for whatever the reason, are more susceptible to the winter doldrums. May the dragons watch over you…and keep the winter doldrums away from your door...

New Years and Resolutions…

     I don't do New year's resolutions anymore, but there is something I do at the beginning of each new year. My dear wife says I view the world as a half-empty glass. That may very well be true. But I would prefer to think of it as thinking about what bad things can happen and then being prepared for them, but then again, we can paint rainbows and unicorns on anything.

      Anyway, at the beginning of each year I now look back and try and realistically gauge what I did well and what I need to do better. Understand, that's my own personal appraisal,  it may not be totally realistic. But then, you need to be happy with yourself if you want to make others happy. I look for little, attainable ways I can improve my writing and myself as a person. You have to understand, I don't make myself any promises and I don't make any lists. But I do have a long talk with myself and try and realistically look at the year ahead. I try and look at the parts of my writing career and my life that I feel are lacking or need enhancements. Unfortunately, there are always lots of those.

     Then, throughout the year, I sit myself down and revisit my conversation from time to time. I ask myself if I'm a little better than I was before, and I try not to tell myself little white lies. In all honesty, it works a good deal better for me than making a blanket resolution that might be unrealistic or undoable. I remember those days. Ugh! They were awful! Talk about downers! And if I did accomplish my goals I would be all worn out from the effort. 

     So, do you do anything on the eve of the New Year to look ahead? If you do, good luck and may the dragons watch over you...

This is simple…

     This isn't the time for long winded diatribes, pontificating monologues or nitpicking exposes. This is the time for a simple, heartfelt message from me to all of you. Have the merriest of Christmases. Touch the ones you love and tell them how much they mean to you and why. Gather as many hugs, laughs, moments and joyful tears as possible and spend time with the people in your life that make it worth living. Really listen to what your loved ones have to say. Create memories that will last a lifetime. Reach out and touch those that are far away. Make sure they know that they are there with you in spirit.                         And last, but not least, be kind to yourself, and realize that you make a difference. As it was said so eloquently many years ago...Merry Christmas to all…and to all a good night...

Ornaments…

     When I look at Christmas trees, my first thoughts are all about the ornaments that adorn it. There are as many different types of ornaments as there are snowflakes. They run the gamut of color, hue, shiny to dull, glitzy sparkles to sheer smoothness.

     There are the homemade ones, such as the 'I made it for mommy in school' and 'look what grandma and I made to put on our tree' ones. Then there are are the elegant and beautiful ones. The cut glass and crystal ones, brass, shining metal and intricate ornaments. There are the ornaments that are shaped like angels, hummingbirds, dragons (yes I have a couple), doves, butterflies, pixies, elves, and unicorns. There are the religious symbols and the ornaments that proclaim a wedding, a birth, or a lasting friendship.

     There are the ornaments from days gone by, ones kept lovingly, handed down from ancestors and friends in the long ago past. There are the handmade ones from children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren, and the ones that are so fragile that you simply hold your breath and hope they'll last just one more year. 

     There are the ones that we buy new when we go to special places, ones that remind us of where we've been and what fun and delights we've experienced. There are the ones that no one can remember where they came from originally, but we keep anyway because we don't want to either offend someone or realize after getting rid of them that they did, indeed, have a special significance.

     There are ornaments that speak to our eyes, our memories, our emotions and our hearts. There are ornaments that carry the memory of a tear, or a laugh or a warm hug every time we see them. And no matter how old we get, when we see those special ornaments we feel like a kid again.

     So when I look at Christmas trees, my mind goes into overdrive, trying to seek out the homeliest ornament, the newest one, the unique ones and then I try and imagine where they came from, why they are hung there and what memories they must carry. I never look at the most beautiful, most elegant ones first, although they may have equally inspiring and touching stories at times. But I tend to look at the ones that you might think didn't belong on such a beautiful tree. Those are the stories that truly interest and inspire me.

     So, tell me true, when I go into your home, what Christmas ornaments will I see that makes the writer and the romantic dragon rider inside me sit up and take notice? Which ornaments will bring me a tale worth telling? Which ornaments will tell the story of your life and those around you? Which ornament will weave a story?

     May the dragons watch over you...

Decorating the Tree…

     Today, after writing this post and my daily chapter in The Falls: Thanksgiving, I will go downstairs, get out the myriad of boxes and decorate the tree. For me, it is a unique and highly anticipated time filled with memories, Christmas music and the growing holiday spirit. Most times, in the last few decades, it has been a solitary event. My wife enjoys setting up the little Christmas trees, preparing the wreaths for me to place outside all the windows, creating amazing Christmas table creations, setting up the nativity sets, expertly shopping for gifts and then exquisitely wrapping them. I do some of those things as well of course, but by and large she is the person responsible for organizing the magical and beautiful Christmas production around the house and mailing out the packages to all parts of the country. She is amazing and much too good for the likes of me.

     But the setting up our ten foot tree and decorating it are more often than not, uniquely mine. As I labored mightily to set the tree up yesterday afternoon, it reminded me of years, and generations past. Trekking out into the woods of Vermont with a sled and ax to select, cut and bring home that special tree. Going to the tree vendors later on and selecting the very best one as the snow fell. I remember the hot chocolate, a roaring fire and Christmas carols as we set it up and decorated. I remember going with my father as a child to get a tree. It was almost a religious experience. Maybe it really was that and more.

     Today, as I place the decorations on the tree a lot of them will bring back memories. Ornaments our kids gave us, granddaughter's first Christmas ornaments, babies first Christmas, ornaments from long past and the near pst that have special meanings. Our tree ornaments are basically made out of only glass, crystal, white, and brass. There are exceptions however, a few ornaments that mean the world to us tucked in among the dazzling, gleaming and exquisitely beautiful ones. We have a beautiful ten foot tree with a thousand white lights and an angel topper from long ago. As I place the ornaments on it, my thoughts will reach out and touch individually and collectively, our five children, our eight grandchildren, and our three great grandchildren. They will also reach out to my grandparents, my sister and her wonderful family, and my own mother and father. There is an ornament from my wife's parents as well.

     I will take time to remember and honor them all as I place the ornaments on the tree, a process that takes well over two hours. The memories, the tugs at my heart, the smiles, and yes, the joyous tear or two they bring will be well worth the time. I believe strongly in traditions. And trimming the Christmas tree is one of my most time honored traditions. A tradition of giving thanks, entering days gone by, and reaching out across the miles to mentally hug and value the dear loved ones in our life. 

     Then, each time we light the tree, which is often, I will feel the love and warmth and joy from all those ornaments, all those memories, all those loved ones, past, present and perhaps even future. I readily admit to wondering what Christmas will be like for all our kids and grandkids in the years and decades to come. 

     Christmas is time for giving…but it's also the time to remember and receive the love and memories of days past…of loved ones across the miles. So this year, as you decorate your tree, place the wreaths, and set up your cherished Christmas memorabilia all over the house…take time to remember and to smile and feel the love of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future.

     May the dragons watch over you all and bring you the joys of the Christmas season...

The Greatest Gift…

     The greatest gift doesn't come from a department store, a big box warehouse or an online boutique.  It doesn't cost an exorbitant amount of money, come with a huge red bow on top or bankrupt your credit card. The greatest gift of all is time. Time you decide to spend with the people who are nearest and dearest to you.

     Time spent in laughter, quiet conversation, over a meal, during a walk, at home on the couch, playing a video game or spent together watching an old movie. Time spent with smiles, with tears of joy, with comfortable silences and listening as much as talking. Time where your heart can touch theirs without electronic devices such as smart phones, tweets or FB to get in the way. Time spent so that loved one, that friend, really and truly knows you enjoy being with them. Time to listen about their life, tell them about yours, time to discuss dreams and fears, and time to tell them how special you think they are and why.

     Time is the most precious gift. Because, sooner or later, there is no more of it. Time in finite. Time is elusive. The world turns and takes time away from us without our really realizing it. Once people are gone, there is no getting them back so you can spend the time you wish you had with them. Don't wait. Don't put it off. Reach out, touch the ones you care most about with your heart, your love and your words. It may be hard at first, but you'll be glad you did.

     This holiday season give the gift that people will remember for the rest of their lives. Give yourself and the time to be with them. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas and share the wonderful person you really are with the ones you love best.

     May the dragons watch over you...