Bridging the Gaps (A Book Review)

 

There is nothing more readable to me than a book driven by dialogue, and "Bridging the Gaps" is just that. Indie author, Kate Warren, manages to keep the age-old story of a man leaving his wife and kids for a younger woman, both fresh and humorous. It not only shows the strain of divorce on the husband and wife, but also how their friends, and each of their four individual children react to the situation.

Realistically dealing with the pain of letting go and the anxiety of starting over, this fast-paced read manages to weave many stories into one - all of which are every bit as engaging as the other.

Overcoming Disappointment Through An Unlikely Source

There are times in life when we have to face disappointment. This can take on many forms. Sometimes it's in the guise of a family member or friend. Other times disappointment can be related to our jobs, or even play. These frustrations tend to work themselves out, either by moving on, or accepting the way things are with the person or problem that have us disillusioned.

However, one of the hardest obstacles to overcome is when we feel disappointed in ourselves. Often it's something we said or did, or didn't say or do. Other times it's looking at the so-called success of our peers and feeling a sense of failure, or incompleteness within our own life.

When this happens, we sometimes find ourselves fighting these feelings of self disappointment with denial, or justification, or give into it completely, with self doubt. Though not fun, these are all natural feelings. But those feelings don't have to have the final say.

I have found that the best way to learn about, and overcome disappointment, is by taking a closer look at the sport of baseball. Look at the facts. The best hitters in the game get out seventy percent of the time. What's more important, though, is that they get chance after chance to redeem themselves. A batter could strike out three times in a row, but still have the opportunity to win the game with a home run. Life can be like that too. We, like baseball players, have the ability to go from goat to hero. The secret is to keep on swinging for the fence.

Ramblings on Writing

I dream that some day indie books will become as popular as indie movies. Until then, I'll continue to tell my stories, my way.

I write not only to entertain, but to also share, vent, and heal. One can say I use just enough imagination to call my works fiction. Whatever it's worth, life motivates me for my next battle. And there is always a next battle. That's why there will always be a tale to tell.

For me, it's not the number of words I write each day, but rather, the quality of the writing. However, I really can't determine what the quality is until the following day when I reread what I thought was so good the day before. I wonder what today will bring? If not progress, I hope growth.

Dinner's in the Dog (A Book Review)

 I love reading and supporting indie authors. Here's a fun read by one of them. I decided to write my review in the rhyming style of her book. Enjoy.

I just read a book and I'm feeling sublime.

It was packed full of stories all told in rhyme.

"Dinner's in the Dog," is the name of the title.

And it reads like a glorious comic recital.

It's funny, and clever, smart but not haughty.

And my favorite tales were the ones that were naughty.

The writer and artist are one in the same.

M.S. Saxon, remember that name.

But alas, if you don't want your morals to skid.

Keep the book hidden from the eyes of your kid.

It's written for grownups and if you're of age.

You'll find yourself constantly turning the page.

Walgreens and Me

I was sick last week and the doctor gave me a prescription for some medicine. It was late and Walgreens was the only drug store opened. I walked in and I was one of just a very few people who were in the store. I went to the pharmacy and handed the guy behind the counter my prescription and he shouted back, "There are at least 14 people before you. It will be a fifteen minute wait."

Well, I saw no one in the store, but didn't feel well enough to argue, so I sat down and proceeded to wait. After about five minutes another man walked up to the pharmacy window with a prescription that needed filled. The same man behind the counter looked at this guy and snapped, "There are at least 32 people ahead of you. It will be a forty five minute wait."

I have no way of knowing whether the guy behind the counter was busy or not. I'm sure he was - most likely short staffed and at the end of his rope.

There is no real point to this story. It was just something I witnessed that made me reflect on my own actions when feeling overwhelmed. And I think I just may have learned a lesson here.

Dogs in Quicksand

Back in the early 1990's I landed a great job as Operations Manager for a video production company that specialized in producing industrial films. I figured with all of the access I had to professional equipment and crews, I should make a feature length film. So I did. The result was a mixed bag of art and insanity called Dogs in Quicksand. And yes, that's me on the video jacket.

I had been making short films my entire life, starting around the age of 12. Using my dad's World War II Bell and Howell 8mm movie camera, I would gather up the neighborhood kids and together we would make impromptu little movies.

Eventually I figured out that I needed professional equipment, as well as the ability to write an actual script in order for the finished product to be enjoyed by more than just my friends and family. And after years of making short films that were either too long or just not very good, I figured out what elements to include in my script and what should be left out.

Many years into adulthood, my short film, The Story of Mommy and Daddy, was nominated for a Vision Award, sponsored by Sony, and the American Film Institute. And since Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg's long time producer, Kathleen Kennedy, were on the nominating committee, I felt I was ready to write a feature length script. And that's when Dogs in Quicksand was born.

And even though the movie managed to get a distributor, the now defunct Sub Rosa Studios, I made little money, along with mixed reviews which were far from glowing. My shot at success had been handed to me and I blew it, or so I thought.

This actually turned out to be the turning point of my writing journey. It's an adventure that has given me more failures than successes. But as I dabbled in screenwriting, playwriting, short stories, and novels, I have begun to realize we're all nothing more than a work in progress. And it's our efforts, not our rewards, that control our destiny.

American Fever (A Book Review)

 

Dur e Aziz Amna's first novel is much more than a Pakistani foreign exchange student that develops tuberculosis during her time in the United States. It's also an eye-opening look at how people of all nationalities are so quick to judge others by their lack of knowledge on the customs and religions of other countries other than their own.

This stranger in a strange land novel has no villain, unless you include the countless characters, both American and Pakistani, that can't see beyond their own comforts, beliefs, and opinions. Although the book is fiction, it carries with it a truth many may not want to confront.