May We Have A Word? By Linda Kozar

Yes, writers obsess about words. Thank you, we do. In fact, we spend a lot (notice I didn't write alot like most people which is wrong BTW) of time looking up words to make sure we've got the right meaning for the conversation or situation. At least I do.

Which brings us to two words commonly used and confused by authors.

Assume/Presume

Both of these words mean to believe something before it happens, but there is an important difference...

If someone bangs on your door in the middle of the night, you might assume (and hope!) it's your crazy neighbor. If your neighbor knocks on your door every night at 6:30, at 6:29 you can presume she's coming over in a minute. (www.vocabulary.com)

Assume: To suppose or believe something without any proof. Ever heard your English teacher say this? To assume (Ass-u--me), makes an ass out of u and me. You and I have certainly experienced  other people assuming things about us! And we are certainly are guilty of doing likewise.

Example: 

Person 1: "I saw Amy with another guy at the movies last night. I'll bet she's cheating on Brian."

Person 2: "No dude, that's her brother. Steve is in town for the weekend."

Presume: From the Latin pre "before" and sumere "to take," it means to be sure of something before it happens. To suppose something without proof, but based on probability.  

Example: 

"My friend Greg just texted me. He's coming over. I know he's going to ask for money again."

Person 1: What are you and your husband doing this evening?

Person 2: What we always do on Friday nights--order pizza and rent a movie."

Hope that explanation blew the smoke away between these two misused and totally confused words. It sure cleared things up for me!

***

Linda Kozar is the co-author of Babes With A Beatitude—Devotions For Smart, Savvy Women of Faith (Hardcover/eBook, Howard/Simon & Schuster 2009) and author of Misfortune Cookies (Print, Barbour Publishing 2008), Misfortune Cookies, A Tisket, A Casket, and Dead As A Doornail, (“When The Fat Ladies Sing Series,” eBooks, Spyglass Lane Mysteries, 2012). Strands of Fate released October 2012 (Hardcover/eBook, Creative Woman Mysteries), and her nonfiction title Moving Tales, Adventures in Relocation, released in 2013 (Indie-Published). She received the ACFW Mentor of the Year Award in 2007, founded and served as president of Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas ACFW chapter for three years. In 2003, she co-founded, co-directed and later served as Southwest Texas Director of Words For The Journey Christian Writers Guild.

In addition to writing Linda is Lead Host of the Gate Beautiful Radio Show, part of the Red River Network on Blog Talk Radio—interviewing Christian authors from Debut to Bestselling, airing the 3^rd Thursday of every month. She and her husband Michael, married 24 years, have two lovely daughters, Katie and Lauren and a Rat Terrier princess named Patches.

Represented by: Wendy Lawton, Books & Such Literary Agency

Member of: CAN (Christian Authors Network), RWA (Romance Writers of American), WHRWA (West Houston Romance Writers of America), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), Writers On The Storm, The Woodlands, Texas Chapter of ACFW, Toastmasters (Area 56) The Woodlands, Texas, The Woodlands Church, The Woodlands, TX.

"Mom's on the Roof and I Can't Get Her Down"

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

By Nancy Jill Thames
 

    On a facebook post, the title immediately caught my eye - "Mom's on the Roof and I Can't Get Her Down." I actually laughed at first, then wondered what could be amusing about the subject of breast cancer.

    The author, Cynthia Meyers-Hanson, recounts the year of her mother's death as she battled the dreaded disease. Sadly, her father took his life three weeks afterward. 

   With sincere candidness and amazing recounting of details surrounding each event leading up to her mother's homegoing, Hansen completely puts you in her shoes as she writes this inspiring, supernatural account. At the end of her story, I felt even more awe toward God than I did before. This memoir also better prepared me for what to expect in the event of a loved-one's terminal illness. I  highly recommend this book. Five-stars!

Here's an excerpt:  The Healing Begins

All mom wanted was a hot pretzel from the shopping mall. I went shopping for some new clothes with my husband and began insisting irrationally that we bring a pretzel to her. My husband’s mother survived cancer, and he did not realize why I was acting as if she was in her last days. It was mid-October, and Christmas was near. I had to give her whatever she wanted even if it was 9 p.m. I began verbal insistence on purchasing the pretzel.
“Look, the kids are tired. She probably isn’t even up. Let’s just go home,” My husband offered between my quickened speech.
It didn’t matter that the kids were whining or that it was past bedtime. The last thing I wanted to be told was that Mom was probably asleep already. She asked weeks ago for a hot pretzel and she’d have to wake up to get her wish.
My husband took us home, but I stayed in the car. He got out and took the children into bed one at a time because they fell asleep on the way home from the mall. Alone, I delivered the hot pretzel that by now was lukewarm. Arriving at her house, I noticed my sister’s car in the driveway. I popped through the kitchen door and clopped down the hall to my mother’s room. She had been moved to Stacey’s bed because it had a rail, and it was easier to get in and out of that bed. Margie was in the room with a very wide-awake mom.
“Pretzels,” I chirped, glad that I had brought more than one.
Stacey, Margie, and Mom followed me to the kitchen. My mother walked very slow and looked frail for her two hundred pounds. Upon entering the kitchen, I noticed she was losing her hair in clumps. The first round of chemotherapy a year ago had only thinned it, but this round was destroying her hair.
“You are going bald,” I joked.
She looked up from her seat and over her pretzel as if to say, “What’s it to you?” What she said aloud was that she needed a wig like my husband’s mother wore at Jenny’s birthday.
My mother-in-law forked over the wig as soon as I told her that Mom had made that comment. It was the cancer that had brought them closer. They kept track of each other. Many times they discussed the possibility that one or both of them may die from their cancers. However, it was suddenly a reality, and my mother-in-law shared my mother’s load whenever she could.
Every Tuesday was “chemo” day. Dad took her. She went straight to bed upon returning home. I would call and get an update. We counted down the sessions. “Okay, that makes four sessions- only eight more to go.”
This time, except for the excessive bedtime, she appeared to be handling the chemotherapy better. She was not vomiting like the last time.
“Thank God,” I announced too soon.
It was nearing November. Stacey would be turning ten, and we wanted it to be special. We decided on the children’s Polynesian Luau at Disney. I made the reservations for Stacey, a friend, my two children, and three adults. As the day approached, it became apparent that my mom would not be attending. I decided we could videotape it for her to see later but the event would proceed. I invited my sister to come using my parent’s reserved slot.
Dad began to bow out of the activity, too. It was Stacey’s birthday and neither of her parents would make it to her party. They adopted her when her natural mother, my other sister, gave her to them. She was two months old when they took over her care and by age two her adoption was final. Stacey knew no other parents. Without them joining us, the party went on as scheduled. In spite of the circumstances, the relatives attending this function enjoyed themselves. After the party, I dropped Stacey home. She hollered nasty things at mom about her sickness and her constant barfing. This child was locked in the stage of grieving called anger.
By now my mom didn’t go a day without vomiting at least one of her meals. Stacey was getting angrier with violent outbursts like that night. I left her there knowing in my heart how much my mother was hurting. It wasn’t just physical; she was dying emotionally, too. This child she had cared for was being vicious. I was old enough to know regrets, and I worried for Stacey’s well being.
The next day, she talked with me about Stacey’s rage. “Your Dad is very angry, too! Take Stacey home with you until I am better.”
My mom had been bedridden since October’s end, and it was almost December. Everyday, she was going to walk the next day. She constantly consoled herself with the idea that when she got rid of this backache she’d walk again. The pain went the length of her back and down her legs. She blamed it on her lack of exercise.
“Tomorrow, I will feel better,” she constantly hoped.
We all wished it could be true, but it became harder and harder to believe. By now, my husband kept warning me to prepare for the worst. He wanted me to get all my ducks in a row for the inevitable, death.
WARNING: FOLLOW THIS STORY AND MIRACLES WILL OCCUR THAT WILL MAKE YOU SAY HMMM....


http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61496

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Mom’s on the Roof and I Can’t Get Her Down, an Ebook by Cynthia Meyers-Hanson

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Enjoy your weekend, dear readers.

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill Thames

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames has published Christian fiction since 2010. The author of seven books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award-winning blogger and listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List. In addition, she won first place in her church's 4th of July celebration for her chocolate cream pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers' Guild, American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW),  CenTex Chapter-ACFW, and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales. She resides with her husband in Leander, Texas.

CONTACT INFORMATION jillthames@gmail.com

If you would like me to sign your ebooks please click the link.
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A Review - The Willows by Algernon Blackwood

 

Okay now that the Beta Readers have Chasing Lady Midnight I have bit of a writing break so I decided to post a review of one of my favorite scary stories. It is October after all.
A disclaimer. The fact that it is Fall and the creepy trees are shedding their obnoxious leaves all over my yard, which I must clean up, have nothing to do with this post. True, the objects of the focus of the vile villainy in The Willows are trees, but that is pure coincidence.
Anyway, back to The Willows which I really enjoyed. Unlike the creepy trees that are shedding their obnoxious leaves as I write.
Not that I'm bitter. Much.
Now this story was published in 1907 so you're not going to gore or gross. What you are going to get is a good story that you probably won't completely understand, but in this case that's good. Especially when you have author who knows what they're doing.
Algernon Blackwood knew what he was doing.
The plot in brief:
Two men are taking a canoeing trip on the Danube River. Of course they ignore the warnings of the superstitious locals that this is a really bad idea. Of course, you never listen to anyone who actually lives in the place. Oh no, the sophisticated tourist always knows best. These guys have obviously never heard a scary story or they would know better. Anyway, bad weather and a rising river forces the unlucky (really unlucky) duo onto a small island, which is getting smaller all the time with the water getting higher. Strange, then dangerous, then terrifying things begin to happen. It soon becomes clear that a malevolent force within The Willows means them harm and does not intend to let them escape alive. Their only hope? That whatever it is cannot find them or that it finds someone else first.
Oh it's scary. Even if you don't have a tree phobia.
The story is short and should only take a couple of hours to read. What makes it scary is the author's talent, and it's awesome, of building the sense of dread and danger. Better, the revelation of the “monster” is satisfying because you don’t quite understand what it is. But that’s good because the force behind The Willows is not meant to be understood by mere humans, only to be avoided altogether (remember, always listen to the superstitious locals!) or maybe, if you're really lucky (which you probably won't be) escaped.
I love it when when an author makes me scare myself more than the story does!
The fact that Mr. Blackwood shares my distrust of trees has nothing to do with the positive review. Hey when a guy's right, he's right.

Mystery writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Cozy Mystery Series, and a superhero story called Chasing Lady Midnight. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. Although that is where she got her idea for The Secretary, she is not an evil mastermind. Although some of her former employers might disagree. These days she contents herself with knitting while contemplating her next diabolical plot. Story plot that is.

Current E-Books

THE REBOOT FILES:  The Mystery of Hurtleberry House, The Island of Living Trees, The Harbinger of Retribution, and The Wrong Ghost.

www.shortmysteriesandtalltales.blogspot.com
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