Finding Our Feathers

Don’t you just love this time of year? To see and smell the beauty around us. April is my favorite month. Well, of course—it’s my birthday month! Yes, the pollen seems never-ending especially down south where I live. However, somehow we southerners manage to survive because of the splendor in the trees and bushes around us.

To gaze upon this resurgence of nature every year represents the hope of our world. Powerful armies may invade weaker countries, politics may get predictably nasty, and violence continues to dictate the headlines. Even weirder, one cannot even watch an award show without witnessing the result of an actor’s anger thrust upon a comedian known for his satire and criticism. But, I digress….

Back to hope. I love Emily Dickinson. Her analogies are so pure as we see here.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I’ve heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of me.

Although during these times, it may be difficult to find our own feathers of hope. Sometimes I read this poem to refocus my priorities, to reel myself in on what’s important. I, for one, believe in hope. In fact, I rely on it while looking to the ones I love to gather my own feathers.

Before I began my current work in progress (a new novel entitled so far, Kenzie’s River), I decided that hope would be the theme of this manuscript. The story revolves around the Campbell family who lives in the fictitious town of Sequoyah in make-believe Clover County in the North Georgia Mountains. As I work on my character profiles, I begin to create the arch of the storyline that takes place in the 1970s and 1980s. The protagonist, Cat Campbell, a thirty-year-old woman who is a newly appointed Special Agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, is a born cynic; a quality, which I hope will make her an excellent detective. After a family crisis, Cat must find a way to give each one of her loved ones the hope they so desperately need.

In the upcoming year, I would like your assistance with the plot. I have way too many crazy ideas swirling around in my head, and your input could help me put the pieces together. In my May blog post, I will ask you questions in hopes that you will respond and become part of the journey into Kenzie’s River, which I HOPE (there’s that word again) to make a series.

NEWS!

I am introducing a quarterly newsletter entitled JODY’S JOURNAL. I plan to talk a little about the different types of writing processes and ask other authors to give their input about their own writing journeys. There will also be a few fun facts about authors you may know, and I will highlight authors who have pets in their lives. I’m a sucker for a cute face! Can’t wait to begin this new adventure.

All I need to begin is for you to sign up. You can do so by clicking on the following link (or on the button on my website) and supplying me with your email address. Jody’s Journal will begin as soon as I get twenty responses. https://bit.ly/3jRjDJQ

By the way, my first published novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, released on March 12, 2022, has received much-appreciated reviews. Check it out on Amazon and Goodreads.

Here is a small excerpt from “Chapter One – Lemons in My Wine.”

“Gently at first, I run a soapy loofah over the imprints left on my skin, miniature reminders of college days—a butterfly tattoo gracing a shoulder, a tiny peace symbol adorning the back of my hip. Scrubbing reddens the skin while I scour myself to erase the guilt. The angry words I said to Phillip the day he died fill my head. Regret takes over. If I scrub harder, everything might disappear, even the images invading my dreams. Nothing makes sense anymore. Nothing.

The sponge slips from my hand. The water cleanses me until the spray runs cold.”

Thank you to all who have purchased RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES. I’m very proud of this book and I hope you enjoy reading it.

Available on:
Amazon (both Kindle & Mass Market Paperback) – https://amzn.to/3GN4l1M
Barnes & Noble – https://bit.ly/35BMdLW
BookShop – https://bit.ly/3IMV1Nk

Be sure to catch me on:
Facebook https://bit.ly/3vtJOfk
Instagram https://bit.ly/3qALMbS
LinkedIn https://bit.ly/3rCr5gx

See you soon and don’t forget to read!

Jody

“Don’t Stop Believing”

Most people have goals whether they are daily, weekly, yearly, or lifelong ones. One of my goals has always been to write a novel. Well, I wrote my first one, Weather Permitting, over ten years ago, but never published it. When I finished novel number two, Relative Consequences, I was determined to get it published, and I finally did it. I sometimes have to pinch myself that I actually accomplished this feat. However, I’ve got the scars to prove it. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that writing a book is easy.

To achieve that goal, I walked or trudged the road of insecurity and frustration for many years. I know I must have changed the beginning and the ending of this novel at least fifty times. It’s always been a work-in-progress until I bit the bullet and said YES, it’s finished.

Now, I’m no spring chicken, more like a mature (I hate to say old) well-preserved hen. It took a while for me to get my act together, but I was still able to accomplish this long-term objective. My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner. I wasted a lot of time. I shouldn’t have used life as an excuse not to do what I really wanted to do. My advice to someone who is trying to decide whether to make a stab at an ambition or goal is don’t hesitate. Don’t wait until something gets in the way or sidetracks you. Life has a way of doing that.

Like Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it.” You wake up one morning, look in the mirror and gasp. Who is that person? The one who obviously didn’t get enough sleep last night; the one whose eyes have shrunken into little black dots on a wrinkly face. Don’t make the mistake of wasting time that could be used toward making a dream come true.

To quote Steve Perry of Journey,

“Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’…”

So, don’t give up, keep at it! Although it’s sometimes a long road to get there, you can achieve what you want –whether you’re writing a book, starting a small business, saving for retirement, or taking a chance. I say go for it!

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This Saturday, March 12, is my BOOK LAUNCH DAY or PUB Day (in the biz). My novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, will officially be for sale and “on the shelves” as they say. I’m so thrilled! I’m having a small get-together with family and a few friends to celebrate the event and plan to shoot video and an interview to share in my next post and on social media.

Thanks to everyone who has pre-ordered Relative Consequences. I appreciate your support so much. If you do get a chance to read it, please post a short review on Amazon, Bookbub, Barnes & Noble, or BookBaby BookShop. It doesn’t have to be a reiteration of the plot or summary, just a phrase or two. I really appreciate your support!

https://bit.ly/3IMV1Nk https://amzn.to/3GN4l1M

Sincerely thankful,

Jody Herpin

Food, Football, and Friendship

Hey guys! Look at this month – a month of celebration-worthy days! To name just a few:

February 1 – National Freedom Day, Chinese New Year, Beginning of Black History Month, and Work Naked Day (Oops! – I missed that one!)
February 2 – Ground Hog Day
February 4 – National Wear Red Day – to support women’s heart health
February 13 – Super Bowl
February 14 – Valentine’s Day
February 21 – Presidents’ Day

Since my sweet husband, Mike, made Valentine’s Day reservations for us at a nice restaurant, I’ll definitely pick that day as a favorite to celebrate. Another significant day this month in the most “superficial” sense is the Super Bowl. I confess I’m not a huge fan of professional sports. I always think that after all the pre-game publicity, the actual event never quite lives up to the hype.

Isn’t there an unwritten rule somewhere that says you must watch the big game with your loved one? So yes, I will watch the game and rate the new commercials. However, I’ll probably have my phone, laptop, or a good book close at hand the entire time.

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Enduring Friendships

Don’t know about you, but I still keep in touch with friends from childhood and definitely from my teen years. A few have been around during both the good and bad times of our lives. I give Facebook the credit for reuniting others. I’m lucky to have them all. Do you have any long-ago friends who have faded out of your life? I certainly do. Old friends I let slip away, didn’t keep up with their lives, maybe friends whose lifestyles turned out very different from mine leaving us with nothing to discuss but the old days. Or maybe one of us moved so far away, that it wasn’t convenient enough to keep up with communication. I confess I did that. If I had it to do over, I think I’d try harder to stay in touch. Hindsight, right?

In my novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, Jessy Tate (a.k.a. Jessy Blanchard) and Rita Rhodes (a.k.a. Rita May McAfee) maintain a friendship through the years by way of correspondence. You meet both women in Part One of the book. You learn the nature of their unique friendship—how the women’s emotions and anxieties affect each other. Jessy is the needy friend, and at first glance, Rita seems to be the one who has it all together. You quickly find out how different their lives are. Jessy lives in Atlanta, and Rita in Alexandria, Virginia. Jessy is retired and Rita maintains two jobs. After all these years, the friends still communicate via letter writing, telephone, and email.

In Part Two, you find out how the women’s friendship began in 1955. Even in childhood, you can see whose personality takes on the dominant role. You also learn how one moment in time can leave a stain on childhood innocence. Like the snake-like tentacles of the banyan tree, evil had a way of twisting itself into their young lives.

In Part Three, after all these years, Jessy and Rita face the truth.

Don’t forget, you can pre-order RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES on Amazon – both Kindle eBooks and mass marketing paperback. Relative Consequences officially goes on sale on March 12, 2022.

Catch ya later,

Jody

BLAST OFF!

JANUARY 17, 2022

So, how’s the weather at your house? Ah, cold enough for you? Brrrrrrr. At my house, down here in the south, snow fell on us. We do get a bit of the white stuff every now and then. The schools close because the counties won’t let buses try and maneuver on the icy back roads. You could say that we make it an event—a holiday!!!

Speaking of holidays, I do hope yours was a healthy one. We were lucky and were not sick, but we did have a few friends and family who were under the weather, so to speak.

EXTRA, EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!

RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES will soon be released. LAUNCH DATE is MARCH 12, 2022. (Pre-Orders for Kindle Select are available NOW on AMAZON!}

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GOING BACK IN TIME TO 1955-1956

A good bit of RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES takes place in a time in history remembered as the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Events surrounding the everyday lives of the children portrayed in the story act as a backdrop for their innocent actions.

Everyone had to have a television in his or her home. One could see programs like American Bandstand, Gunsmoke, and Lassie. Not only did small town diners provide old timers and families a place to catch a hot meal, but the news of the day and neighborhood gossip attracted most of the customer base.

Children pledged allegiance to the Stars & Stripes standing in the corner of the classroom; teachers made sure every child could write in cursive across blackboards. Kids explored the backroads, deserted buildings, and empty lots of their hometowns. Adults never worried about their children’s safety and rarely locked their doors. After all, the County Sheriff and maybe even a Deputy Sheriff took care of the town. Surely, local officials proved to be trustworthy and responsible souls.

What were Jessy Blanchard (Jessy Tate) and her friends up to in 1955?

Below is a sneak peek from PART TWO of RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES.

Clark bent over to pick up a stick. “Maybe he’s dead. I’ll poke him and see.”

Recalling her mother’s cautionary words, Jessy whispered, “You better not. If he’s asleep, you’ll wake him. He might be dangerous.”

The man’s foot wiggled. The shocked children shuffled backward. The vagrant then extended his arms above his head and stretched. Gazing into the sun, he lifted the brim of his hat and opened one eye then the other. “Uh, can I help you kids?”

Rita May inched closer. “Just checking to see if you were breathing. You looked deader than a mackerel.”

The hobo chuckled. “No, missy, I ain’t dead. I’s hongry and wore out is all.”

Jessy took a step forward. “My daddy owns the diner over there. I’m sure he’ll give you something to eat, if we ask him.”

Next time we get together, we’ll talk a little bit about the relationship between Jessy Tate and her friend, Rita Rhodes.

See ya’ next time, Jody

What a Character!

Hi there! How’s your Autumn going? Mine is great and busy–a lot of sitting in front of my laptop.

Right now, during this month of Gratitude, I’m so thankful for my family’s health in this time of strange viruses. I hope and pray your family is healthy. I’m also thankful for the new piano students my husband, Mike, has acquired since we moved. Although, I have asked for a set of noise-eliminating headphones for Christmas. 😊

I’m excited to let you know that I can reveal the cover to my upcoming published book – Relative Consequences. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Here is a peak at the cover.

The Subgenre of RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES is Mystery & Detective/Historical and the book listing will span several categories, i.e., contemporary women’s fiction, historical mystery fiction, southern mystery fiction, I am looking forward to a launch date and anticipating the ability to pre-order the book soon – first in eBook form then in Mass Market Paperback.

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What do you think of when you hear someone described as a character? I have relatives that I consider real characters and I love them dearly. My grandmother Susie, rest her soul, was a unique woman. A tiny, little thing, she could outwork any man she arund her. During WWII, she held two jobs – one where she played the organ (like a church organ) in a restaurant lounge until late at night. She could play any tune you could name. Funny what you remember. She had a fondness for ceramic birds and she had an outhouse in her backyard. She was definitely a character, but a gentile southern lady.

My Aunt Dolores (my father’s sister) was also considered a character. With striking red hair, a fair complexion and freckled from head to toe, she stood about 5 ft. tall. Dolores never married and was a steadfast Catholic. I remember her laughter. She had one of those throaty laughs, unique and boisterous, which deepened as she continued to laugh. More often than not, she would laugh so hard she’d get choked up. Eventually, Daddy would have to slap her on the back in order for her to catch a breath. Of course, the several toddies she’d downed beforehand might have contributed to each extra-long fit of laughter. My father and his beloved sister would tell family stories when they got together. As a child, I loved hearing them speak of the good old days. Aunt Dolores would take the lead and the floor, always illustrating her point with broad hand gestures, and a pantomime or two, often with a hint of naughtiness. My Aunt Dolores was one fun lady!

Here a few of the definitions of the word character used as a noun and described in the Collins Dictionary (American English version):

  1. A distinct trait quality or attribute, characteristic
  2. Essential quality, nature, kind, or sort
  3. The pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or group; moral constitution
  4. Moral strength, self-discipline, or fortitude
  5. Reputation or Good reputation
  6. Informal definition – such as an odd, eccentric, or noteworthy person
  7. The role portrayed in a play, book, or movie.

Let me introduce you to my protagonist or main character, Jessy Blanchard Tate in Relative Consequences. She’s definitely a character in every sense of the word. You first meet her in 2004, a retired schoolteacher living in North Atlanta with her husband Phillip. Attractive and looking young for her age, she stands about 5 ft. 1 in. tall with dark brown straight shoulder-length hair (almost black, courtesy of her hairdresser). As I wrote about her, I pictured her to be a shorter version of the actor, Anne Archer. (FYI. She played in her most recent movie in 2017 – Trafficked. I always liked her as Jack Ryan’s wife, Cathy in Clear and Present Danger (1994).

Being somewhat of a perfectionist, Jessy Tate always dresses well, never leaves the house without makeup, and prides herself in the appearance of her home. She loves to ride her horse, Nutmeg, and has a passion for creating jewelry out of seashells. Jessy has a few good friends but at the time you meet her, she maintains a social life that revolves around her husband and his colleagues, their church and neighborhood. She has a daughter, Gretchen and a granddaughter, Mimi.

Relative Consequences begins on October 24, 2004, the day Jessy buries her husband, Phillip. As the first chapter unfolds, you witness her emotional struggle at the reception. With the help of lots of wine and a satirical sense of humor, she seems to take everything in stride. Inside, she’s spinning, her coping skills eventually letting her down. She allows conflicting feelings of grief and guilt to consume her. Jessy, as a character, is a mess.

I know I created Jessy, but I have to admit…I like her. She’s a good person, extremely personable, a bit outspoken, but kind. Like a lot of folks we all know, she keeps a secret side. She’s definitely flawed and lets her emotions get the better of her.

Jessy loves her husband; although during the story, there are times you might think otherwise. Every now and then, her ambivalence illustrates hint at problems within their long-term marriage. However, when Phillip dies, Jessy is heartbroken and must deal with her problems all alone. Anxiety and old nightmares resurface causing her to search for truth among her memories. Once she decides to dig into the past to find answers to the questions that haunt her, the quest becomes an obsession.

See you next time when we will venture back into the 1956, when little towns kept big secrets. By that time, I hope to have a timeline for the book launch!

Thanks for stopping by…

Jody

Bonita Bonita!!

Wow, September is almost over.

I hope you are healthy and safe during this second wave of this annoying and seemingly redundant virus. I’m good to go. I wear my mask when necessary and, like my sweet dog, Bella, I’ve had my shots.

So, my novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES (RC), categorized as historical fiction or southern mystery fiction, has gone to the publisher. I’m so excited and scared to death. It’s like really putting yourself out there. No more hiding and waiting. I sent the publisher my manuscript, a concept drawing for the front cover, a picture and a headshot to put on the back cover, and a few relevant pictures to put inside at the beginning of the Part Two.

RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES takes place in several locations:  (1) Atlanta, Georgia; (2) Bonita Springs, Florida; (3) surrounding areas of Washington, D.C., and (4) Beaufort, South Carolina. The characters visit Atlanta and Bonita Springs more than any of the other spots.

Today, I’d like tell you a little about Bonita Springs, Florida. It is a beautiful town, which is only twenty minutes from the beach. Yes, I did live there for a brief two years when I was a small child. In a previous blog, I mentioned that while doing research several years ago (2016) for my book, I took a trip down to southern Florida. The day I met Martha Simons, the dear lady who helped me regain my bearings at the Historic Liles Hotel, was a lucky day indeed. She sketched a map of “old Bonita” for me. I took that image and expanded it, creating a more detailed hand-drawn map of what it was like back in the 1950s. I placed it on the back of the Part Two divider page. I hope that anyone who reads RC will be able to visualize scenes from time past. Check it out!

“1950s Bonita Springs”

In Part Two of my soon-to-be-published novel, the main characters frequent several prominent destinations shown on the map. One in particular is Aunt Prissy’s Kitchen, the diner where they serve the best biscuits in town. That roadside restaurant resembles the diner my father owned and operated when I was a child. Below is a description of how Jessy, the protagonist, sees Aunt Prissy’s dining room.

“When Jessy shoved saloon-style doors into the heart of Aunt Prissy’s Kitchen, a rush of cool air from a window unit stroked her cheek. A soda fountain counter and eight red-vinyl topped stools occupied half the diner’s service area, with matching booths and chrome-edged Formica tables inhabiting the rest. Top-forty tunes played from a jukebox in the far corner.”

Another cited point on the above map, the Everglades Wonder Gardens, a popular tourist attraction, is another major location in the story. The attraction has been in operation since 1936. Take a look at their website at www.wondergardens.org.

A lot has changed in Bonita Springs since the fifties (the years reflected in Part Two), but some things never change—they just grow larger. For instance, there’s the Bonita Banyan tree. The huge tree stands at the corner of Old Hwy 41 (Tamiami Trail) and Childers Street and across the street from what is now the Riverside Park Band Shell (the baseball field in my memory). This tree plays a significant role in the story. According to the Bonita Springs Historical Society (www.bonitaspringshistoricalsociety.org), the ginormous thriving and now-protected growth has been around since 1921. I remember the relic standing in front of The Pavilion (see the map) where the city held events and gatherings. They tore the Pavilion down later, replacing it with the Community Center.

If you’re ever down that way, visiting the beautiful Gulf of Mexico beaches in South Florida, drive down Old Hwy 41 and make a stop in Bonita Springs. Drive across the bridge that spans the width of the Imperial River, check out that tree down the block, and check out the shops and restaurants that keep the town thriving today.

Next time, we’ll talk a bit more about a few of the other characters in Relative Consequences.

If you enjoy reading this blog, please FOLLOW ME.

Thanks,

Jody

SIMMERED FOR FLAVOR

Thanks for sticking with me through this long, hot summer. In June, I underwent a hip replacement, which put me out of commission for a while. I’m doing well and back on track with the publication of my book, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES.

Now that I’m ambulatory, as they say, I’m actually cooking again. My poor husband has had to carry the load for quite some time, and we’re actually making meals a joint effort.

During last year’s stay-at-home year, Mike purchased an Instant Pot, which has a slow cooker setting. Many a time, we’ve made roasts, both beef and pork, stews, etc. with that setting, and for some reason, it would always take a lot longer than expected. In addition, I wasn’t always satisfied with the results.

I decided I wanted an original Crock-Pot like the one I used to own—the old one breaking down a few years ago. Remedy – I bought one on Amazon. I can pop in a chuck roast and expect it to turn out according to plan. Now, some people might like the other kind of cooker, but it’s just not for me.

Dishes cooked in a Crock-Pot must simmer for a long time. I compare the birthing of my novel, Relative Consequences, to a long-simmering recipe that cooked for at least FIVE YEARS as I added flavor, a pinch at a time.

The story of Jessy Tate simmered in my mind for a few years before I began to type it on my laptop. I changed it, molded and shaped it, reversed this or that, and tore it up and started over more times than I can count before I could say, “It’s done.”

A little about Jessy

We first see Jessy Tate, the fictional protagonist of the book, living in Atlanta in 2005. A retired schoolteacher, she is married to a successful corporate attorney, Phillip. She has a grown daughter, Gretchen, and a college-age granddaughter, Mimi. To this day, she keeps up via letters and emails with Rita Rhodes, an old friend from childhood who lives in D.C. However, Jessy has only seen Rita twice in the last fifty years.

Jessy Tate is a creative and artistic person who loves to ride her horse and enjoy a glass of wine now and then. She seems a bit introverted, and remains persnickety about her home and her appearance. She’s kind and generous to a fault, but keeps her distance, not involving herself too much in church or neighborhood functions.

Jessy keeps secrets—like the crush, she has on her psychiatrist. Her unconscious harbors a different kind of secret, an unintentional one from the past, one that if known, could shake up Jessy’s world.

Jessy Tate would be content to go along with her life as planned if she could cope with her mysterious nightmares. However, plans change.

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I’m on the home stretch and it won’t be long now. Shooting for a release date before the holidays!

Thanks for stopping by.

Jody

“March”-ing Back in Time

palm-tree-1391573Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thanks for being patient with my return to blogging. It’s been an interesting Spring and now Summer. My husband and I sold our house and moved AGAIN!!! While final edits (as in professional) are being made to RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, my upcoming book, I decided to go ahead and have hip replacement surgery. Due to a major fracture I had 13 years ago, the surgery was imminent. So, I’m recovering nicely, and the new house is great though I haven’t been able to do much to help my sweet husband. Now I’m ready to get back to reality, so to speak.

By going forward, today I’m going backward. Back to March of 2016. The following RE-POST will be self explanatory, but I believe necessary, as my book is close to being published. Thanks for your patience.

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Happy Pre-Spring!

I’ve been working on my new book, lovingly referred to at this time as Book 2, which takes place in the South, of course. Part of the story centers on South Florida’s Gulf side where I was fortunate enough to live for several years as a child. Research on this book, while conjuring up old memories, has led me to appreciate two glaring truths—things really do happen for a reason and good people, in this case, women, are not hard to find.

In November, my husband and I flew Delta into Fort Myer’s to see a dear sick friend, to make time for a little relaxation and to visit Bonita Springs, Florida, now a full-fledged resort town, the outskirts resembling nothing like what I remembered so long ago. Traveling south on I-75, Mike and I veered off onto Old Highway 41. Once into the small downtown area, a detour sign and barricade blocked our attempt to cross over the Imperial River. Despite Lee County’s roadwork, we found Historic Bonita Springs to be intact as it snoozed comfortably on “The Tamiami Trail.”

After parking the car, we strolled across the road to the Historic Liles Hotel, still a working establishment and the site of the Bonita Springs Historical Society. A nice man at the front desk offered his assistance satisfying my initial curiosity. However, since the business offices remained closed at the time, most of my questions were unanswered. Thinking I would simply tour the city on foot and gather random information along the way, I was set to leave.

In walks Martha Simons who had lived in Bonita Springs her entire life. She and I th3ZIF2WEFintroduced ourselves and immediately fell into a conversation about my research and quest for a dated map of the city. After discussing where I could find such a relic, the friendly woman shocked me by offering to draw a map for me . As she sketched each landmark, the image of 1950s Bonita Springs emerged from a blank piece of paper. Childhood memories flooded back with each stroke of her pen—churches, stores, restaurants where they used to be. A few still stood erect, unyielding like the old trees that hover the stucco homes a block from the highway. Martha brought it all back to me. It was more than I had hoped for.

I thanked her and we promised to keep in touch. After my husband and I left the hotel, he guided our car through the parking lot and turned onto a side street. Spotting Martha waving her hands to flag us down  with a woman by her side, Mike stopped the car and I climbed out.

“Jody, this lady remembers you. This is Peggy Gunther,” said Martha.

At first, the name didn’t ring any bells, but when she mentioned her maiden name was Pope, I recalled the little girl whose family lived in a house behind my apartment. She and I had played together through a school year and a hot summer. Her appearance was icing on my cake!

That visit provided me the catalyst to create the scenario whirling around in my head. My imagination is now on overdrive. A good chunk of the story I’m writing will center on Bonita Springs back in the day when people were learning about change and freedom. Other sections of the book will concentrate on the present day or close to it—where people continue to learn about change and freedom.

I was supposed to meet Martha Simons and Peggy Pope Gunther that day. Things definitely happened for a reason. More importantly, those two women, whom I hope to get to know even better in the future, were kind and thoughtful to help me, a strange (I use the term loosely) woman who descended upon them one sunny afternoon in November.

Thank you, Martha and Peggy, and by the way, I’ve thought of a few more questions . . . .

Jody

My Apologies to Barbra!

April 14, 2021

How is everyone?

I hope you are well and staying safe. Trying to get through 2020 has been a challenge for everyone. I’m hopeful that as we keep moving through 2021, one month at a time, the year will improve.

We (Mike and I) are in the process of putting our house up for sale. So as I anticipate another move, I also take a few more steps toward actually publishing my book, Relative Consequences. It’s really going to happen!

Do you remember this old song? “Memories, in the defects of my brain, lost and faded and forgotten, I sing the same refrain.” You’ve never heard that version? Really? I’m sorry, Ms. Streisand.

The definition of Memory:

  1. The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
  2. Something remembered from the past; a recollection.

I’ve never had a great memory. Ask my kids. Therefore, I have to make lists. However, it seems my lists are more refined and detailed than in the past. Those brain farts come with age. One of my father’s sayings when someone was about to ask him a question was “What’s on your feeble mind?” He said it with sarcasm and humor, a silly saying he picked up from his father, I’m guessing. Unfortunately, that sentence hits home just a little bit. The phrase, “Why am I standing in front of the refrigerator?” comes out of my mouth at least once a week. It’s getting scary, folks.

However, recalling memories is good for one’s “feeble mind.” I love looking at old pictures of my family. I can easily pick out most of the familiar faces of aunts, uncles, and cousins. In the past, I relied on my mom to fill in the blanks—people who passed away before my time, the old pics of relatives I never knew. The first picture you see in the upper left corner is an example. I have no idea who those people are.

I find myself getting all teary-eyed when I see pics of my kids when they were little, but that’s what Moms do. For the memories that aren’t too far back and yet blurry, I can usually depend on my daughter, the ace with the photographic memory.

I have to say I have good childhood memories though. Do you have pleasant memories from your youth? Do they bring a smile to your face? On the other hand, do they make you feel stressful or sad? I sincerely hope they give you joy not pain.

Possibly, your memory is a little cloudy where you only remember pieces of the past.

In my soon-to-be-published book entitled, Relative Consequences (RC, for short), the main character, Jessy Tate, has no memory of a specific time in her childhood when she lived in Bonita Springs, Florida—a time which should evoke innocence and wonder, not doubt and uncertainty. She not only wants to know what she can’t remember, but why.

If you couldn’t remember a chunk of time from your past, would you want to know what happened? What you missed? You hear about people who awake from comas with no memory of their life. That must be unbelievably difficult.

Image result for Free pictures of A Memory Loss. Size: 195 x 110. Source: www.warrelatedillness.va.gov

In 2007, I experienced a major fall. Walking my good friend’s dog late one night with another friend, I didn’t notice where a stretch of black pavement curved downward into a sewer drain. As a result, I took a misstep, tripped and fell—HARD. I apparently blacked out because all I remember is waking up sitting on the pavement, tasting blood and my friend’s sweet pup licking my face. I ended up with a gash in my forehead, a dislocated and fractured hip, a dislocated shoulder, and a cracked wrist. How could I have bounced from the front of my head to my butt? I’ll never know. My brain blocked out that snippet of time. It’s long gone.

Now, consider someone losing his or her memory for a year or maybe two. It might not only be frustrating, but the stress may cause mental anguish. In RC, due to a horrible event that wiped out her memory, Jessy suffers anxiety and depression. Flashes from the past appear in her nightmares and offer disturbing clues to her dilemma.

Jessy Tate wants to remember—but at what cost? The results might be complicated or even devastating. When she finally discovers what happened during that time, she decides not only to confront who was responsible, but seek justice for someone she once knew. No matter what.

See you next time.

Jody

Remotely Controlled (Re-post)

buzz 1

Since I first posted this, my sweet Buzz (pictured on the left) has gone to kitty heaven. He was such a handsome boy. Now, I need to apologize for my 3 year absence. I’m back now and raring to go and in the process of publishing my book, Relative Consequences. My next post will dig a little deeper into the book. I enjoy this re-boot.

CONTROL—everybody wants it. My husband, God love him, is a little bit of a control freak (she said nicely and with love), but in a good-hearted way. Me, I might be borderline, but hey, I know what I want and I usually want it right away. 🙂 My sweet dog, Bella, is even on that spectrum – she is maybe more of a manipulator than control freak though. But, the cat, my handsome Russian Blue, Buzz, – he’s in control. This main man pretty much runs the show.

There’s all kinds of control—birth, appetite, acne, pest, gun, and self, to name a few. But the word “control,” well, sometimes that can get sticky. We all know that when control becomes forceful it can become a dangerous thing. That’s another subject for another blog.

Speaking for myself, the older I get, I strive to lesson control or at least try to stop hurricaneworrying that I’ve already lost it in so many aspects of my life. I’ve accepted that there are way too many things of which I have absolutely no control. Let’s see – hurricanes, storm surges, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, summers that are too hot, winters that are too cold, oh and did I say, hurricanes?

So if I pretend I’ve got a nice, shiny, new black remote control for life in general, what would I put on those all important buttons? Mine would have to a multi-colored buttons. A red one for peaceful solutions to our country’s problems; another one for the world. Green for patience. Blue for empathy. The purple one would make me do the right thing even if I hesitate or have doubts. A yellow one would cure diseases that take away our loved ones too soon. The extensive list would make my remote control too heavy to carry, and it certainly wouldn’t fit on my coffee table.

How about you? What buttons would be on yours?

remote controlToday, my own personal remote is not so complicated.

  1. I’d push TOOLS. It would immediately heal my post-surgery shoulder. It’s taking way too long, and I have things to do, hair to blow dry myself, tall shelves to reach, books to write, etc.
  2. Next, the button that says CANCEL would convince my husband to retire (that’s wishful thinking).
  3. The ENTER button would allow me to complete this post today. (I think I can handle that one.)
  4. And, lastly, I’d press PLAY so I could eat a hot fudge sundae with real vanilla ice cream, and a warm and gooey chocolate brownie. Okay, I went way off track here a little. I can’t even get that luscious dessert near my mouth for I’m Dairy, Gluten and a whole lot of other Free’s.

I do consider myself a strong woman. I try not to dwell on regrets of the past anymore, but I love to wallow in the bliss of the todays that I’m given, and I pray and hope for lots more tomorrows. So if you’re anything like me, you sit back and sometimes (I said sometimes) hand over the imaginary remote control. You might do it with a smirk, a whimper or a frown, but you do it anyway. What does that girl say in the song from the movie, Frozen? “Let it go . . . .”

In my newest novel, two women friends think their lives are set until one of them opens a old can of worms forcing life to spin out of control for both women. There’s that CONTROL word again.

In October, we’ll see what’s on the horizon for Guest Blogger, Author, Linda Joyce.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jody