Thoughts on Elvis Presley on His Birthday

It's hard to believe Elvis Presley would've been 81 years old tomorrow, January 8th. Elvis, the "King of Rock and Roll," was in his early 40s when he died, but he lives on through his music and memories of him.

My mom was an Elvis fan. Sunday nights we sat around the TV and watched Elvis and other musicians perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. At other times, Mom would turn the radio on and dance around the kitchen to tunes by Elvis, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, and Andy Williams. She also loved Tom Jones.

Two of her glitzy (and, to be honest, ditzy) sisters made several trips to Vegas, where they saw Elvis and other famous entertainers perform then they'd come home and tell Mom about their adventures. Mom could never afford to go with them -- although she was thrilled when my sister Kathleen and I took her, much later in her life, to see Tony Bennett and Andy Williams perform when they visited St. Louis on separate occasions.

Back to Elvis. I wasn't a huge Elvis fan. I liked some of his music, especially "Love Me Tender," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and "Blue Suede Shoes" was another good one, but I thought his movies were cheesey. Several friends from our neighborhood Bunco, which has been going strong since 1974, adored "The King" while they were teens and well into adulthood. In fact, a few of them were  upset on Bunco night two days after Elvis died in August of 1977; they were so inconsolable they could barely roll the Bunco dice.

Another Elvis story came from Nick Nixon, a contemporary of Elvis. Nick was a local St. Louis area celebrity, a songwriter, and country singer. Nick discovered late in life that he wanted to write something other than songs, and he became a treasured member of our Coffee and Critique writers' group for several years until he passed away a couple years ago.

Nick once told a story during lunch at C&C of how, while he was in the Marine Corps and stationed in Tennessee, he had a run in with "The King of Rock and Roll." Apparently words were exchanged between Nick and Elvis, a gun was brandished, and an apology from Elvis arrived in the form of a telegram to Nick some time later.

How about you? Care to share any thoughts or memories about Elvis on his birthday?  Or, do you have a favorite Elvis song?

Overused Words and Words that Annoy Me

Back in November I tweeted about the overuse of the word "So," which was frequently used at the beginning of a sentence or during a pause in a conversation. I even admitted I was guilty of overusing the word myself.

So (Ha!), I was pleased this evening when I watched a segment on a TV show that included a tongue-in-cheek list of words and phrases that one university suggested be eliminated from use.

Want to guess the word at the top of a list?  So!

That brings me to another word, the overuse/misuse of which I find annoying. It is a word usually uttered on TV by reporters or law enforcement individuals (hint) being interviewed by reporters.

Ahem. The word I'd like to hear less often is: Individual.

Rather than saying "the individual was apprehended," why not be more specific? Use the word person, man, woman, representative, pet, or criminal, just not "individual." Individual what?

Okay. Your turn. Any words or phrases you find annoying?

Oh, and my second choice for an overused/annoying word is the word: annoying.

Happy 2016! My New Year's Non-resolution: Believe

Photo from Openculture.com

 
Missouri's famous writer Mark Twain once called new year's resolutions "harmless annual institutions of no particular use to anybody."

And, if my past performance can predict my future behavior, I can't argue with his words. 

At the beginning of each year, with a heart full of good intentions and a mind focused on success, I map out my resolutions and set what I believe are attainable goals. Then, by mid-year, or even sooner, I lose focus. My good intentions are either forgotten or deliberately ignored.

So, in the spirit of Mark Twain, I'm neither making annual resolutions, which I will not keep, nor will I set goals, which I'll either forget or ignore. I'm going to try something different.

I'm following a suggestion borrowed from Margo Dill's inspiring post on "The Muffin," the Women on Writing blog. In Margo's post, she writes that she is going to focus on one word for 2016. You can find Margo's one word on "The Muffin" blog.

Like Margo, I'm going to focus on one word for the year 2016. My one word applies, not only to my writing, but to every aspect in my life.

My one word is: BELIEVE

I believe God has a plan for me.
I believe I can do whatever His plan is if I take time to be still and listen.
I believe in myself.
I believe in others.
I believe I've been put on earth to help others.
I believe others are here to help me.
I believe in You!

As we turn the calendar page to 2016, I wish you health and happiness, peace and prosperity, and many blessings that you too may believe!

Merry Christmas: Free 2016 Writer Calendar and Monthly Planner from Literautas

Just in time for Christmas and the new year, Literautas has once again offered free calendars for writers. 

Literautas is a writers' resource that offers "Notes, tutorials, exercises, thoughts, workshops and resources about writing or storytelling art."

Check out the Literautas blog for their two choices for 2016 -- a writing calendar and a monthly planner. And take time to leave a comment thanking them for their generosity.

As a added bonus, if you scroll down the blog to related posts you can a link describing how to create a writer's "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Season of Miracles

The December 2015 issue of Sasee magazine is aptly titled, "Season of Miracles."

I love the cover of this issue. It's eye-catching and memorable, with one woman with a broad stride who stands out from the crowd. The woman is dressed in black gloves, a red dress and matching shoes, with a tiny black-and-white bow on them. Just from looking at that cover, you can imagine that woman is going places.

I'm pleased that an essay I wrote titled "Sweet Memories" is included in this issue. The story might bring a tear to your eye, but it ends on a hopeful note. If you get some time, click on the link above and read it. Another local writer, Linda O'Connell, also has an essay in the same issue.

Here's wishing you a joyful Christmas season filled with sweet memories and maybe even a miracle or two.

St. Charles City-County Library Local Author Event

Donna and Marcia

I'm a bit late posting this, but I wanted to make sure I shared these photos and gave a report on last month's local author event sponsored by the St. Charles City-County Library.

This is the first year the sixth annual event was held at the Spencer Road Branch in St. Peters.

In previous years the event was held at the Middendorf-Kredell Library in O'Fallon.

The change in location was because the number of authors has increased every year.


Pat, Marcia, and Donna

This year, with more than 100 mostly local authors (as well as many from as far away as Cape Girardeau and Rolla), the beautiful and spacious Spencer Road Branch was the perfect site for the event.


When I first read there would be more than 100 authors on hand, I wondered how the library would pull it off.



Doyle Suit

I was pleased and impressed how organized the venue was, with each writer assigned a specific table area and given help carrying their books and other materials inside.

The rooms were roomy and laid out to encourage foot traffic.

The snacks were plentiful, and the library gave away several door prizes.

The library staff and volunteers did an outstanding job with this special event.



Sioux Roslawski

It was my good fortune to sit next to two of my favorite writers, Marcia Gaye and Pat Wahler, both members to Coffee and Critique.

Doyle Suit, another C&C member, was not far from where we sat.


Sioux Roslawski and Candace Carrabus Rice were also nearby, and I was happy that I had time to chat with them and share a few memories and stories.

I'm looking forward to next year's event and meeting even more writers and readers. Hope to see you there too!

Candace Carrabus Rice

SELF-e Self-Publishing Opportunity from Library Journal




Image from the St. Louis County Library website

If you're a local author hoping to get your work into the St. Louis County Library's (and other libraries') e-book collections, here's something you might want to check out. 

According to the SLCL website, SELF-e is "a discovery platform designed to expose your ebook(s) to more readers via public libraries locally and nationwide."

This initiative is a collaboration between Library Journal and BiblioBoard. Depending on the outcome of a rigorous review process by Library Journal, the SELF-e program permits local authors to upload their e-book: into Library Journal's SELF-e Select collection or (if not selected for the Library Journal's SELF-e Select collection) into the Indie Missouri collection.

Note: From what I read in the FAQs, there is no cost to participate -- but authors do not receive royalties either.  The chief benefit is getting your work recognized.

So, if you're looking for exposure (other than from frostbite) for your e-book, you can find complete details in the FAQ section, along with a link to the terms of agreement.