I've Been Tagged!

Mindy Schwartz tagged me and everyone that is "tagged" has to answer these 5 questions and tag 5 more people. Let's see what lurks in my psyche, shall we?

1. How long have you been blogging?
I believe it was the beginning of 2006....I remember I was blogging my "countdown" of when I could leave Corporate America. Ahhhhh, the stench of Corporate America is forever seared in my brain.



2. What inspired you to start a blog and who are your mentors?
The beginning of my FULL TIME writing career is what inspired me to start blogging.

One of my mentors is Paula McNeal. She truly showed me that NOTHING is impossible. If you can think it or dream it, then you can GO AFTER YOUR DREAM. Thank you, Paula.





Foster Winans-Ghostwriter, Editor, Lecturer

The fellow to the right is Foster Winans. He is the first well-known journalist to correspond with me and offer to look at my work. And WHOA did he look at my work. He ripped me to shreds, but he did it honestly and with integrity. It doesn't get any better than that.

Here are some snippets of emails he left me (not to mention he even called me on the phone, which almost left me speechless.)

Email Correspondence after sending my work to him:

"I scanned through everything and see that you have a broad range of interests and accumulated knowledge... I am a cruel and heartless editor who has had almost forty years of mistakes behind him, so I consider it my obligation to be honest. That's all it is, honesty. And the crankiness of age. I encourage you to challenge yourself more as a writer, and to be much more careful as a proof-reader...

There is too much starch and not enough protein in your writing. Even someone who is an expert on a subject needs to cite examples, details, stats, anything, to support their argument, to show they know the subject.Your nonfiction work lacks anchor points, and in their absence tries too hard to sound important. You are telling when you should be showing... You sound like a smart person who has an interest in growing. So I repeat–challenge yourself...

I will leave you with my standard homily: it's never a question of "Is it (or am I) any good?" The question should always be, "Is it the best I can make it and, if not, how can I make it better?" Keep plugging away, don't give up!"

Regards, Foster

3. Are you trying to make money online, or just doing it for fun?

Do what for fun??? LOL! Making money is the way to have fun online!





4. What 3 things do you struggle with online?

1. First and foremost, spending too much time on answering or looking at emails. Most of the time I have to MAKE myself get completely offline when I work on a client's project.
2. Secondly, TIME to explore and do everything I should do in a day. It's as if the days fly by...I always wish I had more time to work online.
3. Thirdly, PASSWORDS to everything and anything! I hate it! My memory is shot, and I have to write down or keep old emails of logins and passwords to blogs, and everything else online.
   

5. What 3 things do you love about being online?

1. I LOVE learning new things and finding little treasures along the way as I surf the net.
2. I love the fact that information is at my fingertips.
3. I love corresponding with friends and family instantaneously via instant messaging. I really enjoy getting emails from my friend, Alan in Beijing, China....it boggles my mind when we "instant chat".

I also love doing these little surveys!

Watch your email.....I'm getting ready to tag!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

The Girl Next Door is PSYCHIC

I don't know about you, but I have discovered a new psychic that is quickly becoming more well-known than John Edwards. And, much more likeable too!

Her name is Lisa Williams and she is a spiky-haired, British young woman with a striking resemblance to Liza Minnelli that happens to be psychic. She is amazingly accurate as well as open and friendly to people. The thing that irritated me most was that Edward's machine gun, rapid-fire speech had me straining to keep up with his descriptions and insight. Williams' speech is pleasant and she seems to care quite alot about people and helping them cope with loved ones living on the other side.

I watched Larry King this last week and he had motor mouth Edwards, Lisa Williams and author, actress Shirley MacLaine. I say, let Edwards take up announcing horse races and spend the entire hour on Williams and MacLaine. The two women had so much insight to offer that I found myself transfixed from start to finish. I'm an admirer of Shirley MacLaine for many years as she is quite brilliant as an author and researcher not to mention a master as an actress. Anyone remember her role in "Defending your Life?" her playful approach to poking fun at herself is what I enjoy most about her.

That, and when a guest was confident his theory of energy and time relativity was accurate and Stephen Hawking's theories weren't. MacLaine's subtle roll of the eyes was priceless.

Alot of people like to play "Who Would" with each other. As in "Who would you like to have dinner with most?" or "Who would you like to have for a sleepover?"

Thinking back to my girlhood days, I would most like to have Lisa Williams over for a slumber party. I bet she would have more to offer than trying to levitate the other girls in the party or telling a scary story with the lights out and a flashlight on under her chin.

More Musings Later- OOOOoooommmmmmmmmmm

Just a "Friendly" little Poker Game

Every once in awhile, I like to go to this pub I know of where they play poker in the backroom.

It's a beer only joint and the people are really nice. Now, as you can imagine, the place has been around forever and the clientelle are an older group of folks, which suits me fine. Well, this last Saturday night, I dragged my partner to this game. She called a friend and they drank beer and watched tv in the bar area while I got my fix of Texas Hold'em.

So, I see the small group of men moving into the backroom. They are lighting up their cigars and cigarettes and counting chips as I move in with them. The men have accepted that I am a bit "different" then the rest of the gals that frequent this place and in their best 'don't ask, don't tell' liberalism, we all get along just fine.

So, I belly up to the poker table and begin playing. I was having an awesome night. People were starting to pour in to the room to watch us play. I eliminated several regulars by catching an incredible River card. Moans and groans are heard loudly as I scrape the mounded chips in the middle of the table toward me.

Now let me set the scene: Most of the regulars can't remember my name, so my nickname is "Baby Girl". I always silently chuckle at that term, cause I am anything but.

Well the oldtimer I was playing wanted to win. BAD. He kept offering me some money to stop playing poker and let him win. Nope, I wanted to play a complete game.

Then it happened. It's as quiet as library when the flop comes down. He looks at me and says, "I bet 2000 chips". He stares at me to show he's all business.

I pause and the oldtimer says, "Baby Girl is about to fold!" and he hoots and has already spent his winnings.

"All in," I replied quietly.

He stops in mid-crow and stares at me. the Turn and the River are flipped over and I throw down my hand.

The whole room hollered and whooped it up cause "Baby Girl" beat the oldtimer. The oldtimer has a hard time accepting this and is even calling me by my real name. That's not a good sign, calling me Taryn.

So, after alot of talking, alot of handshakes. I went into the bar and sat next to oldtimer. He wouldn't look at me. I asked the bartender, "Buy him one on me, ok?". He grits his teeth and nods his thanks.

I sat there for a few more moments and knew my winning wasn't worth this. I knew I could do it and I did. So I took out my winnings of my pocket and pushed it toward him. He looked at me dumbfounded and said, "What?"

"Take what you believe is fair." He looked at me for a long time and reached for my money. He thumbed through it and split it 5o/50. I nodded and he was happy. "Thanks for the beer, Baby Girl".

With all my differentness and all his conservative beliefs, this much I learned about poker that night:

"You got to know when to fold'em, and know when to pick your battles".





More Musings Later-

Bill O'Reilly, looking out for us?

Why is it that television hosts, authors, political strategists and the like feel the need to "look after America?"

Bill O'Reilly even wrote a book stating that he was looking after us. Excuse me, but I have a brain and use it on a regular basis. Just because Mr. O'Reilly has certain ideas and beliefs doesn't make them correct. They are opinions which is his right, in America. It doesn't mean he is the voice of reason, intellect or even sanity.

He behaves much in the same fashion as a 12 year old boy these days. Good Lord, he even sent his producer and cameraman down to a Barnes & Noble book signing to disrupt Rosie O'Donnell's booksigning of "Celebrity Detox"

Hey Bill, you want Rosie on the show, try asking her on. If she says "NO", then ACCEPT IT.

You see, if people looked a little deeper, they might be inclined to see that it's not about "Looking after us", it's really about "Looking after Bill". Is it rating sweeps already??

Get over yourself.

More Musings Later-

As the Tennessee Titans Turn....

Yes, I am a HUGE Tennessee Titan fan. But lately, it seems that this football team is becoming a soap opera. What do you mean, you ask?

Pacman Jones - He's bad news. He can't even get a wrestling gig. Why in the hell hasn't Bud Adams cut this guy loose? I say cut our losses and move on. Coach Fisher keeps saying it, but as long as he is listed on the roster, he will be the proverbial ball and chain.

Pacman "Liability" Jones

Last Year's Titans - They were so pitiful it was sad. Then the heavens parted and a certain quarterback by the name of Vince Young took the reins and invigorated an offense that was all but flatlining.

Vince Young - This guy is incredibly talented. He is winning all these awards as a rookie and deservedly so.

Vince Young - This guy is incredibly talented and KNOWS IT. That can be big trouble. Maybe we're a little gun-shy (no pun intended) from the Pacman years, but when I watched CBS's 60 minutes feature on Vince, I became a little anxious. It made me know that Coach Fisher has his hands full. Containing a young quarterback, bringing him along slowly and firmly letting him know he is not above anyone else on the team.

Coach Fisher - His job is tougher than anyone knows. He has to put up with the press in Nashville...not to mention NFL press, he has to put up with Bud Adams, Pacman Jones questions, Vince Young's ego, and the multitudes of other issues that all NFL headcoaches deal with.

Coach Jeff Fisher

I don't know....I still love my TN Titans but I'll feel better when Vince matures a bit and is one less thing for the fans to worry about. I think we got spoiled to Steve McNair. I know I did.

Here's hoping #10 can be more like #9.

Steve McNair after a game with Vince Young

Ann Coulter Plunges to all New L-O-W

The transcripts of Donny Deutch's conversation with Ann Coulter takes on an all time new low. Decide for yourself if Ann Coulter is an idiot or if her thoughts that the "Jews need to 'perfect' themselves into Christians is anti-Semitic.

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Ann Coulter Plunges to an All New L-O-W

Just when I think the woman can't spew any further vitriolic rhetoric, she proves me wrong. I am absolutely speechless.

Just so you can ascertain your own opinion, I am posting her entire diatribe. I warn you, this is not for the faint of heart. Read at your own risk of becoming as jaded toward politics as I am.

Ann Coulter on CNBC Show: Jews Need 'Perfecting' By E&P Staff Published: October 11, 2007 12:15 AM ET updated 1:30 PM ET
NEW YORK Appearing on Donny Deutsch's CNBC show, "The Big Idea," on Monday night, columnist/author Ann Coulter suggested that the U.S. would be a better place if there weren't any Jewish people and that they needed to "perfect" themselves into -- Christians.

It led Deutsch to suggest that surely she couldn't mean that, and when she insisted she did, he said this sounded "anti-Semitic."Asked by Deutsch whether she wanted to be like "the head of Iran" and "wipe Israel off the Earth," Coulter stated: "No, we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. ... That's what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament."

Deutsch told E&P's sibling magazine, Adweek, today, "I was offended. And then, and this was interesting, she started to back off and seemed a little upset."

Asked to gauge her reaction, Deutsch said, "I think she got frightened that maybe she had crossed a line, that this was maybe a faux pas of great proportions. I mean, did it show ignorance? Anti-Semitism? It wasn't just one of those silly things."A transcript, provided by Media Matters, follows.

*DEUTSCH: Christian -- so we should be Christian? It would be better if we were all Christian?

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: We should all be Christian?

COULTER: Yes. Would you like to come to church with me, Donny?

DEUTSCH: So I should not be a Jew, I should be a Christian, and this would be a better place?

COULTER: Well, you could be a practicing Jew, but you're not.

DEUTSCH: I actually am. That's not true. I really am. But -- so we would be better if we were - if people -- if there were no Jews, no Buddhists --

COULTER: Whenever I'm harangued by --

DEUTSCH: -- in this country? You can't believe that.

COULTER: -- you know, liberals on diversity --

DEUTSCH: Here you go again.

COULTER: No, it's true. I give all of these speeches at megachurches across America, and the one thing that's really striking about it is how utterly, completely diverse they are, and completely unself-consciously. You walk past a mixed-race couple in New York, and it's like they have a chip on their shoulder. They're just waiting for somebody to say something, as if anybody would. And --

DEUTSCH: I don't agree with that. I don't agree with that at all. Maybe you have the chip looking at them. I see a lot of interracial couples, and I don't see any more or less chips there either way. That's erroneous.

COULTER: No. In fact, there was an entire Seinfeld episode about Elaine and her boyfriend dating because they wanted to be a mixed-race couple, so you're lying.

DEUTSCH: Oh, because of some Seinfeld episode? OK.

COULTER: But yeah, I think that's reflective of what's going on in the culture, but it is completely striking that at these huge megachurches -- the idea that, you know, the more Christian you are, the less tolerant you would be is preposterous.

DEUTSCH: That isn't what I said, but you said I should not -- we should just throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians, then, or --

COULTER: Yeah.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Well, it's a lot easier. It's kind of a fast track.

DEUTSCH: Really?

COULTER: Yeah. You have to obey.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly believe that.

COULTER: Yes.

DEUTSCH: You can't possibly -- you're too educated, you can't -- you're like my friend in --

COULTER: Do you know what Christianity is? We believe your religion, but you have to obey.

DEUTSCH: No, no, no, but I mean --

COULTER: We have the fast-track program.

DEUTSCH: Why don't I put you with the head of Iran? I mean, come on. You can't believe that.

COULTER: The head of Iran is not a Christian.

DEUTSCH: No, but in fact, "Let's wipe Israel" --

COULTER: I don't know if you've been paying attention.

DEUTSCH: "Let's wipe Israel off the earth." I mean, what, no Jews?

COULTER: No, we think -- we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say.

DEUTSCH: Wow, you didn't really say that, did you?

COULTER: Yes. That is what Christianity is. We believe the Old Testament, but ours is more like Federal Express. You have to obey laws. We know we're all sinners --

DEUTSCH: In my old days, I would have argued -- when you say something absurd like that, there's no --

COULTER: What's absurd?

DEUTSCH: Jews are going to be perfected. I'm going to go off and try to perfect myself --

COULTER: Well, that's what the New Testament says.

DEUTSCH: Ann Coulter, author of If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans, and if Ann Coulter had any brains, she would not say Jews need to be perfected. I'm offended by that personally. And we'll have more Big Idea when we come back. [...]

DEUTSCH: Welcome back to The Big Idea. During the break, Ann said she wanted to explain her last comment. So I'm going to give her a chance. So you don't think that was offensive?

COULTER: No. I'm sorry. It is not intended to be. I don't think you should take it that way, but that is what Christians consider themselves: perfected Jews. We believe the Old Testament. As you know from the Old Testament, God was constantly getting fed up with humans for not being able to, you know, live up to all the laws. What Christians believe -- this is just a statement of what the New Testament is -- is that that's why Christ came and died for our sins. Christians believe the Old Testament. You don't believe our testament.

DEUTSCH: You said -- your exact words were, "Jews need to be perfected." Those are the words out of your mouth.

COULTER: No, I'm saying that's what a Christian is.

DEUTSCH: But that's what you said -- don't you see how hateful, how anti-Semitic --

COULTER: No!

DEUTSCH: How do you not see? You're an educated woman. How do you not see that?

COULTER: That isn't hateful at all.

DEUTSCH: But that's even a scarier thought.

***********************************************************************

I think Donny Deutsch "Gets it".

More Musings Later-

Suze Orman - Livin' in a Van Down by the River!

You heard me. Suze Orman, financial guru and multi-millionaire television host actually used to live in a VW van in her younger years.

No, she didn't live down by the river, that is actually my homage to Chris Farley's hilarious skit about the motivational speaker gone wrong. Anyway, I caught a PBS show where Orman was discussing her meager beginnings and I was just amazed. I would have thought that she went to an Ivy league college and walk all the usual steps to becoming wealthy. Not so. If this gal can do it, we all can. And, she'll tell you that, too. That's one of the reasons I like her so much. She is a bit strange in her communication style, but that is her quirky way.

It turns out that when she was in her 20's, she was a Californian trying to find herself. She didn't have any money and she borrowed enough money from her brother to buy a beat up, VW van and she drove it to San Francisco. She became a waitress at a breakfast diner and lived in her van.

Chris Farley doing his skit as Matt Foley, "Living in a Van Down By the River"

After living life this way for quite some time, she began quizzing one of her regular customers about business and how to make money. Her regular gave her some money to invest in the stock market and he instructed her to have a broker from a well-known brokerage company assist her. That is exactly what she did and became fascinated with the industry. She lost all the money that her regular gave her because the broker invested her money in funds she knew nothing about and didn't take the time to explain the risks involved and so forth.

To him, she was just another "little lady" trying to make a buck or two. Well, she decided to break the "Good ole boy" barrier and apply for a job with this same brokerage. After much determination and selling herself to the interviewer, she was hired and began learning all she could about investments. She learned she could sue the brokerage for not investing her funds based upon her knowledge level at the time. So, she sued her employer WHILE she worked for them.

She won millions of dollars in a lawsuit. She paid her regular back for loaning the money and the rest is history.

One interesting story from a "little lady living in a van down by the river".

More Musings Later-

So What do you make of Iran's President coming to New York?

I don't know...sometimes I scratch my head and think to myself, "What in the world are these people thinking?"

Sure, I'm all for inviting speakers with different points of view to speak in our country. It's one of the things that make our country so great. BUT....c'mon, we're not asking an economist to come to New York and make a speech.

We're talking about the President of IRAN. And, while I understood and related to the gentleman who introduced the President, I cringed because the guest was able to put himself in a favorable light by reminding an American of allowing other views to speak before condeming them.

I cringed and it made me mad. Here we were...holding our collective breath in one of our treasured cities who has taken a beating from terrorists in the past. And, in my opinion, we were taking a real chance on his visiting New York City. But, our democracy is just that. It's not always easy to be an American. We have to listen to all voices and not just a few, and when the voice is drenched in lies and half-truths, you have to trust that people will listen carefully.

It's not always easy to trust, is it?

More Musings Later-

If I Did It, by OJ Simpson

If I Did It...

I wouldn't smirk for my mug shot

I wouldn't sign autographs before and after my court arraignment

I wouldn't write a book detailing the gruesome details of how I murdered my ex-wife and her friend.

I wouldn't be able to look my children in the face after what I had done.

I wouldn't do television appearances to "clear my good name".

I wouldn't break into a hotel room with my friends armed with guns demanding my memorabilia.

I wouldn't involve myself in another relationship. Especially with a woman that favors my previous murder victim.

I would request to stay in jail instead of posting bail.

I would want to die from the guilt and pain I've caused so many others.

But that's me.

Closing Thought: Leave the "IF" out of it. He did it and the blood he spilled will forever stain his hands and his soul.

More Musings Later-

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Imagine hiring one company to :

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Take a look at the last book I co-wrote with Alan Solomon:

Writing (or co-writing in this instance) of the Book

Submission to Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble

Amazon.com: The Mango Tree Cafe', Loi Kroh Road: Books: Alan Solomon,Taryn Sim

Barnes & Noble.com - Books: The Mango Tree Cafe, Loi Kroh Road, by Alan Solomo

Setting up a Blog for the Book

The Mango Tree Cafe, Loi Kroh Road

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More Musings Later-

I've discovered a new toy for my Rants!

The new toy I speak of is called www.Onmylist.com . It is great! I have made a few list already, one about writing...as I have included here:Authors that Frustrate/Piss me off and some are in other categories.

By the way, a word about JK Rowling: She wrote the Harry Potter books and made a fortune. She is now writing a thriller. People are having a fit about it. "Why is she writing a thriller?"

Answer? Cause she wants to. Something tells me the woman loves to write and is sick of writing children's books. Give her a break will ya?

I don't think any author worth their salt writes for the love of money. I think they write because they love it.

I know that even if I won the lottery, I'd still write. But, that's me.

More Musings Later-

Grief is all in a Day's Work for writer, Linda Della Donna

There are literally hundreds of thousands of millions of writers out there in internet land. Some are very well-known and some aren't.

Linda Della Donna will soon be on everyone's radar. She is one of the few writers that deals with the emotional issue of grief and is quite skilled at it, unfortunately. Della Donna lost her husband to cancer some 3 years ago and in an effort crawl out of a depression so deep, she had to write her way out. She wrote about her feelings, her loss, her frustration, anger and took solace in time she spent with herself.

Out of that heartbreaking loss came "Griefcase" a safe place for widows to convene and share their feelings and heartache while they heal. From the tablet of a legal pad is now bounding a full fledged website that will offer message boards, practical information for the newly widowed or grieving, a blog, e-books and more.

I nominated her for CNN's Hero of the Day. I don't know if Anderson Cooper will be knocking upon her door for an interview, but hell, I think he should.

Read what she's all about and you'll be making a point of reading Griefcase too.

www.Griefcase.blogspot.com

More Musings Later-

Magazine Revamp! and other News

Okay, I have to say this to get it off my chest. As you all know (or maybe you don't) I just recently self-published "The Mango Tree Cafe, Loi Kroh Road" with Alan Solomon.

I have marketed this freaking book until I'm blue in the face! I contact the Nashville Scene and they tell me (very nicely I have to say) that "although my book is being considered for a Pulitzer and is being shown in Beijing, China at the Intl Book Fair and is competing for Best Fiction at USABookNews.com, they can't do an interview with me because it's a self-published novel..."

HUH???? You mean to tell me, that if my book wins the Pulitzer Prize, I can't get you to interview me because I'm self-published???? YEP. that's the long and the short of it.

HOW STUPID IS THAT???? I don't blame the nice lady that conveyed the news, I blame the owner of the Scene! Good Lord! I'm sorry, but that seems a bit, well....snobbish. There, I said it.

Does anyone think this is a crazy idea? If you do, email the Nashville Scene at http://www.nashvillescene.com/Information/contact_us/index.php and address to "Publisher of the Nashville Scene."

************************

On a lighter note, seems the startup of "Ideas, Goals and Dreams" is changing around the premier issue. See what you think:

Talking to School Kids?

Yep, I'm currently exploring the idea of talking to kids...about what? About writing and about freelancing. God, I wish someone had done that when I was growing up. I had no idea that a life that I'm living now was possible back then.


But then again, I wonder if I would appreciate my writing career as much as I do today. Let's face it, being a refugee from Corporate America makes you grateful for being able to breathe. I don't know...I just think that kids need to see that there are ways of being successful that don't necessarily fit in a cookie cutter profile.


I mean after all, here I am. A published author who writes for a living. Am I rich? Financially, Hardly. Am I wealthy with knowledge and experience? You bet. Do I wear pin stripes each day to work? Well, maybe pin striped pajamas or sweats.

Life can be messy. Kids need to know that writing and other types of freelancing professions that aren't "typical" are possible. It's just a thought...but then again, I get paid to write those thoughts down.

More Musings Later-

Ideas, Goals & Dreams - A Startup in Every Sense of the Word.

Some time ago, I responded to a Craig's List ad to write articles for a magazine startup. I sent a couple of samples and they were met with real enthusiasm by the owner of this new magazine. Let's face it, my writing career can be summed up by this magazine's title. I love it when you find organizations, people, jobs, projects and the like that perfectly compliment your beliefs!

Check out the magazine...it will be online soon and I will place a link to it when I get the url. Oh, and there is even a picture of some writer in the top left corner with a silly smirk on her face! After that, it will be distributed locally in San Francisco, California and then globally. Thinking of advertising or investing in it? Let me know and I will put you in contact with the owner.

Sometimes Life is one big synergy event!



More Musings Later-

Good Morning From America, Robin!

Last week, Robin Roberts announced that she has breast cancer. I was stunned. She is seemingly the picture of health and the disease doesn't even run in her family. That is scary stuff right there.

What makes it even scarier is that a normal mammogram didn't catch it. She had additional tests because she felt a lump. What is she didn't feel it? What if she didn't do an exam on herself? Cancer is an angry disease and can spread like wildfire. It is SO fortunate that she caught it in the early stages.

According to ABC News, she had successful breast surgery and is recouperating at home. Okay everybody (myself included) GET YOUR MAMMOGRAM AND DO A SELF EXAM REGULARLY!

Message to Robin Roberts: Get Well, Girl. I want to see your smiling face on Good Morning America SOON. By the way, I said a prayer for ya. From your pal that you don't even know.

More Musings Later-

Nancy Grace, You Gotta Love Her

Not too long ago, my partner and I tuned in to watch Nancy Grace. She is becoming a regular on our short list of "must watch".

The normally feisty Southern pistol of an attorney was instead subdued, humble and sweet. What happened? I wondered aloud. I love to watch her tear into her interviews because if her subjects smell like a rat, she'll sniff it out for sure. She's a real advocate for the victim and I LOVE that about her.

But that night she is announcing that she got married in April and is now 4 months pregnant with twins, God bless her! She was tearfully thrilled and expressed her thanks to her viewers, friends and her new hubby, David. She went on to say that she didn't think she would ever find love again after her fiance was murdered nearly 20 years ago. Life has a way of making things wrong become right again.

So, happy pregnancy Nancy. Don't stop being the little pit bull that we know and love. But I gotta tell ya, you melted America's collective heart when you announced your great news.

Congrats to Nancy and David (or Mr. Nancy!!) LOL

More Musings Later-

Oh My God, I'm Tired...

Well, it's done. "The Mango Tree Cafe', Loi Kroh Road" is published and ready for purchase. Between the formatting, proofing, correspondence and discussion on the book cover with the designer (also in China) and the back and forth between Alan in Beijing and here, I'm pooped.

But, the book is going to be shown in Beijing, China at a book fair for book sellers. I fed-exed the book to New York on Thursday and ordered addtional copies for myself. Alan wants to order 2000 copies to sell locally and wants me to sign them before shipping off to Asia.

I've enrolled us in the Amazon "peek inside the pages" program and have been updating Barnes & Noble and other retailers with the book info.

Sheesh....I'm so behind, but it's a good tired. You know what I mean?

Oh, I would be remiss if I didn't offer you a chance to purchase here as well. Surely, you didn't think this would be a simple post!

Click HERE to purchase.

More Musings Later-