Mom’s Favorite Reads eMagazine January 2020

IN THIS ISSUE...

An exclusive interview with actress Melinda Mullins, Romance Author Roundtable, articles, travel, young writers, poetry and more‌.

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Mom’s Favorite Reads eMagazine is published monthly by Goylake Publishing and designed by Melanie P. Smith of www.melaniepsmith.com

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Melinda Mullins Interviewed by Hannah Howe ................................................................................ 7

Romance—Interviewed by TE Hodden ............................................................. 22

Laughter is the Best Medicine! by Hannah Howe ............................................ 32

Stan Phillips .............................................................................................................. 36

Off the Beaten Track Wine Making by Anna Rashbrook ................................ 17

Mixed Martial Arts by Noah (Age 10) ................................................................. 18

Overloaded Piece—Supplied by Chess.com ...................................................... 21 Making a Survachka by Ronesa Aveela ............................................................... 40

Introduction to Dowsing by Val Tobin ............................................................... 14 My Story by Anna Grace ........................................................................................ 20 Classic TV by Hannah Howe ................................................................................ 30 Good Deeds Do You Good by Sylva Fae ............................................................ 33

January by Poppy Flynn ......................................................................................... 34 The Winter Solstice by Cherime MacFarlane .................................................... 37 Postcards from Spain by Hannah Howe ............................................................. 38 Coming Back Strong by Keith Guernsey ........................................................... 41 Eponyms by Millie Slavidou ................................................................................ 45 Inspiration from the Forest by Sylva Fae ............................................................ 46

20% OFF First Book Promotion with the Fussy Librarian ............................... 44 Nicole Lavoie, Graphic Design ............................................................................. 44 Connections eMagazine .......................................................................................... 49

Melinda Mullins Interviewed by Hannah Howe Melinda Mullins is a multi-talented actress and artist with a beautiful attitude to life. Here, she shares her stories about leading a full and varied life, along with anecdotes from her wonderful career.

In film and television you have appeared in Law and Order, What About Bob?, M*A*S*H and many other productions. Do you have any special memories from these productions?

I have a particularly odd story about my MASH episode...I was just 21 and I'd just arrived in Los Angeles (from goofing off in Paris for a year as an au pair and acting student). My decision to leave Paris, though I was beginning to get some paying acting work, was based on a chance encounter with Peter Sellers, the actor. I guess I better start with that.

As the subway clattered on, I came up with a plan that would involve me getting on the set and insisting that I needed to hand-deliver my box to Mr. Sellers. For a touch of authenticity and exoticism I decided to say that it was a special delivery from Mr. McHugh (who had been my art professor back home in New Mexico and was the most urbane person I knew). A very strange and desperate plan, was mine.

I was studying acting in a fairly wellknown conservatory in Paris called the Cours Florent. The classes took place on the Ile Saint Louis, nowhere near my very modest maid's room flat. One day, after class, I was heading back home on the metro with, by chance, a couple of other students. I overheard one of the other students mention that Peter Sellers was shooting a movie there, in Paris, at the Studios de Boulogne. This was tremendously exciting to me because I was a huge fan of his; in fact, I think he (via his films and recordings) taught me how to do most of the accents I can do. I looked at the metro map and realized that, by some miracle, this exact metro line went all the way to the stop nearest the Studios! My classmates got out at various stops along the way, but I stayed on the train. It was a long trip and during it I organized my thoughts. I started by writing a heartfelt note expressing what a fan I was of his and that it would be my greatest dream to work with him one day. In my bag I had a little box with my new headshots inside.

I took the box, emptied the photos into my purse, save one, and added the short, exuberant fan letter. My plan wasn't quite clear, all I knew was that I wanted to meet Peter Sellers in person; I'd idolized him for so long.

When the metro came to the end of the line in the outskirts of Paris, I got out into a misting rain. Not in the least discouraged, I asked directions; the studios were about a 20 minute walk away through the grungy industrial zone. Ah well. I'd come this far...I walked in the mist, keeping the box dry inside my coat, and found the studios as the afteroon was waning. It was Paris (not Hollywood) and one could simply walk right through the gate and onto the grounds.

I found the right sound stage, waited for the red light to go off, and walked in. At first no one noticed me, there was lots of activity to prepare the next set-up. But, slowly, various French crew members asked me who I was or if they could help me. I was an unflatteringly wet, bilingual, young female, and I gradually found myself surrounded by some large part of the crew who found me rather intriguing, I suppose.

M*A*S*H -7-

On the other hand, if anyone opened the box while I was still present, my whole story about Mr. McHugh and New Mexico would be revealed as the over-blown outragesous lie that it was...and that I was just another pitiful, desperate fan. This Catch-22 was beginning to dawn on me, but I brushed it aside with wishful thinking: I would meet Peter Sellers, smile sweetly, shake his hand, thank him for being such an inspiration, and disappear out the door. By the time he had opened the little box with my note - which, of course, he would find supremely touching I'd be off the premises, heading back to the subway, a woman of mystery and magic.

As more crew members gathered, I singlehandedly brought production to a halt as I chattered in French about my delivery that had to be made to Mr. Sellers himself. Some crew members fetched their (French) supervisors; I committed myself more and more boldly to my odd story: Mr McHugh, the well-known artist, had sent me to Paris from Santa Fe to deliver this package to Mr. Peter Sellers directly. Finally a Brit appeared and asked me what I was on about. I think she was the Production Manager. I reexplained myself to her and to the rest of the mesmerized crew. The Production Manager sent for the Publicist (I repeated my story, that I could only deliver my red box into Mr. Sellers' hands directly, Mr. McHugh etc etc) and the publicist - after offering sweetly to take the box to Mr Sellers herself - sent for Peter Sellers' dresser and assistant. This was a pudgy gentleman wearing tight black leather pants. I don't think I'd ever met anyone like him. He offered me a seat in one of the canvas set-chairs and proceeded to explain to me why I couldn't possibly hand the box in person to Mr. Sellers; that he was very busy and concentrating on his work, it was an important big-budget film, and so on.

But he assured me that he, Peter Sellers' personal assistant, would deliver the box right into his hands at the very first possible moment.

I was repeating my story for the umpteenth time to the crew, the publicist, the assistant and now the caterer and the janitor, when someone started yelling. The film set was that of THE FIENDISH PLOT OF DR FU MANCHU. The dĂŠcor was a massive red, Chinese-looking hallway that stretched out into the distance: dragons, gold leaf, etc. Way down at the end, a small greylooking man was striding towards us, clearly furious. “WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Well, what was going on was me.

And the grey and unrecognizable fellow was Peter Sellers.

The French crew members parted like the Red Sea, the dresser jumped to his feet to intervene, the publicist began explaining things to the star in deferential tones. As she explained the situation, Sellers eyed me. He quickly assessed the situation.

I demurred. By now I had not only my audience but my self-esteem to honour. The entire French crew seemed to be rooting for me. And I didn't feel I could back down at this late time; it would've undermined my story! And broken my heart...I had such high hopes.

"You have a package for me?"

"Yes sir."

I stood up, tried to hand the box to him, my eye on the door.

He refused to take it from me.

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My day on the set was anti-climatic; I learned that they had feared I was delivering a bomb! (there had been some trouble along those lines in recent times, it seems and my behaviour had been rather suspicious).

"That's not how this is done! You be me and I'll be you."

With that he took my former seat in the canvas chair, crossed his legs beguilingly, and mimed handing me the box (I was still holding the real one, of course.)

I realized by the end of the day that Peter Sellers was just putting in time on the Fu Manchu movie; his greatest work, he told me, was the film BEING THERE, which had just opened in the US. He was disappointed I hadn't seen it.

He was very proud of it.

I didn't know where this was going, but I was worried.

"Now, you open it," said Peter Sellers, in something like my voice.

Peter Sellers died before BEING THERE opened in Paris. But when it did, I went to see it seven times. It is still one of my favourite films, and, in my opinion, is probably Peter Sellers most perfect work.

Well...this was impossible. To be humiliated in front of the entire movie crew! To let them see that I had brought a full scale film production to a halt with my ludicrous lie, just to deliver an overly sentimental fan letter in a red box...worse yet, with a photo of myself!!!!!!! Not a chance.

I first saw you in M*A*S*H where you played Martine LeClerc and stole the show, which is no mean achievement because the regular actors were so well known to the audience and so well loved. Do you have any special memories about appearing in M*A*S*H?

"I...I can't..."

More infuriated than he had been before, Sellers jumped up and stormed off, yelling as he went: “LET'S GET BACK TO WORK!!

NOWWW!!!!"

I have a very distinct memory of that episode of MASH. It was my first professional film/television job. (When they said "hit the mark", I didn't know what a mark was!) I had moved to Los Angeles because, I reasoned, that's where most movies are made; it was because of Hollywood that I knew Peter Sellers' movies, after all.

One or two members of the French crew recognized how devastated I was, and murmured words of comfort, before scuttling back to work. Someone accompanied me back to the door.

I stepped out, alone, into darkness and now pouring rain.

I couldn't stand the place, though. I had no money, an unreliable old Chevy, and no agent. I took a part-time job and signed up for some acting classes. Within a reasonable time I found an agent; some fourth rate hole-in-the-wall place run by a guy whose name sounded French to me (that's how I'd picked them).

But in their office, relegated to a small back room, there was a very old man with an accent and an imagination. When he heard one day that MASH, the most popular show on American television and in its last year, was looking for a

It was a long walk back to the metro. And dark in many, many ways.

After a wretched night in my little maid's room, I wrote a letter. A letter to the publicist and to Peter Sellers explaining what had happened and why. I mailed it to the Studios de Boulogne.

The very next morning, a special delivery letter slid under the door of my room! It was from the publicist of Dr. Fu Manchu and she invited me, at Peter Sellers' request, to spend a day on the set!!!! I'm not sure I've ever had a better letter. I managed to save it for years.

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French actress; a French actress about 10 years older than I, but what the heck....Together we came up with a scheme: I would deliver my resumé in person to Twentieth Century Fox (something that wouldn't be possible today, I imagine) and I would dress to look as mature as possible and sport a very strong French accent while dropping off my photo and resumé. Do you know, it worked!

When I walked into the office the secretary barely lifted her head from her paperwork; but when I layed on the heavy French accent, her head popped up, she looked at me and quickly asked me to wait a moment. I was immediately ushered into the producer's office and was then given an appointment for that same day to come back and meet the director and David Ogden Stiers. Et voilà! I got the job. But I got it on the pretense that I was French. So, for the entire week, I had to remember to think French, speak French and be French. I think Alan Alda was a tad suspicious. He would walk up to me and ask me about the words to the "Marseillaise", the French national anthem. Or another time he asked me, as if instinctively knowing that it was a grey area for me, the word for "chess" versus the word for "checkers". (Do you know, I'm still not sure!)

Nevertheless, cast and crew were kind to me and even when David Ogden Stiers figured out my secret (I was accepted to Juilliard Theatre School during the shooting - Juilliard was his alma mater, as well! - I couldn't help sharing this exciting information and he knew that Juilliard would NEVER accept a student with a foreign accent as strong as the French accent I was sporting on the set). But David never let on, and I finished the shooting of the episode as French as the day I walked onto the Twentieth Century lot. Phew!

Remember WENN. I must confess, I am not familiar with this production, but from the images on your website it looks intriguing.

Could you tell us something about Remember WENN and your role in this production?

“Remember WENN" was a complete fluke and one of the best things that ever happened to me. It was a cable series shot ON FILM in New York. (first time ever, I believe; other series are all shot on video and then transferred to film.

This affects a lot of things from the quality of the show, to how long it takes to do the actual shooting, to which union covers the actors' work). More exceptionally than that, almost all the episodes were written by one man; a veritable genius called Rupert Holmes. Rupert is a musician, playwright, composer, and novelist. He seems to be able to do just about anything he puts his hand to, and he has won many prestigious awards. Anyway, I had the good fortune to play a good-hearted, glamourous, unpredictable, vindictive actress in that Emmy-winning series and when it was suddenly cancelled (due to corporate machinations) it helped me make my decision to retire from show business.

On stage, including Broadway, you have appeared in Serious Money, Sherlock’s Last Case and a number of Shakespearean productions.

Do you employ a different acting technique on the stage, compared to movies or television?

Yes, the techniques are somewhat different; the main difference is that the camera can read your thoughts, so, really, all you have to do is be thinking the right thoughts for your character and the situation. On stage the audience is not as intimate so there does have to be some physicalization of your emotions.

Shakespeare’s plays are, of course, outstanding, but do they present any special challenges for an actress?

Ah Shakespeare. So poorly performed so often.

But when it's great, it's unbeatable. I could watch Kenneth Brannagh's Hamlet about 100 times.

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Off-Broadway, you appeared as Lady MacBeth in McBeth. I would love to have seen you in this role because the character seems so different to the image I have of you. Do you prefer to play the heroine or villain? Which role is more fun or of more interest to you?

a male British tourist, too involved with his smartphone to notice, accidentally gets locked into the abbey where Aliénor's tomb and effigy are. The effigy of Alienor comes to life. The old world meets the new, the male perspective, the female perspective, royalty versus democracy, over-population, homosexuality....all these subjects are explored and there is lots of room for humour, dancing and even a miracle or two.

We didn't have to pay royalties because I was the author (big relief!), my husband, Joshua Bryant, directed and we found a very talented fellow, John Lowings, to play Fred. We toured the Aquitaine for two summers, played in chateaux and abbeys and churches. It was a really great experience.

Villains are notoriously more fun to play! You can really sink your teeth into a villain. So to speak.

You are in demand as a voice-over artist.

How important is the voice or accent to an actress, by that I mean is versatility essential?

I’ve read that some actors will put on a pair of boots or spectacles and that helps them to get into character. How do you get into character?

Voice-overs fascinate me because EVERYTHING that is to be conveyed must come through the voice and only the voice. I also find them fascinating because the listeners form an image of you that may be miles away from reality; you can control the image they have to a degree, but in other ways not at all. And yes, my background in languages and my love of accents improved my prospects; I did some advertising for L'Oréal cosmetics with a "soft" French accent and some Lancôme radio adverts in Spanish.

I confess, I probably am one of those actors they call a "costume actor"...in other words I only, finally, find the complete character when I've got the right clothes on. This is somewhat embarrassing to me. I feel like I ought to be able to do things another way, but...not really!

You are multi-talented...an actress, writer and artist. Do you have a favourite artistic pursuit?

This summer, I understand that you appeared in the play "Aliénor et Fred". Could you please tell us something about the play and your role in it?

My dad always said "jack of all trades, master of none". Boy did that haunt me. But finally, when I hit 50, I think, I let that worry go. If you feel creative in an area, it is wonderful to explore it. It is such a luxury to follow one's heart and one's creative urges. Life is short, why confine oneself to one pursuit? Unless that's what pleases you!

I've always been interested in history and I've always been interested in the great women: Cleopatra, Alienor of Aquitaine, Hannah Arendt.

And I've moved, by chance, to the area of France that was Aliénor's stomping ground, her duchy, in fact. She held the largest, richest territory in all of Europe in the 1100's. I love to write, I love to act and there are all these old churches and abbeys around this area that are, essentially, available to perform in. Alienor of Aquitaine was a divorcée for a brief period, was married to the king of France and then the king of England, lived to 84, rode across the Pyrenees when she was 80 to pick which of her granddaughters would become the new queen of France; she was literate and feisty and politically savvy; men fell in love with her easily and she loved music and poetry. It was a delight to write a play about her. The premise I chose was that

You have written a graphic novella, La Casquette Rouge, which I’m looking forward to reading. What inspired La Casquette Rouge?

You know, I was participating in a group art expo and the participants took turns being the host or hostess at the gallery space. So, some long dull hours. I've always been fascinated by and in love with wolves. And I'm also a big fan of "bandes dessinées"...I guess you could say "comic books" but really a bande dessinée is a - 11 -

story told in pictures. Not neccessarily anything comic or childish at all. Anyway I was pretty bored sitting for hours in the gallery, but suddenly an idea came into my mind, a full-blown story. I even knew how it should look, graphically (black ink, rough brown paper, white accents). I wanted the story to be conveyed with as few words as possible, that was my challenge. So, I got to work. Luckily a French publisher for whom I had done some illustration work, liked it and agreed to publish it without forcing me to make many changes. It was actually quite a bold project for a small publisher.

As a writer of psychological mysteries myself, your psychological thriller Temptation interests me. On a subliminal or practical level do you think psychology is important to acting and writing?

I do! And I'm really looking forward to reading your work, Hannah, all the more since you've said that! I think psychology and understanding why people do what they do (or trying to understand) is at the heart of everything that interests me...at least as far as humans go.

In 1998 you left New York City for Santa Fe then you moved to the wilds of New Mexico.

You lived in a remote cabin on 840 acres, without electricity or running water, whispered two wild mustangs and lost track of the mainstream. On the one hand, this sounds like paradise, on the other it must have presented a set of challenges. Could you please tell our readers about your experiences during this phase of your life?

I was invited to participate in a festival in New Mexico (which is where I knew I would go to live) and there, I met the love of my life. It was the most astounding day of my life, and probably the very most important. Once Joshua Bryant and I had met (and we've hardly been apart since) we flourished. We became pioneer-ish, I would say. Our company was enough for us (we'd both been in show business most of our lives), and we took off into the wilderness. Yes, it was challenging - an incredible amount of work - but exhilirating and life-changing. I will never look at a faucet with running water the same way. (I hear that we all may experience water shortages in the not too distant future; in a way, our time in the wilderness was a good preparation for that). And because we had no media influence, I think we began to think much more clearly. Frankly, I think being vegetarians helps us think more clearly, as well! And then there was all that good clean air...Anyway, we became independent thinkers, ranch hands, lumber jacks, horse-trainers (wild mustangs), expert mud drivers, and water conservationists quite quickly. We went from actor-types to sunburned cowboy-types complete with calluses.

I woke up one morning in NYC, I was 40, I was meditating, my beloved television series "Remember WENN" had been cancelled suddenly, and it dawned on me that it might be time to leave New York and show business.

Before the facelifts and the desperation and the role-shrinkage set in.

There is a neat circle in that I first saw you as Martine LeClerc, a French character in M*A*S*H, and now you are living in France. I understand that you studied there early in your career, but what prompted you to move to France and what do you love about the country?

Animals are central to your art. The affection that shines out of your paintings suggests to me that you love animals. Do animals play a large part in your life?

Oh yes. I think without being able to be in the presence of animals on a daily basis, I'd get depressed.

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I spent some time with my mom in France when I was a little girl. That's how I learned French at an early age. Then she and I came back pretty often, then I came back on my own.

Then, after our time in the wilderness, Josh and I got to be, as I mentioned "independent thinkers". We were quite sensitive to and wary of the changes that were taking place in America, particularly since 9/11. We managed to accept the US attacking Afghanistan (though it had little connection to the World Trade Towers), but when the US seemed to be planning to attack Iraq, we just couldn't swallow it. Homeland Security and Guantanamo and all the extraordinary renditions and the frankness about torture...we couldn't accept this new version of America. We were already about as insulated and isolated from the mainstream as possible, so it seemed logical - at least as far as the logic of the heart is concerned - to "get out of Dodge.� " And France ended up being where we went. It took us a long time to put the move together, but we did and we feel good about it.

Our biggest difficulty is how to keep our two adopted mustangs (yes, they came with us) from eating too much rich, French grass!

particular, elephants. Elephant Haven has been complicated to get going here in France because of all the bureaucratic hoops, but they are very close to opening their doors and there are several elephants waiting! Any support we can give them will help!

And finally, what are your favourite reads?

Oh my goodness, I love to read! I love the classics, particularly the Bronte sisters, Thomas Hardy, Balzac, but I also enjoy the contemporary Scandinavian crime writers (Indridason, Mankell) and almost any book on the environment, climate change, animal rights...I just finished "Harry's Last Stand" and Edward Snowden's memoir, and I enjoyed them both enormously. Now, I'll be planning to read some Sam Smith books!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to answer these questions and reflect back on the why's and wherefores of various events in my life. It has been a great pleasure. I wish you much success!

We always ask our interviewees if they would like to mention a favourite charity or good cause. Would you like to highlight a favourite charity or good cause?

Thank you, Melinda. It was a great pleasure to interview you and we wish you continued happiness and much success with all your projects.

Oh yes, thank you! Josh and I are very big fans of Elephant Haven

https://www.elephanthaven.com/en/home

You can discover more about Melinda here https://www.melindamullins.com

They are the first retirement home for elephants in Europe and now that so many circuses are giving up the use of wild animals, those elephants desperately need homes. We know Sophie and Tony, the founders, personally and they are truly top-notch animal people with lots of experience with wild animals, in

Melinda’s beautiful art can be viewed here http://www.emcleobryant.com

Hannah Howe is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann's War Mystery Series and the #1 international bestseller Saving Grace. Hannah's books are published by Goylake Publishing and distributed through Gardners Books to over 300 outlets worldwide. Her books are available in print, as eBooks and audiobooks, and are being translated into ten languages. Discover more on Mom's Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe

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Introduction to Dowsing

by Val Tobin The first time I saw someone use a pendulum, I doubted what I was witnessing. I was certain that the person was playing a joke on me to see if I was gullible. Then she handed me the pendulum, and it spun under my fingers even though I did nothing to make it swing. I was hooked from that moment on and have been working with, and learning about, dowsing since 2004.

While dowsing can be fun, it also has a serious side, and learning to use dowsing tools safely and accurately takes some time. Professional dowser, teacher, author, and past president of the Canadian Society of Dowsers, Susan Collins shared her knowledge of dowsing and dowsing tools with me to help readers get an understanding of the practical applications of dowsing, the variety of tools available for dowsing, and how to get accurate information when dowsing.

Collins on Earth Lines and Their Connection to Health and Healing

According to Collins, “I started to learn how to identify earth energies, environmental energies, eventually psychic energies and brought myself to health.� After recovering her health, Collins decided to learn everything she could about dowsing so that she could then help others who were also suffering and who did not have access to the information that she had found and which had changed her life.

Collins used dowsing to locate earth lines in her home that were causing her ill health and discomfort. Earth lines cover the earth in a grid formation and vary in intensity and impact on the body. If your bed is located on a noxious earth line or at a point where lines intersect, it can cause toxic results in the body. Collins maintains that this was so in her case. She was diagnosed in 1982 with rheumatoid arthritis.

Practical Uses for Dowsing Tools

With her hands curled into claws and barely able to walk, Collins was still searching for help after years of living with her condition. Then in 1999 she came across a book about dowsing called Dowsing and Your Health by Dr. Bailey, former president of the British Society of Dowsers.

While many people are unaware of earth lines and the impact they may have on health, most have heard of using dowsing to find water.

Dowsing for water with L-Rods or Y-Rods is a well-known practical use for dowsing. Some other uses for dowsing include verifying a food is beneficial to eat, locating lost items, or inquiring about issues related to career, relationships, or finances.

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The easiest tool to use for dowsing is the human body. Collins explains: “We can use our fingers to dowse. So, for example, if you’re sitting at a table and you rub your index finger, put some pressure on it across the surface of the table. It will either be sticky or smooth.

Those can be signals for yes or no.”

While there is no arguing that the body is a convenient tool for dowsing, many prefer to use the pendulum. Pendulums are easy to use and convenient to carry, as they can fit into a pocket or purse. In a pinch, car keys or a necklace can substitute as a pendulum.

How to Hold a Pendulum Collins says that each finger of the hand carries an electrical charge, with the pinky being positive, the ring finger negative, the middle finger positive, the index finger negative and the thumb neutral. To hold the pendulum, hold the chain with the thumb, index, and middle finger.

This way, you are holding the pendulum with a balance of charges: neutral, negative, and positive.

Dowsing Posture and Protocol

Collins says, “You want to have both feet on the ground, legs uncrossed, and make sure you’ve got water. Because the body is the primary instrument, it is important for the body to have water, food, be rested, and make sure you don’t have to go to the bathroom.” She also recommends putting up psychic protection. In her book Bridge Matter and Spirit with Dowsing, she outlines a protocol to follow for safe and accurate dowsing.

You can verify the charge on the fingertips by using your pendulum. It will swing in one direction for positive and another for negative. Establish which direction is “yes” and which direction is “no” by asking the questions “show me yes” and then “show me no.” The pendulum will then swing in the directions associated with each.

This protocol includes balancing the body, connecting to the dowsing system by setting intent, working from a perspective of forgiveness of oneself and others, clearing away nonbeneficial energies, maximizing your energy field, and getting permission to dowse (ask the pendulum if you are able to dowse for your question). This routine can be done quickly once you are used to doing it and have it memorized. Following this protocol can boost your confidence in your session and therefore the trust that you have in the responses you get.

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Tips for Getting Accurate Information with a Pendulum A lack of trust in the responses the pendulum gives can erode the accuracy of the information you receive even further. Collins provides the following tips for improving the accuracy of your results: •

Phrase your questions carefully. Write your question down using a pencil, so that if you need to revise the question, you can erase what you have. Dowse each word to see if it’s the most appropriate word. If it’s not, erase it. Be precise and only ask one thing at a time. In other words, do not ask “or” questions. For example, use “Is eating the chicken more beneficial for me than eating the fish?” instead of “Should I eat the chicken or fish?”

•

Don’t make jokes. Don’t use slang. Be precise and take care with the language and tone you choose to use.

•

Dowse in service for others.

•

Practice on situations that are relevant to you; so, rather than testing if a card in a deck is black or red, dowse for finding a parking spot or to see if you should select one food item over another or to find out which elevator will arrive first.

•

Have an attitude of detachment—the more emotionally invested you are in a question, the more challenging it can be to get accurate answers for it. If you are not willing to suffer the consequences of an inaccurate result from a question, then do not dowse on it. In other words, do not use your pendulum to determine whether to leave your

spouse if acting on an incorrect response will cause problems in your life, which in this situation, it obviously can.

Dowsing can be fun and enlightening and provides another avenue for improving your psychic abilities. The more you use energy and intuition, the better you get with it, and dowsing is just another tool that assists you in doing so. Since the time when I first picked up a pendulum as a nonbeliever, I have used it for anything from searching for my husband when I lost him in the supermarket to connecting with spirits on a paranormal investigation. As long as you maintain a healthy respect for the energies you are accessing, and you always remember to put up your protections so that only beneficial energies interact with you, then dowsing can be a positive and rewarding experience.

Image: Courtesy of Susan Collins Collins, Susan. Bridge Matter and Spirit with Dowsing: A Practical Guide to Dowsing to Bring Balance to Your Life, third edition, King City: Puka Ha/Golden Crow, 2007.

Dowser.ca (Accessed April 25, 2011).

The Canadian Society of Dowsers Organization Website (Accessed April 25, 2011).

Val Tobin writes speculative fiction and searches the world over for the perfect butter tart. Her home is in Newmarket, Ontario, where she enjoys writing, reading, and talking about writing and reading. Discover more about Val on Mom’s Favorite Reads website:

https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/val-tobin

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Off the Beaten Track — Wine Making

by Anna Rashbrook January while being cold and snowy in Austria has one advantage. My Elderberry wine is ready to bottle and sample! I started making wine shortly after we moved to Austria; soft fruit grows really well here, but we can only eat so much jam. It’s an easy hobby and I love to share the wine with friends and family.

Finding the equipment here was a nonstarter, people mostly make schnapps. Then my sister in-law said her shop where she works in the UK did all the stuff, so she brought me over all the equipment that would go in hand luggage. The only problem was then the fermenting bottle, and blow me down, Linda my neighbour had two in her attic, her mother in law used to make it! I went to the local Ironmongers and they had the bung with a hole for the fermenting lock; I realised later it was a rubber door stop, but it fitted!

The season begins in July with Gooseberries and Blackcurrants. Then later in from August, Plums and Elderberries. Of course, each year is different, some years the fruit is poor or just non-existent depending on the spring frosts and how wet or dry the summer is.

I have my own recipe, which works for all the fruit. I begin by cleaning out all the leaves and bugs from picking. The Elderberries have to be destalked, which I do by hand which makes a wonderful mess.

Then I pour boiling water over, add sugar and a Camden sterilising tablet, mix and leave for three days with the bucket covered.

After three days, where I also attack the mix with a spud masher, the must is poured through muslin and squeezed to get the most flavour from the fruit. I’ve taken to doing it outside as the kitchen was sticky for days afterwards. The must is poured through a funnel into the fermenting jar then the yeast is added. The must then goes crazy for the first few days and froths like mad. The water filled lock stops any wild yeast or contamination entering. Gradually it calms down and bloops for the next few months until it stops.

Some say the wine sings as it goes; it certainly is a companiable background noise in our flat.

Then comes the hard work (!) of syphoning it out into bottles. I re-use old wine bottles, sterilising them with very hot water and tablets. The wine is usually ready to drink straight away. The early fruits are ready in November.

So, on a dull, cold January afternoon, I will be testing my Elderberry wine. Cheers!

Anna Rashbrook was born in Winchester (UK). Married for 36 years, she has two adult children who wouldn’t move to Austria when she moved there in 2007. She teaches English and is concentrating on her writing novels. Discover more about Anna on the Mom’s Favorite Reads website:

https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/anna-rashbrook/

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Mixed Martial Arts Submitted by Poppy Flynn Written by Noah Age 10 My name is Noah and I’m ten years old, my favourite hobby is mixed martial arts.

I started martial arts in June 2018 when I was 9 starting with one session a week, I now go 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Each session is one hour long.

I really enjoy martial arts because it’s fun, I love it when I earn my new belts and stripes and medals. It’s a great way for me to get fit.

My favourite activity in martial arts is the grappling, I really enjoy the positions and the locks I can do, it’s good to get the practice in now because when I get my blue belt, I can use locks in competitions.

In some of the classes we have learnt katas, this is another of my favourites. So far I have learnt H form 1, 2 and 3, and recently did elbow Kata for competition. I can do bo Kata too, this is a weapon Kata using a stick that’s longer than me!

Every month student of the month is picked, I have had the trophy once. When you’re really good in class you get a stripe on your belt. I am on my purple belt, my fifth belt, the order is white, yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, green, brown/white, brown, brown/black then the black, which I am working hard to get.

My instructor is called Sven and during a typical lesson we can do anything from sparring, grappling and throws. We will often practice point sparring and continuous sparring so we can be good in competition. We sometimes work with weapons; this is stick work.

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In sparring I have to get points by hitting my opponents by kicking, punching and doing hooks which is like a punch but sideways. I can’t punch the legs or arms because I don’t get a point doing that.

Grappling is where you are on the floor and you try getting points and try winning, you get points by doing positions, if you hold a position for three seconds you get a point, if you do a lock on your opponents and they tap you win the whole round, even if your opponents get loads of points you still win!

Point sparring is like sparring but you have to try punch the head and there is continuous sparring which is like sparring as well but you can do throwing and when your opponent is on the floor you can do some grappling and punch them on the floor, my instructor says I’m good at this. Kata’s are when you do lots of moves in the right order there are kicks, punches and elbows and there are stick kata’s as well.

I’ve made lots of friends at martial arts and I have fun with them.

My sessions are held in two places. On Thursday it’s at my school and on Monday Wednesday and Friday it’s at Johnstown in Wrexham.

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My Story

by Anna Grace The stereotype for those who have mental health issues is that they had horrible childhoods, and in some cases that’s true. For me however, I had a very normal childhood.

I grew up in a happy family with both my parents and my sister. I loved school and worked very hard even from a young age, and because of this I did fairly well in school, I had good friends and an avid passion for dance. I was lucky in the fact that I never got bullied and I was good at making new friends.

When it got to secondary school, I had two choices for which school I wanted to go to but in the end I went to the same school as the majority of the school. I knew lots of people at my new school and also developed a very solid friendship. For the first couple of years I was happy, healthy and very high achieving.

Unfortunately, from the age of 13 I started to struggle. I started to become more anxious at school; I had always been an anxious kid but this anxiety was new. At the end of year 8 I had my first ever panic attack. At the time I thought that I had become really unwell and got sent home by the school nurse. It wasn’t until my mum suggested that I may have had a panic attack that I realised what was happening.

I brushed off that original panic attack, however, over the next year I started to have panic attacks more and more often. So, as you would go to the doctor fo your body, I visited the GP about my anxiety. The doctor asked about the anxiety and about my mood however, because I was not depressed the doctor sent me on my way. I adapted, and got used to having panic attacks regularly, it became a part of my life.

In year 9 (aged 14) things started to become really hard. I think, looking back, this is when my BPD started. I started struggling with self harm and I got to a point where all of my self worth was based off being needed by my friends.

I had established myself as a peace keeper in my group. Subconsciously, I had come to the conclusion that I needed to solve other people’s problems in order to maintain their friendships. I was insecure in the

relationships around me and I constantly felt like I was grasping at straws.

That year, there was a lot of problems for me to solve. There was one particular drama that blew up everyones lives and it was all we could think about for a good 6month period. I worked tirelessly in order to try and solve this drama, believing I was the only one who could solve it, I looked after everyone else feelings… but neglected my own.

Over the next couple of years I was extremely depressed (I now recognise this as the beginning of my bipolar disorder) I wasn’t able to communicate well with other people, I relapsed into self harm. I barely made it through my GCSE’s. In year 11 (aged 15) I went through a break up and classically decided that this meant that it was time to remake myself. I started a diet that quickly escalated into a severe eating disorder.

I struggled for 2 years with my eating disorder, it both broke me down and fuelled my determination to succeed. I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at age 17 in September 2018. I started recovery and fought like hell in order to climb out of the dark depths of the eating disorder. I started a new job and I finally started to feel like I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Little did I know, I still has some stretch of journey ahead of me. As I began to weight restore I became more and more energetic and elated; I believed this was my real personality revealing itself… until I hit another wave of depression. I went to the doctor, who referred me to a psychologist. It seemed, I was experiencing what is known as a mood disorder. I got referred to the community mental health team who diagnosed me with bipolar disorder with a possible alter diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

Over my journey I have learnt a lot about myself and who I am. I quit my job and I started a degree online. I finally feel like I am getting to a healthy place. I will never be cured but I do have hope that I will get to a point where mental health no longer rules my life.

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Chess Supplied by Chess.Com The concept of the OVERLOADED PIECE is fundamental for tactics. A piece which is doing two important jobs at once (i.e. defending two different squares) can be exploited. Such a piece can be said to be "overworked".

White has a menacing "battery" on the h-file - his queen and rook are lined up and aiming near the black king. However, both invasion squares on h7 and h8 are guarded by black pieces. One of Black's pieces is overloaded, however, and this gives White an opportunity.

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The Author’s Roundtable: Romance

by T.E. Hodden Welcome to the Round Table. I went to the Mom’s Authors group and invited members, as well as special guests, to participate in a virtual round table discussion. This issue, we were talking about Romance, the good, the bad, the irksome, the wonderful, and where the fast growing genre might be headed in the future. This issue’s special guests include veterans of the Romance genre Sharon Hughson, Melanie Smith, and Deryn Pittar, our very own Hannah Howe, as well as Jenn Nixon, the author of the hit MIND series.

Let’s begin by meeting some of the participants: Val Tobin: I write paranormal romance and romantic suspense. All of my stories feature a romantic thread even if romance doesn't drive the plot, including my Valiant Chronicles series. That's an SF thriller hiding a love story spanning multiple lifetimes.

Melanie Smith: I write paranormal romance, western romance and my suspense usually has a romantic component to it as well.

Sharon Hughson: I am a multi-published romance author who is releasing into a new genre on November 8. My passion genre has always been young adult fantasy, but that is a pretty competitive field and now that I have faithful readers in romance, I don’t want to turn them off with a totally unrelated genre.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: I write romance with other elements - the twists and turns include paranormal, suspense, elements of healing and a bit more. A. #1 In my opinion, a romance novel is a book about love. Although in real life, happy ever after is not guaranteed, the 'romance novel' is fiction and created to give hope to those who are discouraged with their relationships.

Anna Rashbrook: I write Christian books with horses and romance. I'm planning a full-on, clean romance for next year, so am interested in any hints and tips.

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Romance is a broad genre, and one whose boundaries are considerably more blurred than others.

Some publishers would argue, for example, that a happy ever after is essential, where as others will fiercely defend cliff-hangers and 'beautifully tragic' endings. So, let's start by asking: What makes something a Romance with a big R, rather than just a story about love?

Hannah Howe: In the real world, as well as fiction, romance and love are based on respect. To develop a meaningful relationship you need respect. As a reader I regard respect as the glue that binds the romantic couple together. An example from my Sam Smith Mystery Series: Alan, Sam’s husband, would prefer if she did a less dangerous job. However, he accepts that “a woman has to do what a woman has to do“ because he respects her.

Sharon Hughson: The tension between the couple is the driving force of the story and they will end up together. If they do NOT end up together, it is NOT a romance. Period.

Anna Rashbrook: Romance is in the journey as two people come together and the twists and turns of that relationship. The misunderstandings and reconciliations. Possible dramas and tragedies on the way.The coming together of two souls who may be greatly different but have that common link or spark.

Jenn Nixon: For me "Romance" means happy for now or happy ever after, usually with the main couple together and/or professing feelings for each other. To me, a Love Story doesn't always have the "happy end" but they were happy at many points in the relationship. IE: Time Traveller's Wife.

Melanie Smith: Romance is more than a love story.

Good romances have complex plot lines and can be pretty much any genre you can think of; paranormal romance, romantic suspense, Historical romance, etc. Characters are written to display intense emotions, mutual respect and an optimistic outcome. I realize many argue you don’t need a HEA for it to be a romance, but I disagree. To me, those stories fit better in the Literary Fiction genre. To fit the true (historically accepted) definition of a romance, the story must be emotionally satisfying and love must prevail in the end.

Val Tobin: A love story doesn't have to have an HEA or HFN ending whereas a romance does.

The Horse Whisperer or the Time Traveller's Wife are examples of love stories. Or Gone with the Wind.

I read that when I was fourteen and was furious over the ending. I am more content with it now that I'm older and wiser, but I would never call GWTW a romance. Romance readers expect the HEA or HFN ending or they feel cheated.

Deryn Pittar: What makes a good romance? Tension, action and a realistic plot that ends in a Happy Ever After IMO.

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Jenn Nixon: I try to make my relationships as realistic as possible given that I write mostly SciFi. I honestly don't pay attention to tropes when I'm writing nor do I try to hit the specific beats most romances are known for. I am very much against certain taboo romance stories, but others can be interesting like "My dad's best friend" thing.

Melanie Smith: It absolutely drives me crazy when an author advances their plot by making the heroine do something monumentally stupid. It comes across as lazy and unimaginative to me and should be left in the past with the 80’s horror flicks. Women can be strong, intelligent and their mistakes don’t have to be moronic. As far as tropes, I don’t really have an opinion. To me it doesn’t matter if the story is wellwritten, the characters are well-developed and the plot keeps you turning pages.

What are your favourite beats for a Romance to hit, and what are the tropes that get under your skin? Are you a sucker for friends becoming more, the tough Alpha Male, or the gentle true romantic? Do you despise the way every ex has to turn evil by the third act, or how every heroine needs a sassy best friend? What are the best and worst trends you are seeing out there?

Val Tobin: I'm okay with any of the tropes as long as they provide a unique slant to the story with characters that are interesting and well rounded.

Hannah Howe: I can only answer for myself. When I created my Sam Smith Mystery Series I decided that the series would contain a romantic thread.

However, I also decided that the romance would not be “will they, won’t they get together “. From book one I established that Sam and Alan were partners. They married in book eight because I felt that was a natural timescale for them to take that step. My interest in Sam and Alan is not necessarily romantic, but an opportunity to develop and examine a relationship. The first flush of romance can be warm and cosy, but I think the depth comes from the relationship these people share.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: As long as there is a great hook and the story is interesting with characters that are well developed, I don't mind Tropes.

Deryn Pittar: Heavens, I am so not into tropes! Absolutely detest the 'billionaire boyfriend" despite Fifty Shades of Grey working so well in the popularity stakes. However, I try to create interesting situations with zany characters, which is probably why I write sci.fi./futuristic/paranormal/urban romances. Sometimes the romance is sub-plot rather than the main thread.

Sharon Hughson: Tropes I love: friends to lovers, rescue to lovers, trapped together. Tropes I despise: love triangle, sex first and then building a relationship. I am not a huge fan of Alpha males unless that is a “cover” for some demon. I prefer geeks who’ve been overlooked finally getting the attention they deserve.

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Not only is Romance one of the fastest growing genres, it is one growing ever broader, with all kinds of people and relationships being represented, in the main stream as well as small press.

What are the pros and cons of giving more visibility and recognition to the whole diversity of human beings? And where would you like to see more positive representation?

I don’t mind rich heroes, but they have to have depth, struggles, and character flaws. There is a reason women still have their book boyfriends. They like the fantasy and being rich can give the story depth if done right — it’s a classic for a reason.

However, being the struggling artist, a shop owner, or a police officer can also have depth — without the wealth. I think it’s about story development, not so much the setting. The story needs to come alive, draw the reader in, and make them believe the tale is possible. Highlighting each character’s individuality and differences is also a great way to move the plot along. Having said that, I don’t subscribe to the theory of writing the flavor of the moment. If you are writing in a character just because you think you need to represent a different socially acceptable ideal more often than not, it comes across as contrived and flat.

Hannah Howe: I can only see advantages, not disadvantages, regarding diversity. Personally, I would prefer to see more focus on paupers and less on billionaires. I don’t read billionaire romances (apologies to authors who write that type of book).

Reflecting on my books, I think the love a wife showed to her depressed husband is one of the most romantic things I have written. I like to write and read about people who are faced with a challenge. The romantic element can stem from them overcoming that challenge. Also, on a wider note, romance doesn’t have to be about two people, it can be about achieving a goal, and a million other things.

Val Tobin:I love diverse characters. The first time I read a story with homosexual characters (Chronicles of Tornor series by Elizabeth A. Lynn), I was a teenager in the 1970s. It surprised me but I loved the writing and the story. For the first time in my life, it made me contemplate how it might feel to be gay. A couple of my novels contain a gay secondary character. I have a niece who's gay and ask her for advice to make the characters credible and not stereotypical.

Anna Rashbrook: I've read a few where there has to be a symbolic gay/transgender or disabled. Have shut the book. If these themes can be introduced without seeming contrived or wooden, then great.

Saying that, in my last two books I had a main character who was Intersex/Hermaphrodite. HIs journey I used to illustrate a Christian message of love and reconciliation.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: As a 'new' writer I tend to stick with situations and emotions I'm familiar with. I have an open mind and embrace diversity some of my friends and relatives are gay. Who knows what I might try for the next series.

Jenn Nixon: For me, I tend to create a cast that reflects the people I know in real life, where at least I have some knowledge of their culture, disability, sexual preference etc. I love the diversity in books and think it has come a long way with much more to do, but it is moving in the right direction.

Deryn Pittar: I have no personal experience with gender diversity, but believe all humans are equal with equal rights. Gender is irrelevant as is colour of the one's skin. A journey that encompasses emotional growth, overcoming adversity and above all hope for the future are what I consider essential to a good story.

Melanie Smith: People are diverse and I believe as authors we should celebrate that diversity. Characters should have flaws. The hot rich guy that is too perfect to be real is no longer believable.

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Val Tobin: I enjoy all kinds of romance: light, dark, semi-dark as long as it's well crafted.

How do you like your Romance? Light with a side of comedy? Deep and dark? Warts and all, or bright and idealised?

Hannah Howe: I like realistic romance and whatever that entails.

Sharon Hughson: I enjoy comedy if it reads organically. I think some people “force” mishaps into the plot for the sake of getting a laugh and all they get from me is an eye roll. I don’t mind any of these, but I tend to bring in heavy issues and my story is about the hero or shero overcoming that issue and the romantic element teaches them how or something similar. Love is a great teacher. Now my teacher-persona is shining through.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: I like humor and I love suspense. If the plot is interesting, I like it all.

Deryn Pittar: I'm inclined to write light with a touch of comedy. There is enough darkness in life without adding to it. I write SciFi/Paranormal romance, some contemporary and sometimes I just play with a situation and see what evolves. I also write serious sci.fi. and fantasy, cosy mystery and I'm recently published in short dabble-sized horror (100 words) plus I write a bit of poetry. Thank you for having me here and my apologies for being late on the stage. I will blame the time difference and we are one day ahead as well (not to mention daylight saving).

Anna Rashbrook: Realistic, with issues, twists and turns that the reader can identify with.

Jenn Nixon: I like lots and lots and lots of sexual tension. I like the push and pull of giving up pieces of oneself to become a couple. I'll read any type of romance, so long as it's not gross or taboo, which there are both out there. Not for me.

What would you like to see more of in Romances?

Val Tobin: I want to see characters who, despite their flaws, have potential for healthy, mature relationships. Narcissistic sociopaths don’t make believable romantic leads no matter how rich they are.

Melanie Smith: Warts and all. I like characters that are real. The tension and obstacles are important, but I also think it’s essential to have characters that people can relate to. I also tend to add humor and sarcasm to my writing, but that’s more a reflection on the author than the story, I think.

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Sharon Hughson: Relationships built on friendship rather than just attraction. Attraction can be fleeting but friendship deepens over time. This is why friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes.

The people already “love� each other and finally see each other in a new way.

Val Tobin: I'm fascinated with attraction and how romantic relationships evolve, which is why I include them in my books. I can't help creating characters who, when they meet, will be at a point in their lives where they're ready to meet "the one" whether or not they consciously are looking.

Jenn Nixon: Less formula romance plotting and more realistic "fights" and reasons for conflict.

With a story that isn't romance-driven, ways to add depth to the relationship is through circumstances (usually conflict-driven). If you watched the Bourne Identity movie or read the book then you've seen this in, literally, action. Bourne and Marie develop a romance while the bad guys try to hunt them down.

Stress and the prospect of death can make people turn to one another for comfort even if it's only physical comfort. This can lead to a relationship that transcends the unique situation that brought them together.

Melanie Smith: I would like to see romance authors take more time to develop their characters.

With so many amazing authors out there these days, I gravitate toward books that have depth.

Many romance novels skip the journey and jump right to love or intimacy. For me, the journey is the hook, the love, respect and relationship builds on that foundation.

Deryn Pittar: Real life situations. Hate narcissistic behavior - but not so realistic that I can't use a bit of fantasy or sci.fi. here and there.

When I was a teenager, I read Stephen King's novella "The Mist." In it (spoiler alert), the main character has sex with a woman not his wife while they're trapped in a supermarket. I was furious. How dare he cheat on his wife? He didn't know if she was alive or dead. How could he do this to her? A decent person would never do that. Stephen King later wrote about the blowback he received for that scene.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: Although it's fiction, I love realistic relationships. If the MCs are physically attracted and jump in bed right away or not depends on circumstances and in my first book, it happens. Their journey is different - but they reach the same goal - HEA.

When I wrote my first Valiant Chronicles story, my two main characters faced an almost similar situation. They were virtual strangers. Both were married and each had a recently murdered spouse.

Both had valid reasons for seeking physical comfort from the other person. Each questioned what happened between them, each experienced a level of guilt, but you can't unsleep with someone.

Romantic subplots weave their way into all kinds of genres. How do you add depth to those relationships without eclipsing the rest of the book? Conversely, when you are writing a romance with elements of other genres, how do you keep the relationship as the driving force, without the rest of the elements being reduced to background and set dressing?

Part of what makes them complex characters is their questioning of their actions after the fact.

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Another character in the same story only sought physical comfort. He never wanted anything deeper.

He's a love 'em and leave 'em guy: handsome, charming, and shallow. His obsession with UFOs and government conspiracies takes most of his focus when he's not working at his job. His arc was one of the most fun I've ever had, and how his relationships evolve was a romantic subplot that was woven into the backdrop of the main plot.

A couple of readers grew indignant after reading how quickly the two main characters slept together.

They refused to accept that someone in a long-term marriage would sleep with someone else so soon after a spouse's death. Just as I did when I was a teenager reading The Mist, they failed to take into account the extenuating circumstances and how they'd affect a person psychologically. As in the case of Stephen King's character in the Mist, my characters were facing death themselves. They were also cut off from everyone else they loved. Another reason touches on Stockholm Syndrome and yet another relates to reincarnation, which becomes clear later in the story.

Conversely, if romance drives the story, one way to keep the secondary genre moving along is, again, to weave it in in such a way that the characters deal with the mystery or whatever the subgenre is within the parameters of the romance. For example, I have three romances in Poison Pen, which is a howcatchem' murder mystery. The reader knows who the killer is--it's similar to the way the old Columbo series was where the suspense is in not knowing what the killer will do next or wondering how he'll be caught and if it'll be in time--but the characters don't know who the fox in the henhouse is.

How they solve the murder drives the story but in the meantime, the three main characters find love in unexpected places. The murder changes the dynamic of the relationships within the group and

introduces new relationships into their lives so that if it hadn't been for the death, likely none of them would've found love. How they cope with grief and loss, how they overcome their mental disorders, all drive the romantic relationships, but all with the hunt for the killer as the backdrop.

I love weaving romance into a nonromance and also creating an exciting story in a romance where characters build relationships despite their sometimes horrific challenges.

Sharon Hughson: I guess I shouldn’t even answer this since I already said I often see the romance as my “B” story (and all my published works are contemporary). The story problem needs to drive the characters together...even as it creates conflict between them. Most of this has to do with their own deepest desires and motivations. The key is knowing your characters and what their “healed self” looks like so the love interest can give that to them in the end. If you have that, even if the story doesn’t involve kissing and tons of romantic elements, a reader will applaud the characters being together in the end. After all, they rescued each other. Yes, both characters need a deep wound. Yes, they heal each other and in some way give their greatest dream fulfillment. (I’m a student of Susan May Warren’s Story Equation method of building characters, so if all this sounds like a foreign language, check it out.)

Jenn Nixon: I still fight the title "romance author" I feel like I write stories where two people just happen to have a romantic relationship. That's my preference as far as what I write and wish there was more of it to read. I'm pretty sure this is why some people say I'm not writing Romances with a capital R. I still call them Romances it's just that the other genre usually comes first. SciFi Romance, Paranormal Romance, Mystery Romance.

Sharon Hughson: Jenn, I would probably like them.

That’s what I write, too, only more like chick lit with a romantic angle.

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Melanie Smith: I have written straight romance where the relationship was the central theme, but most of my books have a relationship as a background element. I think, if you develop your characters, the romance will feel natural and enhance the main focus of the story, not detract from it. If the reader connects with the characters, they will root for a HEA while they get lost in the twists and turns of the story. That’s the beauty of romance, you can have the best of both worlds — complex obstacles, intrigue, and barriers along with love, tenderness, and respect.

If it's a romance with other elements, the MCs must be well developed to make them likeable and adding subplots should keep the reader interested. Use humor, mystery, or any other means to keep the reader turning the pages because they want to find out what happens to the MCs. Hannah Howe: Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael series is an excellent example of how romance can enhance a mystery. The reader or viewer cares for the central characters more because of the romantic element.

You want them to overcome the adversity so that they can be together. Because I mainly write series I can allow the relationship and romantic elements to develop over many books. Robert B Parker’s Spenser books are regarded by some as hard boiled mysteries. However, Spenser’s character and the series itself is reliant on the relationship aspect of the stories.

Deryn Pittar: I think the best way to keep the tension in the romantic element of a story is with layering. e.g. mentioning a locket or a ring that one of the characters wears and their constant rubbing of it, without saying why. OR featuring a scene or perhaps weather that makes them sad, without saying why, and with these subtle small hints (layering) throughout the story, the reasons are slowly revealed one by one, which adds to the characters personality. This keeps the reader engaged to find our the why's; the answers to the layering.

Deryn Pittar: Many books that are classified as literary fiction, contain elements of romance in them, yet to classify them as ''romance' would horrify their authors. Think Dan Brown's novels, Lee Childs too.

Every book Reacher arrives, finds a woman in distress, in the process of solving the problem he beds her, then leaves the scene. Publish, repeat, publish, repeat. Without the romantic element why would Reacher even bother to solve the problem? Just my opinion, but it annoys me how well known authors will deny there is anything romantic in their novels.

The romantic element is the glue that holds it all together.

Ginette Paquette-Gadbois: I'm not sure exactly how to answer. As a writer, once you determine what the message is, the reason why you are writing a particular story, you concentrate on that objective.

T.E. Hodden trained in engineering and works in a specialized role in the transport industry. He is a life long fan of comic books, science fiction, myths, legends, and history. In the past he has contributed to podcasts, blogs, and anthologies.

Discover more on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/t-e-hodden/

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Classic TV

by Hannah Howe Created by Richard Levinson and William Link, Columbo is one of the most popular of all television detective shows and is a classic example of the inverted detective story. From the outset the murderer is known to the viewer so the delight comes from watching Columbo as he wears down his prime suspect. This suspect is usually rich, influential and believes that he is smarter than Columbo. However, over the course of the programme Columbo first annoys then breaks down the murderer’s alibi, discovering a vital clue, which is often something minor.

The murderer, the guest star in the series, was played by a number of leading actors, including Gene Barry, John Cassavetes, Anne Baxter, Dick van Dyke and Robert Vaughn. Some actors – Robert Culp, Jack Cassidy and Patrick McGoohan – appeared, as different characters, many times in the series and Patrick McGoohan also directed a number of episodes.

written by Steven Bochco and directed by Steven Spielberg.

Columbo alternated with McMillan and Wife and McCloud in a Mystery Movie series, though Columbo was by far the most popular of the three. Seeking to capitalize on its success, NBC considered a weekly series.

However, Peter Falk sensed that overexposure would kill the series and refused to play ball. His wisdom ensured that the series retained its integrity and that production standards remained high.

Columbo first appeared in The Chevy Mystery Show in 1961 in an episode called ‘Enough Rope’ where the detective was played by Ben Freed. That episode was adapted for the stage as Prescription: Murder, which opened on the 15th January 1962 in San Francisco with Thomas Mitchell as Columbo. The play was adapted for television in 1968 with Lee J. Cobb and Bing Crosby favoured for the role of Columbo. However, neither actor was available and, although initially considered too young, Peter Falk landed the part.

The show ran for seven seasons, until May 1978, and was resurrected in 1989. Over these series Peter Falk was Columbo with his shabby raincoat – the actor’s own – a battered car and a sad-looking basset hound. Seemingly bumbling and ineffectual, apologetic, with always one more

Three years later NBC commissioned a second pilot, ‘Ransom for a Dead Man’ and the series proper started in September 1971 with ‘Murder by the Book’, an episode - 30 -

question up his sleeve, Columbo’s persona concealed a sharp, perceptive, analytical mind. Peter Falk was born to play the part and he made it his own.

Columbo developed into an affable, friendly character, a man you would welcome as a friend. However, in the 1968 pilot and stageplay, Prescription: Murder, Columbo had a harder edge and would often become angry. That anger appeared occasionally in later episodes, but was always well placed and effective. Humour also played a big part in the series, though the jokes worked best when they flowed naturally, rather than when the writers made Columbo behave like a clown, for a clown he certainly was not.

Constant references to Mrs Columbo, the detective’s wife, whom we never see, provided an in-joke to the series. Ill-advised, the producers gave Mrs Columbo a series of her own. Starring Kate Mulgrew as a newspaper reporter, that series commenced in February 1979 and ran for thirteen episodes. However, after only five episodes the producers recognized their error and dropped all references to Mrs Columbo. Instead Kate became Kate Callahan, but by then the series was lost.

Many quality detective series have been made over the years, but surely Columbo must rank in the all-time top five.

Hannah Howe is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann's War Mystery Series and the #1 international bestseller Saving Grace. Hannah's books are published by Goylake Publishing and distributed through Gardners Books to over 300 outlets worldwide. Her books are available in print, as eBooks and audiobooks, and are being translated into ten languages. Discover more on Mom's Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe

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Contributions by Hannah Howe

If the shoe fits...buy a pair in every colour!

The recent fashion for gold lamé pixie boots was absolutely ridiculous. I’m so glad granddad has stopped wearing them.

My little boy put his shoes on all by himself, but I realised that he’d mixed them up. “Sweetie,” I said, “your shoes are on the wrong feet.” My little boy looked at me and cried, “But Mommy, these are the only feet I’ve got!”

If high heels are so wonderful, how come you don’t see men wearing them?

My uncle tried to produce ready-made fur coats - he crossed a gorilla with a mink. He succeeded, but abandoned the idea - the sleeves were too long.

My husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” I said, “but since you’re asking I’d love something with diamonds.” So he bought me a pack of playing cards.

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Good Deeds Do You Good

by Sylva Fae 2. Plant a tree – one tree won’t save the ozone layer, but if each person was to plant a tree, it would make a difference. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, why not donate to one of the many charities, and have a tree planted in your name?

3. 3. Donate to food banks – if you don’t know where your local food bank is, most supermarkets tend to have a box near the checkout. Next time you shop, buy a couple of extra items and drop them in the box – every little helps!

4. 4. Shop locally – help your community rather than big corporations. Have your milk delivered by a local milkman, buy your veggies from the local farm shop / grocery…. You’ll get fresher produce, less unnecessary packaging that is harmful to the environment, and it boosts the local economy.

5. 5. Pay it forward (literally) - next time you buy in a cafe, pay for a coffee /snack for the next person.

Put a smile on someone's face.

6. 6. Write a thank you note /email - celebrate good service rather than just complaining about poor service. We’re quick to complain, but how often do you take the time to give thanks? It could simply make someone’s day, or gain them a commendation from the boss.

7. 7. Help the elderly – something as simple as a friendly face and a chat can make someone’s day.

Or go one step further and volunteer in a retirement home.

8. 8. Put your loose change in collection buckets – it may not seem like much but every little bit helps.

9. 9. Help a neighbour – shovel snow from their drive, mow a lawn while you have your own mower out, offer to babysit so they can have a break….

10. 10. Smile – yes, a simple smile lifts the spirits, and it’s infectious!

At the start of the new year, we are all full of renewed vigour and wishes for a fresh start. Good deeds are a great way to make a positive change to your year. It has also been proven that not only does a good deed make somebody else feel great, it has some great benefits on your own body too….

The Sciencey Bit Doing good deeds increases oxytocin and serotonin – two feel-good hormones. Oxytocin can lower blood pressure and improve the health of our heart, as well as increasing self-esteem and confidence.

Serotonin will calm you down and make you feel much happier.

Doing good deeds decreases stress, pain and anxiety. Kind people tend to have considerably less of the stress hormone cortisol. While engaging in acts of kindness, you produce more endorphins; your body’s natural painkiller!

Ten Good Deeds for the New Year 1. Litter picking – next time you go for a stroll in the

countryside, or along a beach, take a bag and collect litter! Simple, but for every piece of plastic you remove, it’s one less piece that will end up in the ocean, and it makes the countryside a safer place for wildlife.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator.

Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/ - 33 -

January

by Poppy Flynn January is one of the new months of the modern calendar. In the original Latin it was called Ianuarius and it was named after ‘Janus’, the roman god of doors and gates, the modern analogy being that of beginnings and transitions; the ‘door’ to the new year.

One has to wonder, however, if this is purely coincidence, since originally the months of January and February were added to the end of the year, with March being the first month of the calendar.

The original Roman calendar consisted of 10 months which tallied 304 days. At this time winter was considered to be a month-less period. It is supposed that King Numa Pompilius, the successor of Romulus added the two winter months in order that the calendar covered a standard lunar year consisting of 354 days in around 713 BC

office two months and a half before the legal time" which would have been March 15th.

The earliest recording of the celebration of a new year is thought to have been on March 25th, circa 2000 BC, in Mesopotamia.

The months originated in order to give people a defined way of marking time and break the year into shorter periods. They were originally based synodic or lunar months and followed the length of time it took for the moon to travel through all of its phases. In fact, even the word month is derived from the word moon.

To this day, other countries and religions still celebrate the new year at different times, the most well known being the Chinese New Year which begins at the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February,

At this time January had less days than it does today. The extra were added by Julius Ceasar in 46 BCE during the Julian calendar reform.

The zodiac signs for the month of January are Capricorn, up until January 19th, followed by Aquarius.

It is thought that January became the first month of the year under either King Numa, or later on, in 450 BC, under the Decemvirs, one of the ten man commissions established by the Roman Republic. Roman writers diifer in their opinion on this point.

According to Theodor Mommsen, a German classical historian, and one of the leading experts in Roman history, January 1st became the first day of the year in 153 BC because disasters in the Lusitanian war meant that the Romans wanted to send an envoy to Hispania and in order to increase speed the dispatch of aid, "they even made the new consuls enter into - 34 -

The flowers associated with January's are the carnation and snowdrop and the birthstone is the garnet, which is s thought to keep the wearer safe during travel.

Notable historical events during January include the creation of The United Kingdom, with the inclusion of Ireland, in 1801, the founding of the republic of China in 1912 and in 1919 the League of Nations was founded.

In1972, Margrethe II of Denmark became the first Danish Queen since 1412 and in 2009 Barrack Obama became the first African American president of the USA. In 1694 King Charles I of England was executed, Louis XVI of France was executed by the guillotine in 1793 and in 1801, Queen Victoria of England died aged 81.

In 2010 the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai and in 1863 the first section of the London Underground was opened.

In 1915 the Avezzano earthquake in Italy killed almost 30,000 people and over 6000 people were killed in 1995 when the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck Kobe in Japan.

Galileo made the discovery of four of Jupiters moons, Io, Callisto, Ganymede and Europa in 1610 and in 1968 Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module but it is almost fifty years later, in 1986, before Voyager 2 flies past Uranus.

Poppy Flynn was born in Buckinghamshire, UK and moved to Wales at eight years old with parents who wanted to live the 'self-sufficiency' lifestyle. Today she still lives in rural Wales and is married with six children. Poppy's love of reading and writing stemmed from her parents' encouragement and the fact that they didn't have a television in the house. "When you're surrounded by fields, cows and sheep, no neighbors, no TV and the closest tiny village is four miles away, there's a certain limit to your options, but with books your adventures and your horizons are endless." Discover more about Poppy on Mom's Favorite Reads website:

https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/poppy-flynn

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Poem

by Stan Phillips

High winter now, and the trees wear the cold like a shroud.

And, in that small moment of infinite patience, I see the dwelling place of all eternity.

The leaves hang despondent, lonely for the summer sunshine.

Another few days and the nights grow shorter.

But no breath of wind disturbs them this day as I peer through my window.

Another few days and life begins to grow again.

All is cold

Constant rebirth.

All is still

Turn and turn about of the passing seasons is where the magic is.

All is waiting

As the leaves begin to smile again.

Stan Phillips 2019(C)

Stan Phillips is an 80 year old poet, musical podcast maker, part-time wannabe male model, and occasional stand up comedian. “I used to be a psychotherapist/counsellor when I had an honest job. I was born into prewar London, and attended 17 schools (my father believed they couldn’t hit a moving target) and I eventually finished up here in Ireland. Still wondering what I will be when I grow up — but enjoying writing my quirky poetry as I do so.”

Discover more about Stan on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips - 36 -

The Winter Solstice

by Cherime MacFarlane It’s gray and stays that way until it gets cold.

When the weather clears, and the sky is blue, expect the temperature to drop. The end of November and most of December are difficult for some people to live with. Not only can it get cold, but daylight is short.

Last year I tried taking the garbage can up with boots on and cleats. No go, I fell at least twice on the upper driveway, the one in the picture and once on the lower drive which isn’t quite so steep. Any grade at all when the thing is a sheet of ice doesn’t work.

How short? Sunrise is at about 9:00 and sets at close to 4:00. But to Alaskans who have been here for a long time or are part of the elite born here, we know the Winter Solstice is near. From that point on, it’s all uphill.

But this year I have a plan. The garbage in bags goes in the back of the truck as does the can. I put the truck in four-wheel drive and up to the feeder road I go. I unload the can, put the garbage in it and move the whole thing to the side of the road. Drivers passing by ignore that kind of thing. Strange things happen in the land of the midnight sun.

For me, the glass is truly half-full, and winter is on the way out the minute we gain a few seconds of daylight. Conversely, this knowledge puts me in the position of understanding once the Summer Solstice rolls around, it’s fall in the north. I have noticed how the leaves start to fall a few weeks after the half-way mark in summer.

The delivery truck when they bring fuel oil in winter parks out on the road, runs the hose down here and pumps fuel into the tank. If they got the big tanker truck down in here, it would take a massive tow truck to pull it out. What’s no big deal in summer can become a huge one in winter.

Winter usually holds no terrors for me, I don’t live in eastern Alaska now where it gets cold, very cold. I’m ready to begin hibernation come November.

I’ve got books to write, Christmas presents to make and lots to keep me occupied while indoors.

We’re close. By the time Christmas arrives, we will gain daylight, and it’s only a matter of time until the ice melts, the air warms and spring is here.

Spring, I’m looking forward to leaving the door open all day and watching the trees explode into bright green. It won’t be long. The Solstice is only a few days away.

I try to get out in winter, but that depends on the weather. I don’t mind snow; ice is another story all together. Last year we had a lot of ice when it got warm and the snow melted. At the top of the driveway is where I must take the garbage can if I want it picked up.

Cherime MacFarlane is an award-wining, bestselling, prolific multi-genre author. She has a broad range of interests that reflect her been there– done that life. Discover more about Cherime on the Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/cherime-macfarlane/

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Postcards from Spain Lily Margaret Powell

by Hannah Howe The Welsh nurses who helped in the fight against fascism all performed with great distinction, not least Lily Margaret Powell who was outstanding.

Indeed, the Spanish government in exile created her a Dame of the Order of Loyalty to the Spanish Republic for her ‘valiant action as a nurse, for her faith, self-sacrifice and devotion to our wounded and to our war victims’.

Margaret Powell served as a nurse on the frontline. During the winter of 1937-8 she was at the bitter battles of Aragon. That winter was particularly severe and the wounded often froze to death before they could receive medical aid.

With life-saving medication in short supply Margaret, aged twenty-five, had to triage the wounded and decide who could be saved. Major operations were conducted without anaesthetics, often in light provided by cigarette lighters.

The daughter of a farmer at Cym Farm, Llangenny, Lily Margaret Powell was born on 26th March 1913.

One of nine children, she attended the local school, leaving home aged sixteen to train as a nurse in the depressed areas of Essex, St Giles’ Camberwell, and St Olave’s Rotherhithe. Her three sisters also trained as nurses. Margaret worked in a tuberculosis hospital and later qualified as a midwife.

The medical teams – often comprising a Spanish doctor, nurses of many nationalities, and local girls trained as nurse aides – moved at a moment’s notice. They set up operating theatres in caves, barns, stables, a disused slaughter-house, abandoned manor houses, and a ruined medieval castle.

While training as a midwife, Margaret volunteered to nurse in Spain as part of the British Medical Unit organised by the Spanish Medical Aid Committee.

However, she was advised to complete her training before arriving in Spain early in 1937.

Margaret in later life receiving her award, a Dame of the Order of Loyalty to the Spanish Republic, from the Spanish government in exile

Margaret assisted in thousands of operations.

Often, she worked seventy-two hour shifts. She stated that she was proud that during a particularly intense offensive her team did not lose a man to post-operative septicaemia, or a single piece of the

Margaret, back row left, Aragon May 1937

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Margaret Powell, second left, and her medical team in Spain

Margaret at Barcelona Hospital Number 7 with, standing, Dr Gonzalo Aguilo Mercarder in 1938

precious surgical equipment sent from supporters in Britain.

Thankfully, after three weeks, she was rescued by a team of Quakers.

After the war, Margaret recalled an incident that remained with her for the rest of her life. “I didn’t know who to let die first. I started to look after an older man, but he made me see to a younger man across the room. I proceeded to do this and as I held up the container of blood for a transfusion, I saw the older man die. The young one screamed – they were brothers.”

After the war, Margaret married International Brigadier Sam Lesser, who wrote as Sam Russell for several publications. Margaret met Sam when he was on leave in Barcelona and she was recovering from a broken leg. They had one child, a daughter.

During occasional lulls in the fighting Margaret Powell’s team helped the people of Aragon with general health care. As the fascist forces closed in and bombs fell, Margaret was transferred to Barcelona, where she worked in several hospitals.

In January 1939, Margaret was the last British International Brigade nurse to leave Spain. She lost her passport amidst the chaos of the retreat into France and was imprisoned with 70,000 Spanish refugees in beach enclosures at Argeles-sur-Mer in appalling conditions without any facilities.

During the Second World War, Margaret served in Egypt where she cared for Yugoslav partisans’ families in the UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration) El Shatt desert camp. In 1946, she transferred to the American zone of Germany where she worked at the displaced persons camps of Amberg and Coburg. At these camps she met Jewish teenagers, survivors of the concentration camps, a number of whom committed suicide. These experiences remained with Margaret for the rest of her life.

Margaret died in November 1990, aged 77.

Hannah Howe is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann's War Mystery Series and the #1 international bestseller Saving Grace. Hannah's books are published by Goylake Publishing and distributed through Gardners Books to over 300 outlets worldwide. Her books are available in print, as eBooks and audiobooks, and are being translated into ten languages. Discover more on Mom's Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe

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Making A Survachka

By Ronesa Aveela Many Bulgarian families get together during the winter holidays. This is a time for young and old to form bonds. While children make a survachka, grandparents enjoy giving instructions and explaining the meaning of each item. For children, it’s a time to express their creativity. Here’s what you need to know to make your own survachka. (From Light Love Rituals: Bulgarian Myths, Legends, and Folklore.)

WHAT YOU NEED Branch from cornel wood tree or any other tree Colorful yarn (preferably earth colors: red, green, orange, yellow, and brown) Unbuttered, popped popcorn Dried fruit A round pretzel or a small bagel A pair of scissors

Add Decorations * Popcorn: Make a bowl of popcorn and thread the pieces onto a length of red yarn using a needle. Place as many strings as you want on the survachka. * Dried Fruit: Thread some dried fruit the same way as you did the popcorn, and tie it to the survachka.

Cranberries, apricots, and raisins add a decorative touch. * Bagel or Pretzel: Tie a mini bagel or a small twisted pretzel to the survachka.

To make your own bagels: Mix together 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, and 1 Tablespoon salt to create the dough.

Add more flour or water if needed. Shape small bagels and bake them at 375˚F (190˚C) for about 20 minutes until they are golden. These are hard and are not suitable for eating; use only as decorations.

INSTRUCTIONS Tie the Branch • Trim the base branch of leaves and extra twigs so the main limb has a branch coming off each side at the same point, about in the middle (like a plus sign).

• Select a strand of red or multicolor yarn and tie together the two small branches to form either a heart shape or a round shape (will form a ф). If the branches are thin and short, make a round shape.

• Starting from the bottom, wind the yarn around the base branch.

• Wind the yarn around the side branches.

Ask your kids to help and use other decorations: Chinese coins, pompons, or artificial flowers.

“Surva Surva New Year! A lot of health and happiness!”

Ronesa Aveela is “the creative power of two.” Two authors that is. The main force behind the work, the creative genius, was born in Bulgaria and moved to the US in the 1990’s. She grew up with stories of wild Samodivii, Kikimora, the dragons Zmey and Lamia, Baba Yaga, and much more. She’s a freelance artist and writer. She likes writing mystery romance inspired by legends and tales. In her free time, she paints. Her artistic interests include the femal figure, Greek and Thracian mythology, folklore tales, and the natural world interpreted through her eyes. She is married and has two children.

Her writing partner was born and raised in the New England area. She has a background in writing and editing, as well as having a love of all things from different cultures. Together, the two make up the writing of Ronesa Aveela.

https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/ronesa-aveela - 40 -

Coming Back Strong

by Keith Guernsey It was early 1995 and my girlfriend at the time was complaining that I was having trouble hearing her. I made light of it by telling her I didn't want to be interrupted watching my beloved Pats to do my household chores (which those who know me will tell you I'm lousy at anyways!) Fortunately, she persisted and the bad news was about to get worse. After many rounds of tests, it was determined that I had a benign brain tumor called an Acoustic Neuroma on my eighth cranial nerve (left side). I had no idea what any of this medical mumbo jumbo meant, but I knew it wasn't good. After the first several rounds of tests proved inconclusive, my doctor told me that I needed any MRI to see what was really going on. I had never had one but with all the negative things that I heard about this test I knew it would not be a lot of fun. I remember driving down 93 south to Stoneham to see what fate had in store for me.Little did I know that what was about to happen was worse than I ever could have imagined! The very pleasant young technician pointed to a long, cylindrical (and very confining!) tube and said "just hop up on this table and slide on in. She said you have to hold yourself perfectly still while you hear a constant loud banging. I asked her how long I would have to do this and she said 45 minutes. My answer was along the lines of "you are not going to put this big body in that little tube for 45 seconds, , never mind 45 minutes. I didn't realize how claustrophobic

I had become over the years but just knew this was not going to happen. I jumped up, thanked her for trying and flew out the door. I called my doctor to report back that it was not going to happen and she said we had one more option (a CT scan), but if that didn't work I have to have an MRI. She say that I could take a valium to get me through and I told her that it would have to be as big bad her head for me to even think about it! Fortunately the scan was conclusive and its was time to cowboy up (thank you Kevin Millar) for the biggest challenge of my #life.

It didn't dawn on me just how serious this was until the intake nurse started asking questions for the power of attorney form. Dad was with me for moral support which I found very comforting until I turned to him and saw the panic stricken look on his face.

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We completed the paperwork in stone-cold silence and off I went to be prepped (?) for surgery. Fortunately (?) it was quick, painless until the drugs kicked in and I was off to la la land.

Then next thing I remember is waking up to the very relieved faces of Mom, Dad and Michele. It felt like I had just taken any extremely long nap when in reality it was 10 hours of excruciatingly detailed brain surgery. I was very fortunate to have what I consider to be the best neurological team in the world. It all seemed so simple when I jogged out the front door of BWH five days later, thinking (naively it turns out!) that the worst was behind me. Six weeks passed, I went back to work at Cahners and even decided to dip my toe back into the dating pool. I did so with a tremendous amount of skepticism and trepidation but it turned out to be far and away the best decision of my life!

news was not good. It turns out that while they had removed the entire tumor they had not killed off the surrounding tumor cells and it had grown back with a vengeance.

I wasn't up for a second surgery (who is?) so I decided to explore my options.

I asked my autoneurologist (?) Dr. David Vernick (part of my surgical team) what would happen if I decided not to have the surgery.

His response was very simply, "you will die" ( thanks for your candor Dr. V!) Kinda makes the decision for you, don’t you think? I decided to go ahead with the surgery and was truly blessed to have arguably the best neurosurgeon heading up my team. Dr. Peter Black was truly the best of the best. The twelve hour surgery went fine but the recovery not so much! While bringing me out of the anesthesia, they misjudged my body weight (hard to do in hospital full of scales) and I sprang up into a sitting position. At this point, I began tearing all the tubes and wires out of my arms and chest. There were fluids and blood everywhere.

To this day, I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't answered Susan's personal in the local newspaper. We talked on the phone (I left out the bad stuff!), and we agreed to meet for dinner. We had e great meal and agreed to do it again soon. Reality (not to mention work and travel) intruded and we didn't see each other until Labor Day weekend.

We had a wonderful weekend fell in like, fell in love, moved in together and have lived happily ever after for 22 glorious years (and counting!).

But I'm getting ahead of myself and it wasn't destined to be quite that easy. Shortly after we we began living together I went back in for what I thought was a routine follow up MRI. When Dr. Black came out after checking the results with a frown on his face, I knew the

It was it this inopportune moment that Mom decide she just had to see her “little baby boy”.

The nurses tried to explain to her that this was the worst possible time for a visit, but she persisted (we Guernsey’s are a determined bunch!)

She was cautioned that it was not a pretty sight but came in for a brief visit totally unprepared for what she was about to see. I don’t remember that but I do remember being bound and restrained (hands and feet) so that they could put the tubes back in and bring me out of the anesthesia properly this time. Skipping ahead five days, I jogged out of the hospital entrance - 42 -

fully prepared to resume life!

Aside from the permanent hearing loss in my left ear, I felt great and was ready to get back to a job that I loved (ad sales at Cahners).

Shortly after that my life took an amazing turn, when I met my soul mate. Susan and I met through a personal ad in the local newspaper (yes kids they did have those before match and eHarmony). We began dating seriously and then moved in together.

It was time to commit to what has become a 20 year return to good health. Someone much wiser than I ( which actually encompasses a lot of people!), once said "slow and steady wins the race". I took that advice and slowly began to re-shape my thinking and eating habits.

Shortly thereafter it was determined that my tumor had returned with a vengeance.

It was time (in early 1997) for surgery number two. Sure was a heckuva birthday present!

This one was more complex since they not only had to remove the tumor but scrape around it to remove the remaining tumor cells. The resulting headaches prevented me from sitting, standing or lying down. All I was able to do was drown my sorrows in comfort food. I ate and ate until I resembled a cross between the Goodyear Blimp and the Michelin Man.

I am proud to say that with the help of Susan's cooking healthy meals and many hours in the gym, I have reached my high school football playing weight 47 years after playing my last game!

My new goal is to reach the age of 95 so that I can dance with my lovely bride on our 50th wedding anniversary!

It was then that Susan sat me down and explained that the four food groups were not Pizza, Chinese food, Bud Light and Ben and Jerrys.

For more, please visit us on the web at; https://amzn.com/153338763X

Keith D. Guernsey is retired and living on Lake Lanier with his lovely wife Susan and his four-footed son Harley (who really is the king of this castle!) thegurns2005@yahoo.com witter=@thegurns https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Keith-D-Guernsey/e/B00PR51Q7Y

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Eponyms

by Millie Slavidou What is an eponym?

His persistence paid off, and in 1800, he invented the world’s first battery, known as the ‘voltaic pile’.

An eponym is a word that has been formed by taking someone's name and using it to refer to something that the particular person is associated with. Frequently, we use the person's surname for this, and it is interesting to note that the word 'eponymo' means 'surname' in modern Greek. Here we shall look at two such words, two eponyms, that are used in English, and at the people they came from.

The Voltaic Pile This was simple but ingenious. It consisted of a pile of zinc and silver discs. But alternating between them was a piece of cardboard, or a piece of cloth, that had been soaked in saltwater.

There was a wire that connected the zinc disc on the bottom to the silver disc on the top, and this wire was capable of producing sparks.

Alessandro Volta When we talk about electric batteries, we often talk about voltage. But did you know that this word is named after the person who invented the first electric battery? First, let’s take a look at what a volt is, and then we’ll find out more about the man who gave the ‘volt’ its name.

What else Did Volta Invent?

The invention of the first electric battery brought Volta the most fame and recognition, but he also made other discoveries. He invented the electrophorus, a device that could transfer an electrical charge to other objects, as well as an electrical condensor, and the voltaic cell.

He is also known for having discovered and isolated methane gas. After his death, the volt and voltage were named in his memory.

What is a Volt?

A volt is defined as a unit of electric potential and electromotive force, and voltage refers to the number of those units. That sounds a lot more complicated than it is! If you think of the water in a tap being like the electricity running through a wire, the voltage means the amount of pressure.

What about Galvani?

Yet there is one more twist to the tale. Volta’s longstanding colleague Galvani of the animal electricity theory also left his name in our language. When we say ‘galvanise’ or ‘galvanism’, that is where it comes from.

Why are Volts Called Volts?

The term actually comes from a name, or rather a surname, to be precise. It was coined in honour of Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who is recognised as the inventor of the first electric battery. During the 1790s, Volta worked on the theories of electricity of the day.

Despite their differing theories, there was no rivalry between the two scientists. They were both more concerned with the pursuit of knowledge than with whose theory would prove to be right, and it was Volta himself who first coined the word ‘galvanismo’ in Italian, that later also crept into English.

Volta disagreed with the theory proposed by fellow Italian scientist Galvani that electricity was generated by animal tissue. Instead of experimenting on frogs or other animals, Volta did experiment after experiment with metals.

Millie Slavidou, author of the Lucy Evans Instaexplorer adventure series for preteens, featuring little snippets of language, and Sparky, a first chapter book for early readers.

Discover more about Millie on the Mom's Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/millie-slavidou - 45 -

Inspiration from the Forest

by Sylva Fae Thinking about my New Year resolutions, it seems only fitting to look to the trees for inspiration. I love all trees; some are special features in my garden and some mark different memories of my woodland. All of them have their own unique character so it’s no surprise they each hold some symbolic meaning and represent a feeling, attribute or essence.

Alder Endurance ∗ Passion

With three growing girls, our energies are taken up dealing with the needs, demands and wants of our little ones. Sometimes it feels like we have become solely parents. Now our children are growing more independent of us, I would like to draw upon the alder’s endurance in managing my parental duties to allow some adult time to creep back in. This one is for my husband, let 2020 be a year of passion!

Willow Imagination ∗ Vision

Being a parent means you get to experience life again through the innocence and awe of young children. I love their imagination and vision. Listening unobserved to their play, watching them transform the most mundane of objects into magical worlds is inspiring and a reminder of what really matters. This one is for my little saplings; I vow to listen more and take inspiration from your untarnished wisdom. I also want to take the time to cherish every hug, cuddle, kiss and ‘I love you’.

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Rowan Expression ∗ Connection

Oak Strength ∗ Stability

We have an old oak on the edge of our wood; it marks the entrance to the secret field, and is the start of many adventures. For me the strength and stability of the oak symbolises our tight little family unit – together we are strong. I’m happy in my woods but I’m even happier still when we’re all there together to enjoy adventures as a family.

Here’s to more family outings and the new adventures that 2020 will bring.

I am blessed to have a group of friends who share our love of the outdoors; those who have seen our little woodland paradise grow and shared many laughs at our children’s muddy antics. I also help run a bushcraft and wild camping group - it's a fantastic forum to learn traditional skills that are being lost in this modern age. The woods give our children the chance to run wild, to express themselves freely and connect with nature, but also a place for us to learn new skills. I endeavour to create many more adventures for my Woodland Warriors in 2020 and create opportunities to connect with my bushcrafty friends.

Apple Love ∗ Generosity

This is about extended family, watching the relationships grow between our girls and their cousins; watching the special bonds between aunties, uncles and their rascal nieces grow strong. It is about having a special Nana who spoils them rotten and believes they are little angels who can do no wrong.

Our extended family is spread over England, Wales and as far as Canada, but each one is so important in our girls’ lives. I hope 2020 will give us more opportunities to get together.

Holly Action ∗ Protection

It’s been a hard year financially. My husband works tirelessly, while I juggle Mum duties and creating children’s picture books. But work provides the stability and protection we need to have a happy family life and I’m thankful my husband has a good job. I’m also blessed with fabulous writer friends who keep me sane when it all gets a bit crazy. This year I want to take positive action to make my writing hobby a career, and hopefully remove some of the pressure from my husband.

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Silver Birch Beginning ∗ Renewal

The silver birch has always been a magical tree for me; I once bought one for my husband as a birthday present and it now grows strong outside his window. It seems quite fitting that it should represent new beginnings and renewal so as we wave goodbye to 2019, I would like to bring in the New Year with peace, hope and a little silver birch magic.

Hazel Creativity ∗ Inspiration

2019 will always be special as I joined the Mom’s Favorite Reads editorial team. Being part of this creative group of writers and artists has given me purpose and confidence as a writer, enhanced my creativity, and inspired me to improve. I am amazed by the friendships that have developed in this strange cyber world but also, I am thankful for the understanding and support of the friends who I’ve never even met in real life. I get most of my writing inspiration from being in our woods, so for 2020, I wish for more opportunities to gather inspiration woodland style, to fuel my stories and magazine articles. And hopefully, my words will inspire readers.

Do you set strict New Year resolutions, or like me, do you have general hopes and wishes? However you start your year, I wish you the sentiments of the trees – imagination, vision, endurance, passion, strength, stability, love, generosity, expression, connection, action, protection, creativity, inspiration, and a fresh new beginning for a happy life.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator.

Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/

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Brought to you by...

The August issue of Connections eMagazine is dedicated to the winners of our annual Reader’s Choice Awards. We had some amazing books from some talented authors. I hope you will take a minute to check them out.

Marketing seems to be one of those areas that every author struggles with. It’s the same struggle companies world-wide have been dealing with for decades. How do I get my product in front of my target audience? Connections eMagazine can help. The publication is free to readers, bloggers and to authors looking for a little extra exposure.

Visit our website for details. https://melaniepsmith.com/ https://melaniepsmith.com/emagazine/

Connections eMagazine is a FREE quarterly publication founded by authors Melanie P. Smith and Rhoda D’Ettore. It is currently produced entirely by Editor, Melanie P. Smith. Over the years, the magazine has evolved, and it now features promos, freebies, blog articles, and short stories in every issue.

Discover more about Connections eMagazine on their website here: https://melaniepsmith.com/emagazine-landing/ - 49 -

Editor In Chief—Hannah Howe The Editor-in-Chief is the key figure in every publication. Hannah Howe works closely with the editorial staff to ensure the success of each publication. She is the author of the Sam Smith Mystery Series, the Ann’s War Mystery Series and Saving Grace. Get to know more about Hannah, her projects and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/hannah-howe/

Executive Editor | Graphic Designer—Melanie P. Smith The Executive Editor / Graphic Designer is responsible for developing the layout and design of MFR eMagazine. In addition to the editorial staff of Mom’s Favorite Reads, Melanie P. Smith also produces Connections eMagazine. She is a multi-genre author of Criminal Suspense, Police Procedural, Paranormal and Romance novels. Get to know more about Melanie, her projects and her work on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/melanie-p-smith/

Managing Editor—Ronesa Aveela & Denise McCabe Our Managing Editors oversee the physical content of the magazine and coordinates the production schedule. There are two Managing Editors for Mom’s Favorite Reads; Ronesa Aveela and Denise McCabe. Get to know our Managing Editor’s on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: Ronesa Aveela— A freelance artist and author of mystery romance inspired by legends and tales. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/ronesa-aveela/

Denise McCabe— A children's book author and blogger. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/denise-mccabe/

Cover Designer—Nicole Lavoie Our Cover Designer works closely with Mom’s editorial staff to create a design that captures the essence of the each publication. Nicole Lavoie developed the initial layout for MRF eMagazine,. She specializes in book layout and design with an emphasis in Children’s books. Get to know more about Just Saying Dezigns on their website here: https://justsayingdezigns.com/

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Art Director—Sylva Fae, Kelly Artieri and Christine Ardigo Our Art directors are responsible for organization and commission of all the art work that will be included in the publication We are lucky enough to have three talented and creative individuals who work hard behind the scenes to make our magazine creative and professional Get to know our Art Director’s on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: Sylva Fae—Mum of three, fairy woodland owner, and author of children’s books. Sylva is also the Copy Editor / Proofreader for our magazine. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/

Kelly Artieri— Western New Yorker, lover of animals (especially dogs) and author. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/kelly-artieri/

Christine Ardigo— Registered Diatrician/ Personal Trainer and author of contemporary romance novels https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/christine-ardigo/

Feature Editor—T.E, Hodden As Feature Editor T.E. Hodden works diligently to provide content that is interesting, informative and professional. He is a trained engineer and a life-long fan of comic books, Sci-Fi, myths, legends and history. Get to know more about TE Hodden on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/t-e-hodden/

Marketing Director—Grant Leishman Our Marketing Director, Grant Leishman, oversees marketing campaigns and social media engagement for our magazine. After an exciting career in accounting and journalism, he now focuses on his true calling—writing. Get to know more about Grant on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/grant-leishman/

Content Editors—Rachael Wright, Poppy Flynn, Elizabeth Hull and Kate Robinson Our Content Editors are responsible for acquiring articles, short stories, etc for the eMagazine. We have four content editros who work hard to make our magazine interesting and professional. Get to know our Content Editor’s on Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: Rachael Wright—Journalist and author. Believes in Big Ideas, Helping Others and Soulful Conversations https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/rachael-wright/

Poppy Flynn— Mother of six, lover or readring and author of Romance, Erotica and Contemporary novels. https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/poppy-flynn/

Elizabeth Hull— Blogger and author (CN Lesley) of Fantasy and Science Fiction books https://cnlesley.com/

Discover more amazing authors… https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/ - 51 -

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