Eclipse by Richard North Patterson

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever read a book that caused you sleepless nights after reading it? Every once in a while I’ll pick up one that has me tossing and turning with thoughts of it piercing my mind.

Just recently, I read Eclipse by Richard North Patterson, one of my favorite authors. His story has been in my head ever sense. Patterson drew me in gently, and then without warning he possessed my mind, pierced my conscience while shattering my heart. This is a story of man’s inhumanity to humanity. This story is about our dependence on oil and the monster it has created because of greed.

It’s about a gentle man who wants peace and environmental rights for his people, and he is willing to stand up for them at the cost of his life and others around him. Eclipse is a sad story, but there is hope in it along with a most certain fatalism.

Even though Eclipse is a work of fiction the origin for this story is Nigeria fifteen years ago when an environmental and human rights activist was hung by a corrupt dictator. The corruption, including oil bunkering, still goes on today in the Niger Delta and the environmental despoliation has continued. Patterson simplified the law for the lay persons like you and me, and it was easy for me to read and understand what went on during that period.

How much blame we must shoulder in the Western hemisphere is up to each individual. Myself, I believe our reliance on oil and all other oil dependent countries have created these fiends. My judgment is we should not buy oil from a country where the people don’t reap the benefits, but a corrupt government does. The ethnic group who lives in the Niger Delta is being murdered on a daily basis. It’s genocide pure and simple, and the land is without any law controlled by the lawless.

There is a love story in this story and Patterson weaves it in magnificently. He is a master storyteller who has managed to weave both fact and fiction throughout Eclipse. I recommend this book to both men and women to read. Just remember you may never get the descriptions out of your mind.

We as a people need to know that the basic human rights that we all take for granted have to be fought for, and if we ever stop fighting for them we’ll lose them. Nigeria is still fighting, but with a corrupt government it is an uphill battle.

After reading Eclipse I felt horrible shame for all we have at the expense of others. Do we really have that right? It’s a good question for all of us to ask of ourselves, but only after reading this story.

This is a thinking person’s book, and it is very worth reading.

Have a great week.

Sandy

Do You Ever Wish You Could Hibernate?

Hi Everyone,

Sometimes I wish I were a bear and could hibernate three months out of the year. Only, I wouldn’t want to sleep, I would just write and enjoy the scenery.

When I decided to blog, I made a commitment to do it every week, so even though I don’t want to this Sunday I have to honor this obligation. To be honest, I’m just plain tired, and I need a vacation badly.

It seems like everyone wants a piece of your time. This happens to everyone not just to writers. In August, I’m heading for the Rockies, and I’m looking forward to getting away, but will I really be doing that?

I’m visiting family because I promised a great-nephew and great-niece that I would attend their birthday parties this year since I missed them in 2008. It will be great to see my sister and brother-in-law, my nieces and their husbands and all the greats. I love them all and would love to spend longer than a week with them.

Yesterday, my hubby asked me to bring him a glass of iced-tea while I was in the middle of promotional work for my publisher. Should I begrudge him the interruption even though it was the third time he had wanted me to get him something. Well no, the poor man was sweaty from working on my car in the sun on the driveway. He was doing something for me, and I was glad to do it for him, but the interruption still irritated me.

My question this week is where would you go to hibernate if you could?

I would go to the mountains or the ocean and stay holed up for a month to write without interruption. Walking in the mountains or along the ocean would be relaxing and would revive my muse when needed. If I could have both that would be where I would want to be. Spain comes to mind here. Once upon a point of time, hubby and I wanted to buy a place on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Or maybe it was Portugal. Jamaica and Florida were other places we thought of. It’s been a long time since we had dreams like that.

A couple of months in a condo all alone in New Mexico or Arizona would be nice. Nope, it wouldn’t work. I would worry too much about what was happening at home. I would be calling hubby every day to make sure he was okay and asking about everyone else.

I have to admit I am a very social person, so I cannot see myself staying in any of these places without family or friends I can visit when I want to. Lol But just think of all the writing I could accomplish in a couple of months.

Until next Sunday, have a wonderful week.


Sandy

Do You Ever Think of the Homeless?

These are the people we see shuffling along the streets with backpacks, standing in doorways out of the rain, wind or snow. We see them under bridges, or standing with a sign on the bridge asking to work for food, or for donations. Who are these people?

Do you shun these people when they come near you to ask for help or to tell you their stories because they are dirty and ill-kept? In the winter time, they have layers of clothing and hover near any place that offers heat.

Do you think they are bums too lazy to work? Or do you think they are alcoholics or druggies trying to get money for their habit. Or do you think they make a living by being a panhandler? Well, in some cases you are right, but they all need help.

I’m passionate on this subject of the homeless. I feel so sad when I see these people on the streets with their backpacks. Many of them are old, or look old. Some are young, and I’ve often wondered why they can’t work.

Who are these homeless people out there? Except for the grace of God it could be you or me. Let me tell you what I know and what I’ve observed.

There are veterans who end up on the street. I read about an air force vet, a pipe fitter for twenty years until he lost his job a few months ago, and then his apartment. An army vet, a construction worker who got hurt and landed on the street while waiting 18 months for Social Security disability to be approved. There are numerous veterans who aren’t getting the help they need every day, and they are ending up on the streets.

The two vets I mentioned above plus others were in Arizona in a homeless shelter. One night someone’s shoes were stolen off their feet while sleeping. After that the vets decided to work together to do something about it, and the theft stopped. That shows you they weren’t worthless, but just men down on their luck.

I know another example of a homeless man, and I was very close to his sister. My friend has a brother who is mentally ill. His family tries to help him, but when he gets off his meds, he wonders off and they will not hear from him for a year or so. Every now and then, he’ll remember them and get in touch. They clean him up and find him a place to live, but he goes off his meds, he takes off. They worry about him out there heaven only knows where, but they can’t make him take his meds.

Even here in Kansas City, we have a multitude of homeless and poor. I help at our church, The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in the downtown area once a month helping to feed the homeless. There are also the poor who come to eat, too, that means they have a place to live, but not always enough money to buy food.

Once again, I ask you who are these people. Read on, and I’ll tell you. A few years, I visited with a lady named Cathy at one of our luncheons, and she told me she had once had a good job with a big company here in our city. I don’t remember the exact circumstances now, but she quit taking the medication she needed, and eventually lost her job and everything she had. She ended up living on the street. I was appalled by what happened to her, and I told several people in the church about her. Eventually, this lady was helped off the street.

This past winter, I started seeing a man whom I just knew that if he was homeless he shouldn’t be. He was dressed as if he was going on a job interview. The man sat alone, and although I tried to strike up a conversation with him going through the line for his food, he kept his head and wouldn’t look at me or answer. I realized it was shame preventing him from looking at anyone, and I wondered what caused his circumstances as I wonder about all of them. This summer, he’s not a loner. There are people he sits with and talks to now.

There have been times when I’ve seen whole families come in to eat at our church. Some are transient, some live out of vehicles, and some may have a home but not enough to eat. Many seniors even if they aren’t homeless, barely have enough to eat, and most of them have to decide if they want to eat or take the medicine they need to live. Some of them end up on the street because they can’t afford the taxes on their homes.

There’s another church close to mine who feeds the homeless Monday through Friday, and there are places like City Union Mission and numerous others where the homeless can get food and even a place to live temporarily. It’s not enough. All of these places are filled and overflowing, and they depend on donations from people like you and me, or businesses.

The Harvesters donate food from their pantry to our church, but this past winter they had none to share with us because there were so many people who needed help. Some of the other businesses around the city chipped in with pizza, chicken nuggets, salad fixings, soup, etc. Because of the economy and loss of jobs, there are more people than ever that need help from organizations like the Salvation Army and food pantries.

I didn’t mean for this post to turn into a fund raiser, but can you imagine how much help $1.00 from everyone who has it could make. People and the organizations who help them need our help.

Thanks for reading my blog. I could say more, but I’ll leave it for another day.


Until next week,

Sandy

Fourth of July

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone had a happy July 4th. When I was a little girl I loved Independence Day for so many reasons. We had a picnic, sparklers (so pretty), firecrackers (that was and is a boy thing), brightly colored bottle rockets, and homemade ice cream.

How many of you remember homemade ice cream? A show of hands everyone. Ah, these store bought brands can never compare to what we used to have. I remember begging and getting to help make the ice cream. For that reason alone, I loved summer, but there were many other reasons for doing so, and the fourth of July was one of them.

When I was a kid, we usually celebrated July 4th at Uncle Ray’s where we always had fireworks after dark. They lived out in the country, so the display was quite magnificent. I can remember times when we went to Great-Uncle Bud’s house for the 4th. On those times, he would take us for a ride on his tractor out in the fields. Those were simple pleasures, but they were still wonderful.

After we had our fireworks at home, we often went to Lawrence for the display offered for everyone to see on the Kansas University campus. Some kids were scared of the noise and lights, but others like me were awed.

What did you do this year for the 4th? My hubby and I started with breakfast at the American Legion, and then I went to our church to help make food and feed the homeless. After that, I stayed inside away from the humidity, the fireworks and heat. Lol

Okay, time for a brief history lesson since it’s a sad fact that many don’t know why we celebrate the 4th. July 4, 1776 is the date that we celebrate the birth of our independence from Great Britain.

Our forefathers risked their lives to sign the Declaration of Independence. Great Britain was sovereign over our colonies and those men could have been tried for treason. This decree stands for all the things we believe in, freedoms of religion, without persecution and with the ability to think and do for oneself.

At this time, I stand and give a grand salute to our men and women of the military who are still fighting for all our freedoms. Thank you. Thank you. God Bless them and their families.

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy

Where Do Writer’s get the Material They Write About?

Have you ever read a story and wondered how in the world did the author come up with this idea? Usually, it’s not the story that is different, but the way it is presented by the writer.

There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.
H.L. Mencken

A writer uses what experience he or she has. It’s the translating, though, that makes the difference.
John Irving

Personally, I myself write using the headlines of today. I also use my life experiences and the life experiences of others around me. I believe everyone should be careful of what you say or do around an author. It’s dangerous. You could end up in a book.

The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and about all time. George Bernard Shaw

I have found that if I have had a difficult relationship with someone, and they don’t want to settle our differences I can always put them in my latest book. In that way, I can show them how our disagreements should be settled.

Any writer is inevitably going to work with his own anxieties and desires. If the book is any good it has got to have in it the fire of a personal unconscious mind.
Irish Murdoch

Often a reader will get tired of a writer because they write the same story over and over. Authors only have so many stories in them before they become repetitive unless they can make some important change that makes the reader think it’s new.

I think one writes and rewrites the same book. I lead a character from book to book, I continue along with the same ideas. Only the angle of vision, the method, the lighting, change.
Truman Capote

My theory is that writers are continually learning their craft and about life. It’s the learning experience in both areas that helps change the direction of a story, but it is never going to be new because someone has done it before them.

I have a friend, T.J. Killian, who is a fantasy/sci-fi writer who admits many of her ideas originate from the Bible. Inspirational authors use the Bible as a guide for their characters.

Writers, where do you find ideas for your stories? For my readers, what would you like to see in the stories you read? Do you have any suggestions for new material?

Have a great week everyone.

Sandy

Happy Father’s Day

Hello Everyone,

Happy Father’s Day!

Today, I’m blogging about different kinds of fathers, some good, some mediocre, and then the really bad ones. When I get done with my examples let me know where you father falls in the mix.

Here’s my idea of a good father. He provides a home, food, and clothing for his family for sure. The man puts in overtime to make more money to provide for extras for them. He spends time playing, talking and possibly building something for his children when he’s not working. He hands out discipline when it is needed, and when he’s home to give it.

Okay, the men who represent good fathers to me are my Uncle Ray, my brother-in-law, Jon, my hubby and our son, Mike. All right, all right, so they aren’t perfect. We know no one is perfect, don’t we?

Uncle Ray worked way too many hours in his business, and if he ever dished discipline I never saw it, but he always played with his boys, his nieces, and nephew. He attended his oldest son’s sports events, took the family camping and went to church. He provided a lovely home, food, and clothing for his family. His one fault is that he burnt the candle at both ends and died young at forty-eight trying to please everyone. In the end, he was not able to be there for his family..

My brother-in-law, Jon, ranks up there as a good father. He worked hard providing a home, food and clothing for his family. He attended his daughters’ sports, singing and dancing events. He played all kinds of games with them, attended church with them, and was always willing to listen to them. He’s always been there to help his children even as they grew into adults. His fault is that he never disciplined his kids, and that was all left to their mother. Lol There always has to be one bad parent.

My hubby, Ron, ranks up there, too, even though I didn’t see him with his children when they were young. He worked hard to provide a home, food and clothing for his family. Like all fathers’ including the two above, he built a patio and worked in the yard. He played catch with his boys, and convinced his oldest son he should have a part-time job to make spending money. Lol Ron was a worker, and that is really all he knew how to do, so that was mostly what he did with his kids. His job required him to have seniority to get special days off, and because of that he was prevented from attending his children’s activities and special events when they were young. In those days, people were honest and didn’t call in sick. They needed and valued their jobs. The lucky guy was the soul disciplinarian. His one fault that I saw was that he was a nagger. He went over the same thing over and over with his kids. I especially saw this with him, and his youngest daughter and son. For some reason, once wasn’t enough to get through to them. Lol

Our son, Mike, is another good father. He worked hard to provide all the necessities and more for his family. He played with his children, took his son fishing, attended all their school activities and was there for them all the time. If he dished out discipline I never saw it, but I’m sure he talked to his kids. Did he talk as much as his father did to him? Only, our grandchildren know that answer. Grin. His one fault was he wasn’t a handy man. Sorry, Mike. Love you!

Now, we’re getting to the mediocre fathers. These were difficult because some people would consider them bad fathers, but there are even worse fathers than these.

My father is one of these. He tried to provide a home, food and clothing for us when we were kids, but in truth he didn’t do any of these things. My maternal grandparents provided our house and grandma made our clothes. My mom raised chickens to provide food for us and to make extra money to buy other food items. Dad gave mom grocery money, but it was never enough. The things I remember most doing with my father, although fun when I was young, were mostly his fun things. For instance, he liked going to field trials with his dogs (our mom made these into picnics for us kids) and he liked playing pool and partying (none of which we enjoyed), but he would buy us ice cream cones. He was fun to be around. Did he work? Yes, he drove a truck and was out of state a lot. He would give his shirt off his back to a stranger, but often didn’t provide enough food for his family. He was mostly out of my life after I turned thirteen. His biggest fault was he was abusive. I had the belt taken to me until I was lying on the floor still being beaten with my mother trying to stop him. He never ever hit my mother. I will defend my father a bit because he grew up with a father who did the same. Then at nine his father died and he was left to fend for himself because his mother remarried and her new husband wouldn’t raise her children.

This next father I’m not going to give a name to. This father has provided a home, clothing and food for his children. His twenty-one year old daughter is dying of esophageal cancer and he’s in denial. He’s an alcoholic and his daughter is in the last six to eight weeks of her life needing twenty-four hour care. He will not allow hospice to come to their home because that would mean she’s dying, so they have a visiting nurse. The visiting nurse has shown everyone how to give the young woman her pain meds through a port and how to flush it out. The father is sleeping on the floor beside the hospital bed, but when he goes to sleep from drinking too much his daughter cannot wake him when she needs him. She fell on the steps trying to get to the restroom and called for help, but couldn’t wake her dad. Her dad can’t do the meds, and she has to either do them herself or suffer when he’s with her. You may ask where her mother is, but her birth mother has been out of the picture for a very long time, and she’s an alcoholic, too. The step-mom (the father and her are divorced) is trying to make sure someone is with her stepdaughter at all hours, but she has no rights, and she has a job. None of the good fathers would ever allow alcohol to stand in their way of taking care of a dying daughter.

Next, are the bad fathers and I’ve never known any of these. These men might be called monsters even. These men break the bones of their small children and are way beyond abusive. Some of these men have raped their children, even killed them. I’ve never met a father like this, but I have heard of them. We have been lucky indeed if we didn’t have a father like these men.

One other I’m going to add is that all of us are a product of our environment or of our genetics.

Tell me about your father and where he falls in this mix.

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Sandy

Censorship

Do you believe in censorship? I’m adamant when I say I do not. It makes me angry when I think of being told what I can read or not read. If a book offends me I will not read it, but I won’t tell anyone else they can’t.

How dare a few people tell me what’s good or bad for me, or my family? I have been taught right and wrong, and I’m perfectly capable of deciding for myself what is evil.

There are so many wonderful books that have been banned and if they had stayed restricted, we would have missed out on so much. Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Twelfth Night and others by Shakespeare may never have been seen.

The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.
Oscar Wilde

So many books show our shame. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou talks about her rape as a child. The book is often banned for sexual content, violent imagery, and vulgar language.

Other books that show society’s shame are Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne just to name a few. All of these books have been banned, and yet they are considered classics today.

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties.
John Milton

Milton has expressed my feelings very well on censorship. This is such a valuable liberty that we have. Why would anyone want to take it away? My belief on this topic is that you will remain unconcerned until some right you wish to keep is seized from you.

Knowledge cannot defile, nor consequently the books, if the will and conscience be not defiled.
John Milton

Assassination is the extreme form of censorship.
George Bernard Shaw

Words can make you aware of the wrongs in this world, but if you do not read about them, then you’ll surely learn the hard way when the event happens. I’m a strong opponent against censorship.

Even children’s books are barred because someone thinks their child is being taught to be naughty or about witchcraft. Where are our imaginations? I grew up on Peter Pan, and even that book is not sacred. Some people have tried to remove it from libraries. There are those who look for reasons to remove a book, and often it’s out of fear of the truth.

Those whom books will hurt will not be proof against events. If some books are deemed more baneful and their sale forbid, how, then, with deadlier facts, not dreams of doting men? Events, not books, should be forbid.
Herman Melville

I do believe that not all books are appropriate for everyone, and each individual has the right to decide for themselves what is suitable for them and their families. Small children cannot make these decisions, but once they are on their own they have a right to make their choices.

Okay, folks, what do you think of censorship? Are you for it, or against it? All opinions can be expressed and do have value here.

Until next week, have a good one.

Sandy