Lorrie Striuff is Dishin' It Out

I invited Lorrie to stop by and tell us a little bit about what's going on with her and her writing.  I've read her work, and I'm a fan, so I always welcome her to Dishin' It Out.  Today she brought a friend who's going to do the talking.  So, without anymore blathering from me...meet Beggar:

Hi, Ginger, thanks for the invite. I’m doin’ summersaults bein’ here.

      Now, I know his is kinda early, but I wanna introduce myself to the folks anyways. I’ll be showin’ up in a book near September.

My name’s Beggar, and I’m a proud ringtail monkey. Yep, you read right. Like an entertainer for an organ grinder.

Here’s my story.

See, I escaped my chains from a downright nasty man that used me to make money for his medicine show. We traveled around the west. He’d trained me do tricks to make people laugh, and some other mighty mean things that I won’t mention. Might get me into trouble. *looks both ways for the law.*

Making my way north, hungry, thirsty, I come upon this empty office with food. Well, I dove right into that there chicken and biscuits in the lunch basket. Yowee, it was good eatin’. See, I eat both meat and fruit. Almost any dang thing when I’m starving.

Now, how was I ‘posed to know I was in the sheriff’s office? I can’t read worth a lick.

Well, when Sheriff Cole come in, he found me hiding under his desk and pulled his six shooter wantin’ to shoot me, I was scared witless. I tried doin’ tricks for him, but he was madder than a wet hen at me for eatin’ his lunch.

He done tried to get me outta the office with a broom first. He promised me lots of things if I left. But there was somthin’ about the man that I took a likin’ to. So, no sirreee, I didn’t want to leave. ‘Sides, that food was real good. Maybe I’d get some more.

Again he said he was a gonna shoot me, but when that there pretty Mattie gal come in the office, she put a stop to his foolishness. *I could tell, she sure jingled his spurs.*And, she liked me. She picked me up, held me, cuddled me, and they took off my awful collar. Mattie said she took a shine to men who had pets. *Ha. That sure ‘nuff  put Cole on the spot.* I was so grateful, I sure wasn’t leavin’ this nice place.

I found me a new home there, though I’m not so sure Cole ‘preciated the fact. He called me, “A Heap of Trouble.”

Lookin’ back, guess he was right. But we got to be good friends anyhows.

So, until we really meet, here’s a couple short stories by my author you might take a likin’ to.

Thanks again, Ginger. Want to cuddle a bit? I like to cuddle up with pretty gals.

Last Dance.

Bren is in love with a troubled boy and she hopes he asks her to the prom. The most popular girl in school, Jean, plays on Rip’s troubled soul. Does Bren get revenge?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Dance-ebook/dp/B004O6MUNG/ref=sr_1_26?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1297999351&sr=1-26

Wild Blackberries

Morgan is researching on an Indian reservation in Prescott, Arizona for her new paranormal novel. She doesn’t believe in the paranormal, but writes it for the trend and the nice royalties. That is until her soon to be divorced husband tries to kill her, and she survives by her wits and a little “strange” help.

http://www.bookstogonow.com/page27.html

Bio.

Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, PA, thirty minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. She lives at home with her husband and her favorite toy—a computer.

    She writes in many genres so you never know what she will come out with next. She never wants to bore her readers and enjoys the thrill of entertaining them by writing a good story.

For more of her stories, visit her site at http://struiff.wordpress.com/

Building Your Writer’s Platform - C.K. Volnek

C.K. Volnek is my special guest today and she's provided a very helpful post.  Help me welcome her to Dishin' It Out.

Hi Ginger. Thanks for allowing me to visit on your blog today. Today I would like to visit with our readers (and writers) about Marketing and Platform.

Did you know, 83 percent of American adults dream of becoming a published author? Few will complete the elusive manuscript and even fewer have their books land in the hands of the readers. And it is said that less than 2 percent of authors will become rich from their book sales.

Yes, writing is a tough business. It is not a choice for those weak of heart. But if your muse won’t let you stop writing—like mine—then you need learn everything you can about writing AND marketing.

Writing a book is not only about the writing. To be successful, one must build The Golden Triangle. Literary Agent Michael Larsen talked about the triangle in his book, How To Write a Book Proposal. (I definitely suggest this book!)

‘The three sides of the Golden Triangle of a successful writing career are Writing, Promoting, and Building Communities. At the apex of the triangle is your vision of success. The two sides are Writing and Promoting. The base of the triangle is Building Communities because people are essential to your success.’

‘You can’t reach the top without writing and promoting books that deliver. But the people who want to help you are crucial for getting you from where you are to where you want to go.’

A writer must make building communities a lifelong commitment because the more people you know the further you’ll go.

Most writers would love to simply write…and only write, but a publishing goal is a most important part of the equation. Jack Canfield in quoted as saying ‘the success of a book is 90 percent promotion.’

All writers today need to do self-promotion.  Promotion won’t sell a bad book, but promotion will make a good book a success.

Promotion is all about building relationships, to get people to know, trust and like you; to have something of value to offer them. And the best promotion is ‘word of mouth.’

To begin a writing career, a writer needs to have two main goals:

·      First, a writer needs to know what kind of book he/she wants to write and what kind of emotions he/she wants from his/her reader.

·      Second, a writer needs to have publishing goals.

An author also needs to challenge themselves and their writer platform. Do you have a web page or a blog? Are you on twitter and facebook? What communities and groups do you belong to?

An author, whether currently published, in the process of being published or trying to get published NEEDS to explore these platform needs and include as many of the following elements in their promotional library as they can.

*  Web Page. First and foremost, an author needs a web page. An author needs this presence way before their book is ever sold. Think of the web page as a road, bringing readers to your door so when you have that coveted book ready to debut, they already know and like you. (If cost is an issue, there are many inexpensive ways to create your web page. There are several sites that offer free web site building. Weebly, Wix, Yola all advertise drag and drop web-site building so you don’t need html coding. Many also allow you to use a purchased domain name.)

When creating your web page, be conscious about your url. If you only plan to write one book, or one series, you might use the title of the book. But I advise the author to use their name as their url. How better to build name recognition than to keep your name ever in the forefront? (And purchase this url before you ever publish as there are many a scammer who will see your name out there and buy up your url and then want to sell it back to you at a ridiculous price.)

*  Blog. A blog is a great way to get your name out, to offer something to your readers and followers. But the writer must make sure to offer something of value in return for their visit. Know your reader and give them something to keep coming back for.  

*  Facebook. This is an excellent social media contact for family, friends and followers. These people will follow you and learn and celebrate your good news.

*  Twitter. This social media is fast and frenzied. It’s a wonderful tool to send short quips and bursts to as many people want to follow you as possible. (And it’s a great source of information, such as contests like those on Pitch University. ;-)

*  Groups. Groups are as important as best friends. They are your NEW best friends. A writer should know who his or her reader is and go after the groups that would find their story valuable. This can be daunting as it’s virtually endless.

*  Promotional sites. Just a few of the many to mention are Amazon, Good Reads, Jacket Flap, Borders and Barnes and Noble. Many, many, many!

*  Reviews. Okay, this is one area I never realized I should be so involved in. I do read…a lot, but I’m lacking in reviews. Why? I really don’t have a reason. But it’s a bad reason, whatever it might be. By writing reviews, one is building recognition, trust, and relationships.

*  Trailers/Podcasts. Trailers are a super way to create a memorable image for your book. I seen a great trailer for a picture book. Made me want to go right out and buy it. And pod-casts…another great way to ‘tell’ your story on the internet…literally!

*  Following blogs and websites. I can’t express this enough. This is how you make friends. Follow the people you admire most and make sure you comment on their posts. But like any relationship, this takes work and you can’t just visit once and think they’re your friend for life.

In closing, I would like to challenge our readers/writers to be ‘entrepreneurial’ with their writing. The internet offers a wealth of opportunities to produce, publish and build a platform. As an author, you are a business and you have to promote ‘you.’ But as you ponder promotion, I hope you realize there is something even more important than just ‘promoting you’…it is to build lasting relationships. I’ve learned one can never have enough friends. And it’s these friends who will help share my stories with the readers I want to reach.

So, even if you are like me, a small fish in a very big pond, know that with our ‘friends’, we grow bigger each and every day. If you see me on-line, I’d love to get the opportunity to say ‘hello’ and ask you ‘to please be my friend.’ 

Thanks and happy marketing.

C.K. Volnek

Author

Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island – A tween ghost story with a twist of Native American folklore and based on the true mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island

A Horse Called Trouble – A young teen must overcome her own abused past to save the defiant horse who has taught her to love and trust again.

Coming soon…The Secret of the Stone – A young boy is thrust into mystic mayhem when the gift he’s given to protect is enchanted with the magic of Merlin.

e-mail:  ckvolnek@yahoo.com

Website:  www.ckvolnek.com

Blog:  www.ckvolnek.com/blog.html

Twitter:  CKVolnek

Face Book:  C.K. Volnek

Good Reads and Jacket Flap

Book Blogs, YALitChat and Kindle Boards

(just to name a few of the many great sites on the internet!)

Girl Out of Time!

“Is that a broadsword on your belt, or are you just glad to see me?”

Melodie Campbell

What happens when you take a modern-day college prof from sunny Arizona and throw her back into medieval times?  A whole lot of laughs!

At least, that’s the way I designed Rowena Through the Wall, the comic time travel novel that Midwest Book Review described as “Hot and Hilarious!”

I’m a former comedy writer who loves to write humorous fiction. Here’s how I do it: I call it the law of the ‘worst thing’.  Take a situation, and ask ‘what’s the worst thing that could happen now’?  Or the most embarrassing thing?  Example:  A seventeen year old girl moves to a new town and is the new girl.  First day of school, very nervous, she drives her mother’s car into the school parking lot.  What’s the most embarrassing thing that could happen?  She hits another car in the lot with everyone watching.  And the worst thing?  It’s the prize car of the most popular boy in school.  Whammo.  Instant disaster.  Later, she’s driving home on a country road, and her car breaks down.  Who comes by in the next car, and stops to help?  The same guy.  He can’t believe it’s her.  She wants to die of embarrassment.  They never stand a chance as a couple, right?

Move it to an adult romance novel.  The new girl at the advertising agency drives into the company parking lot on the very first day and hits the gorgeous eligible bachelor’s new car…you get the drift.

In Rowena Through the Wall, I followed the ‘worst thing’ rule to the maximum.  What’s the worst thing that could happen to Rowena when she walks through that wall into medieval times?  Or the wackiest?  Rowena goes through lots of ‘worst things’ until she finally gets the man she wants in the last chapter.  But even then, I couldn’t resist a twist on the last page.  After all, there is a sequel coming.

ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL (No. 2 on Amazon.ca bestseller list, Aug 2011!  (fantasy,futuristic)

When Rowena falls through her classroom wall into a medieval world, she doesn’t count on being kidnapped – not once, but twice, dammit. Unwanted husbands keep piling up; not only that, she has eighteen-year-old Kendra to look out for, and a war to prevent.  Good thing she can go back through the wall when she needs to…or can she?

Short Excerpt:                                    Chapter 16

“How did you do that?”  Kendra gasped.

            “Do what?”

            “I just saw you walk right through that wall!”

            “Oh that….” I said, brushing myself off.  “Look sweetie, not to change the subject, but I don’t have a whole lot of time-”

            “And who is that?”

Kendra gaped at Logan, who stood at least a foot taller than her.  He, in turn, gazed down at her as if he had just discovered the meaning of life, the universe and everything that might possibly be in it.

            “Damn,” I mumbled.  “Kendra – Logan, Logan – Kendra.  Now that we’re all introduced, I really have to hustle.”

            Kendra’s eyes widened.  “Is he for real?”

            “Yes, yes, he’s real,” I said, lowering my voice. “ Kendra, I have to whip home for my vet bag.  It would be easier without him along.  Can you keep him here? I’ll only be 20 minutes.”

            “Sure, but how?”  She could hardly take her eyes off him.

            “I don’t know…flirt with him or something.  But don’t let him leave this classroom.  Got it?”

            She gulped.  “Okay.”

            I ran to the desk and grabbed my car keys.  Just as I reached the exit, I heard Kendra say, “So…is that a broadsword on your belt or are you just glad to see me?”

Melodie Campbell’s comic novel Rowena Through the Wall (Imajin Books) is available at Amazon, Smashwords, Indigo/Chapters, B&N

http://www.amazon.com/Rowena-Through-the-Wall-ebook/dp/B00557Z2QU

View trailer and read opening scene at

http://www.melodiecampbell.com/

Follow Melodie’s comic blog at www.funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com

Melodie Campbell got her start as a comedy writer, so it’s no surprise that editors have called her work ‘wacky’ and ‘laugh out loud funny’.  She has over 200 publications, including 100 humour columns, 30 short stories and one novel (two more coming in 2012).  She has received six awards for fiction, and is the General Manager of Crime Writers of Canada.

Welcome, Amy McCorkle

When deciding what to write about on Miss Ginger’s blog I got an email in my box. It’s the kind of email every writer dreads/anticipates. It’s the all important answer to the query letter you sent out weeks or months ago depending on how swamped the publisher is with submissions at that time. And your day can be made or broken these four little words we accept/we reject. And sometimes there’s that nasty little revise and resubmit clause.

There are some publishers who are better at it than others. And in the age of the e-reader there is a bigger chance for us all to be accepted but there is also the same challenge of having our best foot forward. Quality over quantity and finding that all important balance that will keep you from going insane while waiting for the ANSWER you so desperately desire.

I’m thirty-six years old and I’ve been writing since I was five years old. Does that make me an expert no, it does, however, qualify me to answer a few questions. Does it get any easier? That depends on what you mean by easier. If you mean your craft gets better, and it increases your odds of finding a home for your work, well then yes it does. If you mean does it guarantee publication, well of course it doesn’t.

I’m not trying to discourage you. I wrote for twenty-five years before being offered a legitimate contract from a legitimate house. For some people it’s not as long, for others it’s even longer. But there are two things I know for sure, you have to believe with everything that’s in you that it’s going to happen. Because if you don’t no one else will. Need someone to hold your hand and tell you everything’s going to be alright? I’m probably not the person you want to talk to because I like to be happy. And when you’ve worked your butt off as I have and had the nerve to submit and receive more rejections than accepts yeah I’m thinking I don’t want anyone to spoil my good mood. But here’s the thing I always believed it was going to happen because I never stopped writing.

That’s the second thing. You have to write. You have to produce. You have to submit to ever have a shot. You may choose to self-publish, that’s perfectly legitimate too. I just wanted something different.

So I’m proud to announce the release of my second book, Another Way To Die through MuseItUp Publishing. The following is an excerpt.

Excerpt:

I felt his hand tapping on my face and heard his voice coming from what seemed like a million miles away. “Almira. Almira, wake up.”

My eyes slid open for a moment and I saw him as he was. Older, stronger, maybe crazier for helping me now than he had been then. My eyes drifted closed. I was back in the past with him carrying me out of my father’s estate and into his waiting car. I was so doped up on pills and heroin at the time I couldn’t think beyond ‘help me get out of here.’

Then Daniel’s voice called again, this time from the present day. “Don’t you dare die on me! Not now. Not after all of this.”

My eyes opened again, and he was standing over me. I managed to scan the room and saw a beautiful woman preparing to work on me.

“If you fail her, I’ll come looking for you.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Danny. You know I do good work. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have called me in on this.”

I gazed up at Daniel and said raggedly, “Yeah, Daniel, don’t be so dramatic.”

His head jerked downward and he took my hand; images of our brief time together flooded me: him carrying me… throwing me in the shower... of us naked in the shower, making love. Suddenly I felt hot all over—well, as hot as can be under the circumstances.

“Daniel, don’t go…” I murmured. Daniel let go and pulled up a chair, lighting a cigarette.

“I’m giving you something for the pain but it’s still going to hurt. Put that out,” Jasmine said as she worked over me, digging out the bullets; the pain was mind numbing. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he took my hand again and I crushed it.

With each dig into my body to retrieve those goddamn bullets, memories flooded my head. The night Daniel and I spent together surfaced. Suddenly I felt at peace…

“I’m losing her, Daniel.” Jasmine’s voice sounded like a faint echo.

“Stay with me, kiddo, stay with me.”

I opened my eyes but I wasn’t in the present. I was in another time, another place. I felt hands pressing down on my chest. Air rushed down into my lungs.

“Save her damn it!” Danny’s voice was so like it had been all those years ago.

I could see us that night as we made love. Hear his voice. “You don’t know what kind of man I am,” he’d said.

I’d known exactly what kind of man he was then.

His mouth captured mine. His air breathed life into me, desperately pulling me back from the brink.

I opened my eyes, coughing and sucking in air as he held onto my face, his gaze burning into me, reminding me of why I had slept with him in the first place. “Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said. “Do you understand me?”

“Is she gone?”

He looked up toward Jasmine. “No.”

“Then get her the hell out of here because I don’t trust her.”

“Ungrateful bitch.”

Daniel leaned back. Before he could stop me, my hand shot up and I nailed her in the mouth with a hard sucker punch.

“Crazy—”

Daniel stood up. “I suggest you choose your next words very carefully,” he warned her.

My eyes slid shut. I heard a door slam, and before I lost consciousness completely, I heard a faint whisper. “This time I refuse to let you go.”

About the Author:

Born and raised in the Bluegrass State of Kentucky, Amy roots for her Wildcats and spends her time trolling bookshops and movie theaters.

https://www.amazon.com/author/amymccorkle

More Hot Swinging Fantasies!

Not from Ginger: For those who don't know, Adriana Kraft consists of a husband and wife writing duo, and what they write is pretty HOT!  So, if you're the type who "gets burned" when you read something spicier than normal, then you might want to put on some "hot mitts" before you venture further.  As for me, I love Adriana's posts, and I'm delving in.  *smile*

***

My husband and I write erotic romance together under the pen name Adriana Kraft to fuel our readers’ fantasies. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have more than one pair of hands sweetly caressing you all over? How about two tongues, in just the right places? Our Swinging Game series at Extasy Books is designed to take you there!

Book Eight in the series, Pushing the Limits, was released last week and is available at Extasy Books and Amazon. We’ve been writing the enticing adventures of this Baby Boomer couple for nearly three years now – Brett and Jenifer Andrews constantly surprise us, not only with what they’re willing to try next, but with how much fun they’re having and how it’s heating up their sex life when just the two of them are together.

Given what they just came up with, we’re a little worried about them, though. Some couples in the lifestyle would give anything to have a ‘Unicorn’ – a single female who wants a committed threesome with an existing couple. At the end of book seven, Jen and Brett think they’ve found one – and this is the book where she arrives. All begins well and the threesome shares some incredible, sensual sizzling sex. But Jen is instantly infatuated and invited their new friend to stay for the entire summer. Brett wonders what the limit will be – so do we, and so will our readers!

Here’s a blurb and an excerpt:

BLURB Pushing the Limits Their new Unicorn Sarah Creston may be out of town, but that doesn’t stop Jen and Brett Andrews from burning up the wires with some scorching three-way phone sex. While they’re waiting for Sarah, Ryan eagerly pursues Brett for some hot male action, followed by a house party that challenges Jen and Brett’s stereotypes. Sarah finally arrives, exhausted and drained from weeks spent helping her aging parents. Jen and Brett provide total tender care for three days—but when Jen invites Sarah to move in for the whole summer, Brett asks himself, is there a limit?

EXCERPT For an excerpt, I thought we’d drop in on Jen and Brett at their best – having a date night, just the two of them:

“This feels so decadent.” Jen felt like purring for her man. So far, so good. Together, they’d set the stage. Wearing robes, they sat side by side on the living room couch nibbling on grapes, strawberries, cheeses and sausages. It was their prelude to what she hoped would be a spectacular evening of lovemaking. So far they’d only made love with their eyes, feasting on each other as well as on the light meal.

“It was an excellent idea to be in the living room tonight,” Brett said, popping a grape into his mouth. “We seldom play here. Some, but seldom.”

“Maybe we should reserve it for ourselves only. It’s already getting warm in here.” Jen untied the sash of her robe and let it fall away. She appreciated Brett’s immediate intake of breath. “Donna and I picked out this outfit. I didn’t want to show you until a special moment.”

Brett smacked his lips. “This is definitely a special moment. You couldn’t be more naked, naked.”

“Well, a little,” Jen countered, shifting her weight to give him an even better view of the shear lace top. Her taut nipples poked forward, aching to be touched. “You like it?”

“You know I do.” To her delight, Brett’s voice had turned husky. He reached for her.

She shook her head. “Not yet. Don’t you want to see the bottoms?” He nodded and she parted the robe further.

You can find Pushing the Limits at these links:

Buy at Extasy: http://www.extasybooks.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=103&product_id=3489

Buy at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pushing-the-Limits-ebook/dp/B0070PIU4Q/ref=sr_1_33?ie=UTF8&qid=1327369553&sr=8-33

And of course I’m available at the following links – a word of warning: My website is currently being overhauled by the talented Lucy Felthouse, so the standard url will lead you to an “under construction” sign. Here’s the link that will work until we go live with the new one, in about a month (I hope!):

WEBSITE AND BLOG

http://adrianakraft.wordpress.com/

http://adrianakraft.wordpress.com/blog/

ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB:

FaceBook http://www.facebook.com/people/Adriana-Kraft/100001944980679

Twitter http://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft

Midnight Seductions http://midnightseductionsauthors.blogspot.com/

Sapphic Planet: http://www.sapphicplanet.com

Newsletter http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adrianakraftnewsletter/

Adriana’s Author Pages at Amazon.com and All Romance Ebooks

Dear Santa from Jim Whitaker

Dear Santa,

I’m only 54 years old so I tried to get someone bigger than me to write this for me. They all declined.

I should write this letter asking you the great requests of the Christmas season. But you know, I’m just not so sure.

It’s not that I don’t believe in you in the sense of your spirit of generosity and ho-ho-ho and all the fine qualities you expound for as long as you’re around. It’s just that..

If I ask you for peace for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for brotherhood for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for serenity for all, you can’t deliver that.

If I ask you for an end to poverty to prejudice, to backstabbing, to hate, to exclusion, to intolerance, to apathy, to cruelty to loneliness, to aggressiveness and violence or to any of the other abhorrent characteristics of unfeeling humanity you can’t deliver, can you?
All right, Santa, because you’re such a nice guy I’ll give you this much.

Your red suit and white beard and belly laugh - not to mention your belly - make people feel good. They smile when they see you in the mall and think of the accepted folly of you flying in a reindeer-pulled sleigh around the world in one night, without a passport no less. Well, except for that 3-year-old on your lap the other day who was absolutely terrified by that red suit, white beard and especially the belly laugh. Has your knee recovered from the kick he gave you trying to break free?

People enjoy pretending to be you or one of your industrious elves. I’ve worn the red suit and fake beard myself and looked into faces that while I ho-ho-hoed were dissolving into belief where before there was considerable doubt about your existence and meaning.

Pretending to be you made me feel sustained and worthwhile for a while. And, like many others, I grasp that feeling anew when 1 sign “From Santa” and not my own name to a gift I give.

But Santa Baby your time is seasonal and your effect measured in mere weeks, days and hours and in songs people don’t want to hear anymore after midnight Dec. 25.

How much more glorious would it be if every person who looks to you even for the moment would look wholeheartedly to the one whose birth Christmas Day celebrates? Even if at the same time denying the deity of Jesus, what would happen if they truly embraced the teachings and the life and the examples of Jesus?

Wouldn’t the world be at peace, Santa, because there just wouldn’t be any need for the things that fuel war?

Wouldn’t brotherhood thrive, Santa, because that would be the only accepted way of treating others?

Wouldn’t people care enough about each other, Santa, to eliminate poverty?

Wouldn’t people no longer feel a need for aggressiveness or greed or violence, Santa, to make themselves feel safe or secure?

And wouldn’t cruelty be replaced, Santa, with kindness and forgiveness and sacrifice for others?

Following the life of Christ is indeed hard for an individual, Santa. Yet the good in the result for the many would be beyond measure.

So, Santa, don’t take offense. While you’re here, while you last, I’ll enjoy your company. I’ll sit up Christmas Eve and watch the fireplace for your entrance, if you want. Although the last 43 years 1 have to admit have been a little disappointing in that regard.

My Christmas wish, though, my real Christmas wish is that more people embrace the Life that could truly make all those worthwhile Christmas wishes spoken by so many lips come gloriously true.

How about it, Santa?
Love,
Jim
PS. Milk and chocolate chip cookies, my house, Christmas Eve. At least there better be.
 ****

My special thanks to Jim Hill for so graciously sharing the spirit of the season with me.  I asked his permission to post this today, since his letter to Santa so eloquently sums up what most of us wish for.  To find out more about Jim, the author and columnist, I add his email signature line for your convenience.  He's a treasure:

Jim Whitaker
"Hill of Beans" Author, Columnist,
Staff Writer Cynic Online Magazine
My book is available at
www.whiskeycreekpress.com,
at www.amazon.com
and http://www.barnesandnoble.com