“Name That Band” Contest!
OK, we have a winner! Connor, a college student, came up with the winning entry: Free The Defendants. A nice blend of revolutionary rebellion and in-your-face political activism. Thank you, Connor!
Dear friends – Declan Decker needs your help. He stars in the ebook When Lyric Met Limerick and his grunge rock band really needs a name. So get out your creative caps and help him come up with a catchy new handle. To help you out, he’s listed a few names of well-known grunge bands of the 90s:
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Alice In Chains
- Jane’s Addiction
Other ideas: Seattle landmarks, geographic names, food, hobbies. Add your ideas to the comments below, or email me if you’d prefer. Whoever comes up with the name Declan likes best will win a free ebook, plus a copy of Sapphire Secrets once it’s published.
The winner will be announced next weekend.
Ready? GO!
Is Donald Trump a narcissist?
DVC’S definition of TRUMPISM: THE ABILITY TO MAKE PEOPLE FORGET YOU’RE HAVING A BAD HAIR DAY.
But is he a narcissist? I can’t say for sure, since I don’t watch much TV and never saw his reality show. But here’s the official definition from the Mayo Clinic: Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. He obviously has the narcissist’s ability to charm people to his way of thinking. So I’m going to throw it out there for discussion: Is Donald Trump a narcissist? And what if it comes down to him or Hillary for President? Two narcissists duking it out, perhaps?
Let me know what YOU think. ~ DVC.
“Name That Band” Contest!
Dear friends – Declan Decker needs your help. He stars in the ebook When Lyric Met Limerick and his grunge rock band really needs a name. So get out your creative caps and help him come up with a catchy new handle. To help you out, he’s listed a few names of well-known grunge bands of the 90s:
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Alice In Chains
- Jane’s Addiction
Other ideas: Seattle landmarks, geographic names, food, hobbies. Add your ideas to the comments below, or email me if you’d prefer. Whoever comes up with the name Declan likes best will win a free ebook, plus a copy of Sapphire Secrets once it’s published.
The winner will be announced next weekend.
Ready? GO!
Letter to my child-self
Lucky Otter’s letter to her 2-year-old self. Does this resonate with you as much as it does with me? This sentence is almost verbatim what a dear family member said to me recently: “You should have been understood and loved for who you were, not who they wanted you to be.”
I categorized this under Substance Abuse because the lack of love in my family of origin I am convinced led to my alcohol addiction, years later. When I picked up that first drink, for the first time ever, I felt normal.
Me at age two.
For most of my life I wanted to pretend you didn’t exist. You embarrassed me and made me look bad. You cried too much and made scenes. You were weak, sickly, scared of everything, and easily frustrated. You didn’t know how to talk to people and usually ran them off by telling them too much too soon. You were easily overwhelmed. You were too sensitive and didn’t know how to roll with the punches.
I am sorry I thought those things about you. I was mistaken, brainwashed by others. I didn’t want to understand you. It was too dangerous. I might have been punished or bullied for it. I was, in fact. I couldn’t let that happen anymore.
It wasn’t your fault you had problems. That was done to you. You had no say. You were a thoughtful and deep child, who loved to analyze and…
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ANNOUNCING Sapphire Secrets – PreRelease Party!
This author is very excited to be in the last stages of tweaking her first novel. As the photo suggests, the setting for “Sapphire Secrets” is a dance studio owned by twin sisters. After one of them is injured in a car accident, will she ever dance again?
I know release day will be surreal, so I’m gonna throw y’all a party. Check back often for details, excerpts and giveaways. Five lucky readers will get a sneak peek for free. And tell your dancing friends, or dancer wannabes, there’s a book right here especially for them.
~DVC~
Does Caitlyn Jenner still have male DNA?
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz
If Caitlyn Jenner’s DNA still contains the XY chromosome, is s/he still a man? S/he makes a beautiful woman, but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the biology aspect of it. Is it merely an outward, or cosmetic, change?
These days, we can certainly transform our outward appearance to virtually anything. Michael Jackson proved it. But, unless our DNA is transplanted, we can’t change the gender we were born with. (OK, maybe in science fiction it’s possible.) Which means, biologically speaking, Caitlyn Jenner is still male.
Which begs the questions, Who gets to decide our gender?
Food for thought: S/he didn’t make herself. I didn’t make myself. You didn’t make yourself. Perhaps, however, in these times biology no longer matters?
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Sleeping On Couches
A poignant reminder of a dark time in my past. Have you experienced this as well? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
There’s a lump under my back, and
I’m soaking wet with the sweat of anxiety;
Insomnia has had me in its clutches for a week now.
Images in my head keep changing: I’m free,
No, I’m captive. Different versions of me hide behind the couch,
Pregnant with memories of surviving somehow.
I had more things than this last week, many
More possessions, each with their own story of
Days when I was lucid, sane, solvent.
For some reason I have become willing to settle for
Less in my life, items diminishing, the sun setting, as
I slowly waste away, sleeping on couches.
Interview with Solo Mama – Part II
Blogger: Last time we talked, we promised my readers we’d share your secret to keeping your sanity.
Solo Mama: When my oldest was about to enter high school, I discovered a prayer group for moms called Moms in Touch. It’s a national organization with a specific prayer outline and Bible verse for each meeting. Once a week a group of us moms meet at the leader’s house for focused and structured prayer for our kids and their schools and teachers. Basically, we pray the Word of God over our kids.
B: Have you seen any changes in your family since you started?
SM: For myself, my weekly prayer powwow gives me hope—that God will answer the cries of my heart, that my children will grow up to be God-fearing adults, that He’ll watch over and protect them when I can’t be there. Group prayer infuses my heart with peace like a sweet-smelling herbal tea.
B: What about your kids? Have you noticed positive changes in them?
SM: I have. The biggest change, or rather, miracle, happened to my developmentally-delayed son. The wannabe chef. In two years, he went from being a C/D student to an A/B student. God led me to the perfect therapy program for him, and provided the funds to pay for it. I firmly believe that God heard and answered the cries of this mom’s heart.
B: Thank you for sharing your story with us. Do you recommend that single moms seek out these sorts of support groups?
SM: Absolutely, especially if they involve prayer. This group has taught me how trustworthy the Lord is, and has shown me how tender His heart is toward children.
Happy Fathers Day, Mother? Not!
When it comes
to honoring the noble and valuable role that women play in our world, are we bending over backwards so far, we’re falling on our rears by becoming man-haters? According to this blog, some in our world are insisting that men pay for the wrongdoings of previous generations of men who degraded women. Until men’ve thoroughly paid for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers, they say, the belittling will continue.
I’m saddened by the way men are portrayed on TV and in movies. Think Homer Simpson, that donut-lovin’ national symbol of buffoonery. The father in Malcolm in the Middle, a little boy married to a strong, wise woman who really ran the show.
I agree with this blogger that this is NOT true equality. And equality won’t happen until BOTH genders are honored and treated with respect.
For those of us in the United States, last Sunday was Father’s Day. This is a day set aside in the U.S., as well as 57 other countries, to honor fathers and the concept of fatherhood. After all, none of us would be here if it weren’t for a father of some kind, even if his role only lasted for a few seconds.
But on Sunday, Father’s Day was hijacked.
Yes, hijacked.
The video, included below with a commentary by a gentleman who strongly disagreed with it so you can hear both sides of the issue, featured several adult children of single mothers discussing their mother’s hardships as she struggled to raise her children by herself. Most of them said she was both father and mother to them. At the end of the commercial, each person interviewed ended with, “Happy Father’s Day, Mom.”
Now, please understand that I admire single…
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Interview with Solo Mama, a divorced mother of three – Part I
Blogger: We are all dying to know how you manage three kids on your own! What is your secret?
Solo Mama: Oh, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Shh, don’t tell them, but I sign them up for activities from morning ‘til night! That way they have no time to get in trouble.
For instance, after school they have softball or soccer or track practice. Sometimes it’s a game or a meet. Then it’s time for dinner, which one of them is assigned to prepare on a rotating basis. However, as they’ve gotten older, that’s pretty hit or miss. After dinner is Boy Scouts for the sons, or music lessons for the daughter. They have about an hour before bed to do homework. And another day is gone!
B: Wow, you must be busy with trying to work full-time as well.
SM: I love my job. I have a meme at my desk that says, “Work: The place you go to escape your hectic home life.” So true.
B: Do you ever get time for yourself?
SM: Weekends are “me” time. They go to their dad’s every Saturday night and come home Sunday evenings. During the divorce, he and I stayed as amicable as possible. You know, it’s far better to lose a little “stuff” than it is to make a lifetime enemy. I know too many divorced mothers who are teaching their kids to hate their dad. Unless he’s a criminal or an abuser, DON’T DO THAT. And even if he is, please don’t teach them hate. Don’t you think we have too much hate in the world already? Yes, explain to your kids that their father did wrong and they have permission to sever their ties with him if he has hurt them. But at the same time, don’t express bitterness toward him. If you need to vent about him, be sure your kids are not around. You know the saying, attitudes are caught as well as taught.
B: Well, that’s all we have time for now. We will continue this interview tomorrow, when Solo Mama will reveal her number one secret for keeping her sanity.
Dawn V. Cahill - Hot Topic Christian Fiction 