The Crab Chronicles

Interview with Jennifer Skiff about The Divinity of Dogs

A few years ago, I was driving to work and I heard a radio interview with a lady who had written a book called God Stories: Inspiring Encounters With the Divine. I loved the concept of real folks sharing their stories of how God intervened in their lives at critical moments.

When I got home later that day, I found the website for God Stories and sent editor Jennifer Skiff the story of how God influenced me to adopt my daughter. We started emailing, and I got to know Jennifer Skiff personally.She spends part of the year in Maine and part of the year in Australia, and she is a busy lady.

Sometime later, Jennifer was kind enough to read an advance copy of my book Adopting Alesia and give me a quote for the back cover.

When I heard she was accepting stories for a new book about how dogs work miracles in the lives of their owners, I got very excited. I decided to write up the story of how Coco helped Alesia transition into our family. The story was accepted for Jennifer's beautiful new book, The Divinity of Dogs: True Stories of Miracles Inspired by Man's Best Friend.

You can order advance copies of The Divinity of Dogs from Amazon. I am also going to be giving away an autographed copy here, soon.

Jennifer generously agreed to let me interview her about The Divinity of Dogs, and her answers are below.

1. How old were you when you got your first dog, and what was his/her name?  My first dog got me!  The first child in my parent’s home was a Boxer named Clara who I called Bookie.  We adored each other.

 2. How many dogs do you currently own? Names and breeds?  Within days of finishing The Divinity of Dogs, both of my best friends, CousCous and ChickPea passed away.  It’s been a tough year.  I am the Trustee of the largest dog refuge in West Australia and quickly adopted a sick Mastiff named Frodo.  At the same time, I adopted a one-eyed, 10 year-old Maltese mix named Honey.  Frodo passed away this year and I still have Honey.  When I return to Australia for the winter, my husband and I are adding to our family!

 3. The new book, The Divinity of Dogs, explores how dogs have not only enhanced their owners' lives, but in some cases actually saved their lives. Can you share one or two of those stories?

 “I had no reason to live”*

   by Scott Thornsley

It was Christmas morning, 1995.  My wife had left me in August, and two weeks later I lost my job of 19 years.  I was alone without anyone to turn to.  Worst of all, no one needed me anymore; my workplace or the wife I loved.

I’d just gotten my Ph.D. and was looking forward to enjoying the success that would come with it.  Instead, the hunt for a new job was futile.  Because of my new degree, I couldn’t get the most menial of jobs.  Most people said I was overeducated.   I felt like a total failure.

I thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that my life was not worth living.  I decided to commit suicide.

The moment came.  I’d decided on a method and was committed to carrying it out.  At that very moment, my four year-old Rottweiler, Emma, bounded into the study.   Her leash was in her mouth, which was not unusual.  What was unusual was what she did next.  She literally grabbed my hand with her mouth and ferociously pulled me toward the front door, tugging and yanking me out of my chair.   She had never done this before.

There was a hard falling snow, which would make even the shortest of walks difficult.   Her tugging continued.  I decided to grant her one more walk. 

Once we were outside, she wouldn’t let me go home.  She continued, just ahead, leading me through neighborhoods and school athletic fields.  Emma wandered without direction, refusing to let me turn around.  A couple of hours passed, and during that time my mind cleared and I realized my life was not over.  I had much to be thankful for and someone really did need me - even if it was a female Rottweiler named Emma.  There is no doubt in my mind that Emma saved my life that day.

In the darkest of moments, a dog can make your life worth living.

*Permission to re-print from Jennifer Skiff, Author, The Divinity of Dogs. 

 

4. Can you travel with your dogs to the two different countries where you live, or are there quarantine restrictions? I live in Maine and in Australia.  Australia doesn’t have rabies.  Because of that, the country has strict regulations.  Quarantine is a nightmare and is a nine-month process.  I’ve done it once.  I’ll never do it again.

 5. Share some of the reactions you've gotten to the book so far.  The reviews are just starting to come in and they’re fabulous.  The best review came unwittingly from a magazine publisher who, after reading the book, has asked me to write a monthly column of inspirational pet stories.

 6. Any negative feedback from cat owners?!  Ha.  (The book isn’t out yet, we’re just getting the early reviews).

 7. Since the publication of God Stories, do you get approached a lot by folks, still, with stories of faith like the ones in the book? Do you expect a similar reaction to the new book? Yes I do.  Many people write to tell me how God Stories affected them and they often share their own stories.  I also collect stories from my website: JenniferSkiff.com, for future books.  So people can submit God and Dog stories there.

 This book is resonating with people because many keep their feelings of love about their dogs to themselves. They’re afraid other people will judge them.  This book shows them they’re not alone.  And when you meet people who understand you, you want to talk to them!

 

Bio:  Jennifer Skiff is an award-winning television producer, journalist and author. Her #1 Inspirational and #1 Spiritual bestseller, God Stories: Inspiring Encounters with the Divine is published in seven languages.

For more than a decade Jennifer traveled the world working as an investigative environmental correspondent for CNN. Her programs promoting animal welfare have aired on The Discovery Channel and networks globally. Among other honors, she's received the prized Environmental Media Award.

Passionate about animals and their welfare, Jennifer works with charities throughout the world to bring relief to abused and abandoned animals. Jennifer is Trustee of the Dogs' Refuge Home in Australia and is a Director of the SPCAHC and Pilots N Paws in the United States.

 

Alesia and Coco, shortly after we moved into this house in 2005.

Brendan and Paul

Not only did it not rain today, it was sunny and hot.

 

Bruce took me and the kids and that was nice, because while I was waiting to read, he walked around the book festival with them. Michael got to eat his first funnel cake.

 

Right before I read, I watched a man changing his baby’s diaper on the ground right next to the path where everyone was walking. He had her on a mat, thank goodness. The really funny part was that this sweet little baby girl had just tee tee’d in her diaper and he used about 6 baby wipes on her bottom. He must use a whole box of them for a poopy diaper!

 

The reading today was more fun – I wasn’t competing with televised football games – but I only sold a grand total of one book. However, another woman told me she had adopted a child, this time from South America. Yesterday, a lady told me she had adopted her children. I said oh, from Russia? And she replied, no, from Texas!

 

We went to a late lunch at Fuddruckers, then I grocery shopped and picked up the unsold books.

 

I finally had a grand total of ONE HOUR to myself, late this afternoon, and I continued reading Wally Lamb’s The Hour I first Believed. Good book, but rather painful to read, as the main character’s wife is at Columbine High during the massacre.

 

We watched the movie Inkheart tonight. Really interesting. I don’t know why the critics didn’t like it. It’s a good movie for kids to see. The kids and I enjoyed it, and even Bruce watched. It also stars Brendan Fraser and Paul Bettany, two guys I love to watch, because, well, they're excellent actors [cough, cough]...

 

Mother did a funny post about the horrors of stockings and girdles, on her blog. You can check it out here. Happy Labor Day!

Decatur Book Festival News

I was too exhausted to write last night. It was a really interesting day, however.

 

Lesleigh came over about 9:15 and we headed off to downtown Decatur. It’s a little town about 20-30 minutes east of Atlanta. In recent years, the crumbling downtown area has been revitalized with little boutiques, restaurants and bars, and pricey condos. I’ve gone there to the courthouse many times.

 

The old courthouse is right in front of the new courthouse, and it’s a small but park-like setting. The book festival meant there were streets blocked off and booths set up everywhere. There were also many places around there to hear speakers.

 

Les and I dropped off my books to be sold at the Emerging Authors pavilion, and headed off to a nearby church, to hear Mary Kay Andrews and Haywood Smith. The church was packed, mostly with folks middle aged and older, and there were few men. Both ladies just talked informally and took questions. They were hilariously funny. I had never even heard of Haywood Smith, but I am going to get one of her books.

 

After that, we headed over to Starbucks for some coffee and a nosh, and chatted. I hadn’t had a chance to visit with Les in a while, and she is a dear friend, and my third cousin on Daddy’s side.

 

We left Starbucks and wandered around, looking at displays, then headed back to the church to hear Diana Gabaldon, one of my favorite authors. Well, when we got across the street from the church, there was a huge line of people, stretching down the block. Now way would we have been able to see her – the church only holds maybe 300 people.

 

We decided instead to go to the only place nearby that had what sounded like an interesting speaker, and went to the Decatur library to hear a college professor talk about two books she wrote about Eudora Welty. It was not nearly as interesting or funny, but it was informative. It got us out of the rain. It was sprinkling, off and on.

 

We headed next for Twain’s Billiards and Tap, where I was to speak at the Local Prose stage. Twains is a huge, funky place, and we had a good lunch. I had eggs and toast and Les had country fried steak. We split a basket of French fries, which had been tossed in garlic and parsley and were delicious.

 

My speaking experience at Twains was rather disappointing. I did fine, but there were less than a dozen people listening to me. There was a tiny stage in the corner of the restaurant and I had to compete with the clatter of food being served, two different televised football games, and the noise form the billiards area. Most of the people listening were just other authors waiting to speak. Les said I did well and wasn’t boring, and frankly a lot of the authors were boring – they read in a monotone, or couldn’t be heard. The guy right before me was a Methodist minister and he was good. The lady who read before him was beautiful, but spoke in a monotone and read too much, and one point pinching off her nose to read in what she thought sounded like a child’s voice. That was weird.

 

We left there and headed back to the Emerging Authors area, and I just took my books and left. Didn’t sell any. No big surprise. There were many authors’ books on the tables, and folks had to go in there were the speakers were speaking, to get to the books. They took breaks for folks to browse, but it was still off the beaten path for most folks. It would’ve been better to set up the book sales area outside the speaking area, I think.

 

When we got home I was utterly exhausted. Michael was off roller skating with friends. Alesia had been housebound all day, and had cleaned up and helped me get dinner started, and really been a sweetie, so I went out with her to drive. She had been lamenting her lack of practice driving. I always feel like saying “My nerves can’t take much of it!” which is a southern way of saying “Man, that stresses me out!” but I have refrained, and simply cited time constraints, which are many. She did fine, except for missing one turn, and nearly running into a back of a car because of fiddling with the sun visor. We’ve completed about 5 hours of the 40 required before she can get her regular license. Let’s hope my nerves can take some more practice..

 

Bruce came in about 6:30, and we had a barbeque dinner, with also some fresh sliced veggies and cantaloupe. He eats a lot, but he eats pretty healthy stuff. He has lost some weight. He has been back from Iraq since about March. He is getting his house in Columbia ready to rent, so he can take some sort of Federal job somewhere – we don’t hear much about the job, but we get short reports on the house. Unlike me, he is a very private person.

 

We ended the evening watching the movie Red Dawn, which was fun to watch with Bruce because he sat there and pointed out the inaccuracies of the military stuff onscreen.

 

Today, more book festival. I am hoping it doesn’t rain…

Books, Pit Hair, and Tater Tots

Another day has slipped by and it has been so packed full there's no time to write.

I got my new glasses today - that's the only noteworthy thing. I am relieved to have prescription glasses that are new and improved, but dang the bifocals are driving me nuts. I find myself bobbing my head like a maniac, trying to look out of the non-blurry vision lens.

I am gearing up for my appearance at the Decatur Book Festival this weekend. I am speaking at two different events, plus they are selling books for me, and there are speakers I want to hear, like Diana Gabaldon. I don't know how it's going to all work out, plus I have to do mundane things like buy groceries and get my computer worked on.

I made a little display poster today, and I am planning my display of books. I only get a space 1 foot by 2 feet, so very little room on the table. I am hoping all the other authors find the space limit a challenge. At least I don't have to stay there and sell them, there are volunteers for that.

I am taking these eye drops 4 times a day for my conjunctivitis, and today I accidentally got some of the eye drop in my mouth. It's Prednisolone, a steroid. Man that stuff tastes NASTY!! Yikes. Hope nothing weird happens as a result...

My son told me last night he has hair under his arms. He insisted on it. He got angry when I said I couldn't see it. I saw nothing, not even peach fuzz. I finally examined his armpit with a magnifying glass, just to get him to hush. No hair. He insists it's blonde and it's invisible. Let's hope it stays that way. The irony is, he has some dark hairs on his legs, but he's not looking ape-like just yet, knock wood.

My kids screamed and carried on so the other day in the grocery store when they saw Tater Tots, I bought a bag. I cooked the whole bag tonight. The kids didn't eat that many. They were not that good, IMHO. I remembered Tater Tots as being crispy outside and soft inside. These were not. A couple of tots fell on the floor and Coco wasn't interested in them. That's a bad sign.

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I found the funniest blog post. I am the daughter and granddaughter and niece of teachers. Lots of them in my family. So this post from Country Fried Mama really tickled me.

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I extended the prize donation time on the raffle for Antares to September 15th. HOWEVER, if you donate any time during the months of September you are automatically eligible to win!! I'll post photos of the prizes soon. I have some really nice things. It's so exciting.

Crowded Days

Even though I am only working part-time, the days have suddenly become very crowded. Don't get me wrong - I like the new job a lot. I just have to become more time-efficient, is all.

As soon as I picked up Michael from school, the marathon started. I had to do the following between then and now:

- Help mother with a computer issue, which I ultimately couldn't resolve;

- Put away my clean clothes - sitting in the basket for 2 days.

- Pick tomatoes - we are overrun with them.

- Help Michael with his homework - more than 2 hours of it! Yikes. I now know more than I ever wanted to know about Saturn.

- Finish dinner and clean up - Alesia started it by baking the main dish, chicken and rice, but I fixed big salads and leftover eggplant for me and Mother;

- Help Mom with a piece she's written for Goodreads;

- Watch the first half of the movie 1776, and discuss it with Alesia, who is studying American history.

Maybe it doesn't sound like a lot to you, but it's a lot. There are still things I haven't gotten around to doing, like balancing my checkbook and paying some bills. That's why God invented lunch hours, I suppose. Plus tomorrow I need to pick up my new glasses.

I am appearing this weekend at the Decatur Book Festival. I am trying to figure out how to put together a book display. There are lots of big name authors, like Lee Child, Diana Gabaldon, Mary Kay Andrews and Edward Hirsch. There's also Kathryn Stockett, whose first novel The Help was just amazingly good. Mother and I both read it and couldn't put it down.

I hope if you're in the Atlanta area you will come on over to the book festival. You can take MARTA if you don't want the hassle of parking. 

Slug Saturday

I have been a useless slug all day. Slept late. Didn't do anything useful all day except water the gardens.

I left the house only once, to take the kids to our favorite local all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. On the way home we picked up a Wendy burger for Granny. She isn’t big on Chinese buffets.

 

The kids like this particular buffet because they can get sushi, as well as the standard dishes, chicken on a skewer, eggrolls, etc. It’s a pretty eclectic buffet. Michael mixed up wasabi and soy sauce and dipped his first sushi roll into it, and chewed with a look of pain on his face and tears in his eyes. “That’s not even hot,” he said slowly. Alesia laughed. “Michael I can SEE the tears in your eyes!” she said accusingly. “No, not hot, “ he insisted.

 

The game was on. Wasabi was flying.

 

I finally said “Look, enough. This is supposed to be a nice lunch, not an endurance contest.

 

Michael had eaten an entire plate full of food after a while, and he said “My stomach isn’t even FULL. I need MORE.”

 

“Have at it. Eat whatever you want,” I encouraged him, knowing we would have a nutritious dinner. He cannot be filled up any more.

 

Alesia ate heartily, then came home and took a nap. Michael read, and I read.

 

At 5:45, the power went off, for 30 minutes. Yuck. I was praying the entire time. It’s too hot to be without power. The high today was close to 90, and the same thing is forecasted for tomorrow.

 

I was able to pick enough green beans from my garden to serve with dinner tonight. That makes me incredibly edibly happy. Michael ate all of his soup and salad at dinner, then informed me he couldn’t hold anything else, especially not the green beans I had given him in a small bowl. I was taken aback. He loves green beans. “I really don’t like these homegrown beans, Mom,” he finally admitted.

 

He prefers Del Monte Blue Lake green beans to homegrown beans! Aaargh!

 

My corn is getting growths on it that likely will turn into CORN! Not just any corn either, silver queen  – the absolute best corn of all time. I cannot wait. I planted almost 20 corn plants and about 16 are thriving. Mother said I had to make sure there was cross pollination. Well how on earth do I do that? I can’t tell male plants from female plants.

 

How come wonderful corn has to come from cross pollination? Why can’t it just come from a test tube?!  My corn plants have to get it on, right out there in the side yard?! I hope they’ve been doing it, quietly of course. They’re behind a privacy fence, so not visible from the street.  I want to eat my own corn at least once this summer.

 

Maybe I ought to put a boombox out there and put on some Barry White music, hope they feel the magic in the moonlight…

 

 

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Weeks ago, I signed on to be part of the Decatur Book Festival – “The largest independent book festival in the nation.” I had no idea of how big it is, or who would be there. Now, I feel scared and humbled. Peruse this list and tell me it’s not amazing. On that long list of distinguished authors, there’s me. Like a real author. I don’t like the expression “OMG” but that’s what went through my mind when I saw that list. Mary Kay Andrews will be there. Rick Bragg. Nathalie Dupree. And me. I will be the enormous sweaty blob of terror trying to locate all the bathrooms and stay near them.

 

I will be reading and talking on one day, and signing books another day. I need to get it figured out. I only have 15 minutes to talk. I imagine they will stuff a sock in my mouth and boot me off the stage when they find out I am incapable of stopping after that amount of time. Heck, I will barely be warmed up by then.

Cheering Myself Up

It’s been a very blah day. I am not in a good mood. Be warned.

 

I finished The Fixer Upper, which was excellently entertaining, but ended rather abruptly. I wanted to read more. I guess that’s the sign of a good author. Or perhaps Mary Kay Andrews was just sick of writing. Who knows.

 

Mother needed a pedicure, so I took us all to the mall. Alesia agreed to push her around the mall in exchange for a pedicure of her own. I read while they did that. I don't like pedicures. The thought of someone touching my feet makes me shudder. I have hobbit-like feet which should remain encased in Crocs at all times while in public.

 

We then went to the book store. Alesia found several books. I was glad she wanted books, since she got Sims games for her birthday and she already has spent serious computer time engrossed in the Sims. I do not understand why virtual people are so fascinating, but it’s fairly harmless entertainment.

 

We had lunch at a little Mexican restaurant where the food is very reasonable. I was ticked they didn’t have the TV on today. Our waitress also appeared to have the IQ of guacamole. She spoke perfectly fine English. We had to repeat every order 3 times, though. The funniest thing was that Mother ordered a Dos Equis. [That’s a beer, for you teetotalers.] When she had finished writing down the food order Mother said, “Don’t forget my Dos Equis!” and the waitress replied “OK, you want two eckees!” Alesia intervened. “No, Dos Equis is a beer! She only wants one!” When she had walked off, we all sat there giggling.

UPDATE ON THE BOOK

 

I finally received my bookmarks I had made to put in my books. They look very spiffy. I wish I had gotten them sooner, though.

 

I also got started on the postcards. I am sending promotional postcards to 66 of my nearest and dearest, many of whom have not seen or heard from me in years. I must confess, about half a dozen are going to attorneys I worked for in the past, not because I think they will buy a book, but because they always treated me like I was an idiot. I wanted them to know I’ve written and published a book. It’s a teeny weeny revenge. Being a paralegal can be really frustrating at times, because the good ol’ boys want to treat you like a bimbo or a moron. I have worked for a lot of good ol’ boys. At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, are attorneys who expect me to know everything they know, and practice law without a license. Encountering a semi-normal lawyer is rare.

 

I checked on sales of my books late this afternoon and it was discouraging. I am not selling as many books as I had hoped. I have been doing everything I know to do to promote the book. I just don’t seem to be getting anywhere, despite help from great buddies like Julia, Cindy B and Cindy L, and Martha over at rainbowkids.

 

I am also creaky with arthritis today. And I miss Michael. And all my squash plants are dead, for reasons I cannot guess. My feet itch! I need to balance my checkbook and I’d rather set my hair on fire! Aaaargh!

 

So, in an effort to cheer myself up, I’m announcing

 

A CONTEST!!

 

I saw this photo on my friend Nic’s Facebook photos page and thought, this little lady has the cutest expression on her face. The person who comes up with the funniest caption for this photo will win a free copy of my book. I will not judge the entries, to be fair. I will let Alesia and Mother tell me which one they think is funniest or most clever. So study on this photo and leave me a comment with your best shot at a funny/cute/clever caption! Winner announced Sunday. Contest closes at midnight on Saturday June 12 at midnight EST.

The Finding Prayer

It occurred to me as I typed the title to this post that it sounds faintly Amish, so I thought I'd throw in a photo of a really  cool Amish quilt. I wish I could quilt. When I get a needle and thread, however, there's a lot of cursing and the result always looks like something crafted by a 2 year old.

More items were crossed off the To Do list, but it was an uphill battle. I had business stuff to attend to, and personal.

 

I found the insurance papers, praise God. Mother said the Finding Prayer for me to find the insurance papers. We believe in praying if you can’t find something. Years ago, my aunt dropped a sewing needle in some high shag carpet, and it disappeared. She was scared one of her babies would step on the needle and get really hurt. Memaw was there, and she said the Finding Prayer and they found the needle.

 

I am saying the Finding Prayer every day, for me to find a new job.

 

My room is once again a disaster area. It stayed clean briefly…

 

I am running an ad on Facebook to promote my book Adopting Alesia. It’s not too expensive, and I think it’s good value for marketing dollars, considering how many people are on Facebook.

 

I was also delighted to see my article on rainbowkids.com, "The Writing of Adopting Alesia". I already had emails from several folks saying they saw the article. One was from a single woman who has been thinking of adopting for a long time but not gotten the courage to get it done. I hope I can inspire her to go ahead and pursue adoption, whether domestic or foreign, it doesn’t matter to me.

 

 

Alesia had a therapy appointment today. She was very overwrought this morning and we had a dramatic scene with yelling and slamming doors. I know it’s par for the course with teenaged girls, but I hate that sort of drama. The therapist was able to get her calmed down, and it was a productive session. I see so many signs of Alesia maturing, but it’s like for every 2-3 steps forward there’s at least one step back.

 

Alesia opened her birthday presents late this afternoon, even though her birthday is not until tomorrow. Michael leaves for camp early tomorrow morning, so I asked her to open them today, and of course she didn’t mind. We also had her cake after dinner. She had pilmeni for dinner, which is her favorite Russian comfort food. I got her clothes, computer games [Sims 2 and 3] and a few pieces of jewelry. She tried the perfume, but was ambivalent about whether or not she likes it. [No matter; I still like the story!]

 

I attempted to make Szechuan beef for me and Mother for dinner. It had a lot of pepper flakes in it and was a bit too spicy. I completely forgot garlic [attack of the Home Brain again!]. Next time I will do it better. I need to find some of that ginger in a tube you can get at the grocery store. Last time I looked they were out. I also need to buy fresh garlic. We seem to use it up at an alarming rate around here. We don’t have any vampires though! [hahaha]

Garlic rocks.

Missing My Babies

Tomorrow is the first day of July. YAY! I have already flipped both calendars to July. June was not a great month in so many ways, chief among them because I was laid off, of course.

 

My brother got in pretty late last night, and we had a short visit before everyone headed off to bed. This morning, I was the first one up, as always, and out the door to water the garden. I made a cup of tea and was eating some cereal before the Major even came downstairs. Highly unusual, but he had a long day yesterday.

 

Within a short time, the kids were packed and headed off to the North Georgia mountains to camp at Amicalola Falls State Park. Being a mom, even though Bruce assured me there was plenty of food and water in the truck, I had to do certain things. I had to interrogate him about his medical kit. I had to pack a small backpack with apples, oranges, bottles of water, and a sleeve of Ritz crackers. I had to pack extra towels and light blankets in a bag with extra flashlights, soap, a small sewing kit, and salt and pepper. I went over the packing list with Michael. I checked his bag. When he wasn’t looking, I slipped his pocket knife, camera, and a yoyo into his backpack.

 

I pulled Alesia aside and told her to look after Michael and be a little mommy if he needed her. I pulled Michael aside and told him if Bruce wasn’t around [like in the shower or the bathroom] to look after Alesia and protect her. I pulled Bruce aside and quietly told him that Michael needs lots of hugs and Alesia is afraid of the dark. I told all of them to look after each other. Am I nervous? Anxious? No. Of course not.

 

Well, not until after they left. Then Mother decides to tell me that Bruce said he would only tell the kids one rule: if they see a bear, get under the truck. Huh? A BEAR? He took my babies out where there are BEARS???!!  I was sorely tempted to drink my lunch out of the Harvey’s Bristol Crème bottle I have stashed away. [I didn’t though! Nothing but cooking wine has touched my lips in more than 4 years.]

 

Now, I won’t say I miss the kids, but look at the photo below of Coco. The look on her face is exactly how I feel. I miss my babies. The house is way too quiet.

 

I spent the afternoon working on book marketing and talking to a couple of different friends on the phone. For dinner, Mother and I split the leftover shrimp dip from the party and some leftover beef stew from last night. We watched CNN and the coverage of Michael’s Jackson’s death spectacle. Obviously he was super talented, but now it’s coming out how screwed up he was also. What a tragedy. I just hope and pray his children stay together and wind up in a loving home.

 

Bruce called late this afternoon. I talked to both the kids. They had their campsite set up and everything was going well. I could hear in their voices that they are having fun. I just hope they can sleep tonight.

 

When Michael was with his birthmom and they were homeless I know he slept outside a lot. I hope the camping experience doesn’t bring back bad memories.

 

Alesia took this photo of Mike the other day and I just love it. He was at the pool, and happy.

 

 

Here are a couple of photos Alesia made at the aquarium a couple of weeks ago. Top - Anya, Alesia, and Frank's wife Laura. Bottom, Mike and his friend Clay.

 

My friend Cindy posted a lovely review of my book on her blog. Check it out. Thanks, Cindy! Also, my friend Julia posted a nice review on her site, Brainella. Thanks!! Blessed are the current and former librarians!

A Small Favor

I know some of you out there are reading Adopting Alesia, and I am very appreciative of your support. There are a couple of lovely reviews of the book on Amazon, but I need some folks to post reviews on the Barnes & Noble site. Books that get positive reviews sell better. I am still buzzing around the internet trying to drum up interest in the book, teaching myself how to market.

Amazon is still listing it as shipping in one to three weeks. The B&N site ships it within 24 hours. Of course, if you want one autographed you can get it directly from me.

So if you've read the book, please put a review on B&N, OK? It doesn't have to be a long one, just say it's the best book you've ever read! LOL

I meant to post this yesterday but forgot. This is Alesia at the botanical gardens a few years ago.