Category Archives: Commentary
Have You Been Gagged by Amazon?
Conventional wisdom in the digital retail world is that reader reviews on sites like Amazon and Goodreads are the key to selling books. So when a couple of readers mentioned to me that they left reviews on Amazon and that the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Foreseen
Tagged Amazon, authors, Book reviews, censorship, delete reviews, gagging
6 Comments
Cows and Politics: The Deception of Words
When I first became a lawyer, I would tell my family about my cases. One evening over dinner, I told them about a farmer who sued stating that voltage running through his land was upsetting his cows. “Sucks to be … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Foreseen
Tagged deception, Forseen, language, Manipulation, political campaigns, word choice
1 Comment
No More Nasty Me
I’ve been in a bad mood lately. There are lots of reasons for it. Amazon “lost” several reviews of my novel Foreseen. If you look on Amazon and didn’t know better, you’d conclude I had a couple of friends write … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Myself and I, Uncategorized
Tagged Bad mood, self-centered, serving others
2 Comments
Why I hate books
I’m tired of reading the same old thing. I love to read. I was barely speaking before I was reading, and the joy of discovering new ideas wrapped in a story has stayed with me my entire life. I gravitated … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged books that change you, books that leave you thinking, novels, reading
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A Trend Toward Good or Evil?
A couple months ago, my husband decided to fly the American flag outside out house without a great deal of thought about it. The next day, he put the flag out again. And the day after. Soon it was a … Continue reading
Rules Don’t Excuse Being Stupid
A United Airlines employee assisting a distraught mother whose young daughter didn’t arrive at her destination drops the matter because his work shift has come to an end. A fast food employee is disciplined for the cash register coming up … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged breaking the rules, Foreseen, Fukushima, hero, heroes, independent thought, novel, Rules, Sasha Reynolds
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To the Millennials: An Apology and a Challenge
To Gen Y, the Net Gen, Generation Next – those new and emerging adults in our society – I apologize. My generation has created for you a world that is upside down on its mortgage, owing more than can ever … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
Tagged apology, Baby boomers, economy, excess, Gen Y, Millennials, Net Gen, new world, science fiction
2 Comments
Can You Be Yourself?
We’ve had some beautiful weather lately and with it comes the motorcycles. There is something red-white-and-blue and apple pie about a guy on a motorcycle. The image screams out the freedom and individuality we seem to hold dear in the … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary
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Dog Hair and Life Transitions
My house is filled with dog hair. We have only one dog – Morgan, a sweet, stupid mixed breed mutt. Some of her hair is long, some short. All of it is black, and it blows around the house in … Continue reading
Posted in Commentary, Myself and I
Tagged Andrew Smiles, Foreseen, Taylor Elliott, transitions
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Stories Promise; Plots Deliver.
Lots of readers have been swept away by fascinating characters, or intriguing situations, or steamy tension that allows them to step out of their lives or relive past loves, only to find that they didn’t actually like the book. In … Continue reading →