Getting That Christmas Feeling

The Christmas feeling has been slow in coming this year. Since our freak snowstorm on October 29th, the weather has been more like early October than Christmas. Time goes so fast that it doesn't seem that it can possibly be December again already.

But for me it takes more than the weather to get that Christmas feeling. I get it when I help others. Today, I got it. Every year, a group of us from work help out at the Salvation Army. They run a toy drive for underprivelaged families. We collect toys at work, then go down to the Salvation Army to get them bagged up by family. We distribute them about a week before Christmas. Today was Distribution Day. Mothers and/or fathers come down to pick up the toys and a gift card for a local supermarket. Sometimes, they bring along their children.

It's such a great feeling to know that, in some small way, you're helping to give something so special to families and kids. It's as great a feeling as seeing a child enjoying my book. When I see the gratitude in a parent's eyes, because they'll be able to give their child a merry Christmas, it reminds me of how lucky and blessed I've been in my life. The grousing and complaining I do at times seems so petty compared to the challenges that these families face every day. So many people need a helping hand.

I urge you all to take a few hours or a day out of your busy schedule at this time of year to help out a charitable organization in your community. If possible, get your kids involved, so that they don't take what they've got for granted. Because helping others is truly what Christmas means. And in this day and age, it's so easy to forget that.

Peace.

An Interview With Sharky

Our weekly Sunday Character Interview Series concludes with an interview with Captain Burt Sharky, the meanest, toughest, nastiest pirate to sail the high seas. This should be interesting. I hope he doesn't pillage and burn the place!

Editor:  Well, thank you for taking the time to sit down and chat with us, Captain Sharky.

Sharky:  Argh! Aint no trouble at all matey. Every once in a while it’s good t’ get outta the water inta drydock an’ scrape the barnacles off m’ keel.

Ed.:  I can see how that would be necessary from time to time. Tell us a little bit about yourself, if you don’t mind.

Sharky:  Well, I been at sea most o' m’ life.

Ed.:  Oh, that’s marvelous. Did you start as a cabin boy?

Sharky:  No, nothin’ like that. See, m’ old man were a pirate. When he spotted a ship he wanted to pillage, he and the rest o’ the crew’d get belowdecks and leave me on deck by m’self. I were only about 7 or 8, and I’d set to hollerin’ and whinin’ and carryin’ on. The target ship’d always come see what the fuss were about. They’d see me alone on deck, and I’d shout that everyone were washed overboard in a storm. They’d come over to rescue me, and m’ dad’s crew would overpower ‘em and board their ship. We took a lot of fat prizes that way.

Ed.:  Oh, how, umm, cute.

Sharky:  Them were the days. ‘Bout the only happy times I can remember, ‘cept o’ course when I found m’ ring. Things started lookin’ up after that.

Ed.: Your ring?

Sharky:  Yep. I took it from a lubber one time when I was ashore. I’d lost m’ ship and I wanted the ring to finance a new one. I ran the dog through, took the ring, but I couldn’t bring m’ self to sell it. Instead, I kept it and stole a merchant vessel.

I recruited a new crew, found a good island hideout, and set about plunderin’ vessels. I grew to be successful and set up a piratin’ empire. I was known throughout the world as the meanest, dirtiest, most rotten scoundrel to sail the high seas.

Ed.:  So I understand. So what happened with Cal Endria and his group.

Book Giveaway

Hi all! Here's a chance to get a great gift after the holidays. Become a follower of this blog between now and the end of the year, and you'll be entered in a drawing to receive a copy of my book, "The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel".



Plus, if you like The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel page on Facebook, you'll be entered in the drawing twice! Click here to go to the page and like it.

Thanks, and good luck!

The Publicity Continues...

Hello everyone. I wasn't intending to post today, but I figured I should. On Sunday, the book was featured in our metro area paper, The Danbury News Times. Here's a copy of the article:

All in all, a really nice article, although I think I made a rookie mistake by assuming they'd make a photo of the cover from the book I provided them, as The Citizen News had done. I should have provided an image up front. My bad. Live and learn. Still, thank you so much, Carolyn Mueller, for a great article!

So now, I'll have to look for some other publicity outlets, including blog interviews. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

So far, sales are great, and the response from the kids has been overwhelmingly positive. It's great to have that reinforcement that I really did write a great book! Today, a coworker told me that her children wanted to meet me and ask me some questions about the book. I'm looking forward to talking with them. Right now, they've read to about Chapter 5, so they're just starting to get into the meat of it.

If any of you are teachers in the Connecticut area and would like me to come read at your school, please let me know by contacting me at the book's Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Deliverers-Sharky-and-the-Jewel/106991556036870), or commenting on this post and we can make arrangements.



An Interview With Hallo Tosis

Our Sunday character interview series continues with the last of the Deliverers, Hallo Tosis the dwarf. Let's get right to it.

Editor:  Welcome, Hallo, to The Deliverers Publishing Headquarters. It’s great to have you here.

Hallo: Thank’ee, thank’ee it’s great t’ be here, too. But, from what the others said, I thought it’d be more fancy-like, don’t ya know.

Ed.: Umm, how do you mean?

Hallo:  Oh, well, er, they said this were a magnificent showpiece an’ all. But t’ tell ya the truth, an’ I really don’t know how t’ tell ya this an’ all, but this here’s a real dump, don’t ya know. ‘T ain’t so much to it. They said the corridors went on f’ever an’ that there was fancy furniture an’ paintin’s an’ such, but I ain’t seen none o’ them things.

 

 Ed.: Hallo! It’s a joke!

Hallo: A which?

Ed.:  A joke. A running gag. We’ve been doing it throughout the interview series. Didn’t the others tell you?

Hallo:  Wha’? Oh, er, um, sorry ‘bout that. Come t’ think on it, now that ya mention it, they did say somethin’ ‘bout gaggin’. It come t’ mind ‘cause I felt like gaggin’ when I come in, don’t ya know. Sorry I spoilt the joke, sonny.

Ed.:  Oh, don’t worry about it, Hallo. Let’s just get on with the interview, shall we?

Hallo:  You go it, mister. Let’s get this show on the road, don’t ya know.

Ed.:  Alrighty, then. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Hallo?

Hallo:  Well, let’s see. You’re prob’ly wonderin’ ‘bout m’ name. Hallo Tosis ain’t such a hot name. It were given t’ me by m’ pappy, Jeremiah Tosis. He has a cuttin’ sense o’ humor, an’ he thought it funny t’ give me such a stinky name.

I was borned in the Dwarf Kingdom. I come from a long line of smithys. Some o’ m’ ancestors was silversmithys, some were goldsmithys. Some were sculptors, artisans, an’ some was tunnelers, don’t ya know. M’ pappy is the Royal Goldsmithy, the official goldsmithy t’ the kin, a right important position.

On the other hand, I don’t have none o’ them skills. I’m the only one o’ m’ folk without the Gift, as we call it. M’ pappy were right fed up w’ me. In fact, he had me banished. So, I took t’ wanderin’ in the mountains, not bein’ able t’ go home an’ afraid t’ be found out by the Big Folk.

Then, I met Eric, Stig ‘n’ Kate, an’ m’ life took a turn for the better, don’t ya know.

Ed.:  What’s the Dwarf Kingdom like?

Hallo:  It’s a place o’ unsurpassed beauty, don’t ya know. It’s located under the Iron Mountains, not too far from Calendria. There are many villages in the Kingdom, an’ everyone lives in comfort, like. I sure missed livin’ there.

The art were stupendous. There are carvin’s and reliefs cut inta the walls. Gold an’ jewel inlaid statues line the streets. The villages bustle with activity in the marketplaces an’ forges. I’m proud that I’m from the Kingdom.

Ed.:  What are your thoughts about the rest of the Deliverers?