Upside Down Christmas Tree Story for Children’s Book Contest

When I heard about Susanna Leonard Hill’s 10th Annual Holiday Contest for children's writers, I thought, sign me up! My first attempt at children’s poetry is below. The contest? A children’s story about a holiday helper for ages 12 and under, 250 words or less. Thanks Susanna for giving me a reason to keep writing! Upside Down Christmas Tree In a box in a cupboard under the stairs, Rested our dusty, old tall Christmas tree. Instructions claimed “easy assembly, three parts,” Light work for my goofy Dad, Mom, and me. Dad looked at me with squinty eyes, as he said, “Son, before bed, it’s time to put up this beast.” He dumped the contents about and made a shout, “We’ll get it up in … [Read more...]

What I Learned From Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss at MasterClass

Stuck indoors? Looking for a positive distraction during the pandemic? Check out Chris Voss Teaches Art of Negotiation at MasterClass. He’s a well-known hostage negotiator and ex-FBI legend. According to Chris, “Everything in life is a negotiation; life is a negotiation.” Why do you need this class? What if I told you that hostage negotiator skills can be useful every day? For instance, do your kids want a different curfew time? Try hostage negotiator skills. Your husband wants to buy a fancy sports car? Try hostage negotiator skills. Do you want to go wine tasting for a long weekend without the husbands? Once again, try hostage negotiator … [Read more...]

Wine Tasting For Dummies – That’s All of Us!

What do we really know about wine tasting? Apparently nothing! Take it from four Wall Street businessmen who ordered a $2000 bottle of wine at swanky Balthazar in New York City and ended up drinking and bursting into joy over an $18 bottle. The story goes on to say that a young couple next to them had ordered the $18 wine and were unknowingly served the more expensive bottle. Just deserts you might say? (You may think one who was punished got their 'just desserts' based on how it sounds, but the correct spelling and has only one 's' as in 'just deserts.') Four Wall Street businessmen ordered a $2000 bottle of wine This got me thinking. Do any of us really understand wine? How do we … [Read more...]

Funny Obituary – A Sense of Humor Doesn’t End at Death

If an obituary is an overview of the deceased person’s life events, then Joseph A. Heller’s family couldn’t resist getting in one last prank. His daughter, Monique, wrote an entirely hilarious yet appropriate obituary for a man who lived his life embracing the humor, often at the expense of others. It's too funny not to share! Obituary of Joseph A. Heller, Jr. (1937-2019) Joe Heller made his last undignified and largely irreverent gesture on September 8, 2019, signing off on a life, in his words, “generally well-lived and with few regrets.” When the doctors confronted his daughters with the news last week that “your father is a very sick man,” in unison they replied, “you have no … [Read more...]

MS Got Talent Live Event Oct. 24 @ 4-6PM PST

After months of not being able to perform stand up due to Covid, I grew sad. After all, you need a live audience to do stand up, right? But then I got the call that brightened my day. MS Got Talent wanted me to perform through Twitch, a video live-streaming service. Stand up is back! I’m thrilled to introduce you to the amazing minds behind this creative and exciting event. MS GOT TALENT Date: October 24, 2020 Time: 4-6PM PST What: Join DJ CC Boom and DJ Danga Dang with emcee Jillian Escoto (Co-Host, Valentine in the Morning) for our first ever, MS Got Talent.  We will gather virtually and inspire hope through a variety of performances all in support of the National MS … [Read more...]

Why a Cat is Still Better Than a Man – Author Interview

What is a word to describe someone who has it all? Amazing! And that describes my dear friend, Allia Zobel Nolan. She has great friends, a wonderful husband, a witty personality, and over 150 books to her credit. I had to know...how does she do it? Why does she do it? Author Interview Whenever an interviewer asked Allia Zobel Nolan which of her books she liked the best, she’d coyly answer, “That’s like asking a mother which child is her favorite. ...I love all my books. “Still, I guess I’d have to admit 101 Reasons Why a Cat Is Better than a Man has a special place in my heart for two reasons: It was the beginning of a long and exciting collaboration (seven books and counting) with the … [Read more...]

Authors Tell Stories and Free Book Giveaways

This show will feature six authors telling stories about or inspired from recently published books. Sunday Night Stories Sun, August 30, 2020 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM PDT Use this link for tickets: https://tinyurl.com/SFAP8-30 Given the current times, in a world where all the bookstores are closed, this is an opportunity to hear great stories, learn about excellent books and to support these authors. Six lucky ticket holders will win a signed book from one of the authors. This is a virtual online show on YouTube Live. To attend, please register for the event with a donation of any amount, from $1 upwards. We will donate 25% of the proceeds from the show to support Marcus Books Oakland … [Read more...]

The New Face Mask Era – Which Face Mask Are You?

Did you ever imagine a pandemic could trigger a fashion trend? Thanks to Covid, face masks are everywhere, even on the runway during Paris Fashion Week, part of the designer’s spring/summer collection. Who’d a thunk it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbNysmik7Ps Looks like the face masks fashion statement is here to stay, a symbol of our times. The benefits of wearing a face mask are undeniable. Don’t believe me? Take it up with the CDC!* A face mask reveals much about your personality with over 803,000,000 Google results for “How to Make Your Own Face Mask?” Face masks can be made from a bandana, old t-shirt, bra, coffee filter, vacuum bagsm maxipad, the choices are endless. … [Read more...]