Kelly Epperson's Blog, page 9

A borrowed back scratcher brings joy

There really aren’t too many things that I have borrowed and never returned. I don’t borrow much in general, except for the old joke about borrowing a piece of gum. No one has ever wanted that back.

The only item that I have in my possession that is not rightfully mine is a back scratcher. I love this thing.

I borrowed it from my older son once years ago. I can’t recall where he got it. Some vacation place. Maybe the store at Lambert’s Cafe in Missouri.

Do you know that place? It’s the home of throwed rolls. Yes, that’s their slogan. And yes, they throw rolls at you. Servers walk around in overalls with piping hot fresh baked rolls direct from the oven. You raise your hands up in the air, and bam, they whip a tasty bun at you.

Throwing rolls may seem strange, but this restaurant has a line a mile long of patrons waiting to get in. If you are in the area in the summer around meal time, plan on at least an hour wait. While you have someone keep your place in line, you can wander to the gift shop. See if they have back scratchers.

If so, get me one. I’ll pay you back. Cross my heart. I have never borrowed money and not returned it. I would like my son to have a back scratcher while he is at college, but parting with this one here is too hard for me. Did I mention I love this thing?

When I first tried it, I agreed with him that it was the best invention ever. I kept in my office and told him he could use it, of course, whenever he wanted. I would keep it handy near me so it would never get misplaced.

Since I work from home alone sitting at my desk all day, the simple joy of a back scratch is pure heaven. The itch always come in the place you can’t reach. Whoever invented the back scratcher I salute you.

The design is simple, yet fine craftmanship. It’s about two feet long. Lightweight wood about a quarter inch thick. It looks pretty much like a 5-tined fork and the tines are curved up at the bottom just right to give perfect back scratching itch relief.

I would venture to guess that the carver experimented with how far to curl up those tines. I would love to be helper for trying out back scratching prototypes. “This one is too harsh. This one is too wimpy. This one is too rough. This one doesn’t reach. Hey! Eureka! This one is just right!”

Being an old fashioned romantic girl, I envision some delightful old guy in the hills carving these and soaking them so he can roll the end around something round to turn up the tines. If they are made in China, please don’t tell me.

When my son left for college, I may have offered him the back scratcher. I may not have. I really don’t remember.

I use it every day and smile every time in gratitude. For the designer and the boy who left it in safe hands with his mama. It would be nice for him to have one too. I don’t think I’ll be visiting any gift shops anytime soon. Perhaps the internet can help me out.

If you do happen to driving across the state of Missouri this summer, stop in to the home of throwed rolls. Check out the gift shop. And catch a roll for me.

(Kelly Epperson Simmons is an author/speaker/book coach who finds joy in simple things. For speaking or writing inquiries, contact info@kellyepperson.com or toll free 888-637-3563.)

I wonder

I wonder if people with the last name Smiley really are. I wonder how much longer phone books will exist. I wonder if kids today make crank calls. I doubt it. They don’t talk on the phone and sending a text message that says “Is your refrigerator running?” or “Do you have Prince Albert in a can?” isn’t the same. I don’t even remember what Prince Albert is so I doubt they know that joke.

I wonder if people who live in year-round sunny climates have tulips. I wonder what spring means to them. I wonder if they have seasonal affective disorder.

I wonder if I will continue to be addicted to Trident White gum. It’s been years. I used to think I would also drink Coke forever, but that has stopped. It’s been over two years since I’ve had a cola. Stopped the white soda too. Never would have predicted that.

I wonder what my boys will do when they are in their 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond. I wonder if I will fill in the nail hole on the wall and paint it. I wonder if I will rearrange my office yet again.

I wonder why I like to wonder. Do dogs daydream? Do squirrels really tease each other? Do the turkeys think they are regal?

I wonder if I will ever get into downloading apps. I wonder if man will go Mars and if my son will be one of them. I wonder if paper checks will exist in ten years.

I wonder why we think we are all guaranteed a long life. I wonder is the mailman will be an occupation in twenty years. I wonder if it’s time for me to get glasses.

I wonder why some days I worry and feel uptight, and other days I am calm and serene. I wonder if organization really is the key to life. I wonder how many pieces of gum I can chew at one time.

I wonder if I will express my creativity in ways that will surprise even me. I wonder if I can do a somersault and not go crooked. I wonder if I will see a unicorn in an enchanted forest.

I wonder if I will start wearing a watch again. I wonder if getting a massage every week will become standard. I wonder if I will ever have long hair.

I wonder if I will lose my belly roll. I wonder if I will ever stop delighting in sharpened

pencils, a new jar of peanut butter, and sticky notes. I hope not. I wonder what the next big thing will be. We have iTunes, Google, and Redbox. What other cool stuff is yet to come?

I wonder a lot of things. Silly things, deep things. I like to wonder and sometimes I wonder why everyone doesn’t sit around wonder, but I don’t get too carried away. My Prince Charming is a wonder himself. He is really great at living in the here and now, and enjoying each moment. I learn from him every day.

I wonder if people with the last name Prince descend from royalty….

(Kelly Epperson Simmons is an author/speaker/book coach. Contact at info@kellyepperson.com

Room for joy

We’ve lived in this house for about a year and a half now. We love our trees and the critters. We made the mistake of putting out sunflowers seeds for the turkeys this winter when the snow was piled high. They then camped out in our yard and made our front porch their hang out spot. I wouldn’t mind except for the plethora of poop on the porch.

They’ve since gone back to their usual ways of roaming the neighborhood and stopping by our yard for a visit and then moving on. It was fun for college boys while home on spring break to sit nose to beak through the glass door and talk turkey. Neither college boys nor turkeys cared to clean up the droppings though.

Even though we’ve been here a while, I am still and always exploring the property. I notice new things in the yard all the time. What’s funny to me is that I noticed something new in the room I sit in every morning, my sun room.

This little room is my haven. I eat my breakfast (yogurt, hemp hearts, granola) here most mornings as I survey what’s going on outside. The trees, even naked, are beautiful and have a calming effect on me. The squirrels have stayed out year round and now birds and chipmunks have returned. We have said turkeys and an occasional bunny rabbit.

When I sit in this room of windows, I usually am looking outside. This is also our television room. We rarely watch TV but Prince Charming and I snuggle here when we watch movies. So then the lights are low and attention is on the big screen. Or on each other.

Rarely do I turn my gaze on the room itself. There’s not much to look at. So I was tickled last night when I noticed a nail on the wall. There is not much wall space in this little room, it is mainly windows. I had tried to hang a sign with the word JOY on the TV wall when we moved in but the spacing wasn’t right.

The only other spot was the light switch wall and that space was too narrow. Said sign stayed plunked on the floor, strategically placed at an angle like it was meant to be there, decorating the floor with joy.

You know how after you move in and after the flurry of painting, decorating, and arranging, things just stay where set them. You don’t pay so much attention anymore. You get used to living in the space and life moves on.

Last night I looked up and on the window wall, in the part that is wall, was a nail centered perfectly and the width of the space was perfect for my JOY sign. We hung it up and it seems to be a custom fit. I laughed because I am in that room every day and had never noticed that nail.

Life is funny that way. What we need, we already have. We just don’t see it. There is room for joy. We just don’t see it. It’s been there all along. I just was looking elsewhere.

Now when I look at the sign at the wall, I am reminded to relax and open my eyes to all that is here, and has been here all along, and I just never noticed. Love, joy, wealth, abundance. It’s here. All I have to do it is see it.

(Kelly Epperson is author/speaker/coach who helps people find their joy in writing their books. Call toll free at 888-637-3563 or write info@kellyepperson.com.)

Power of hugs

All hail the power of a hug

 

A couple Decembers ago, a group from our local Happiness Club went to the mall to pass out Free Hugs. We had signs and candy, and pure sweet love in our hearts. It was uncomfortable as we pondered it and then we all just relaxed. Once the hugging commenced, we were surprised by the welcome reception. Boys and girls and men and women of all ages and ethnicity were open to a hug.

Those in our group who thought that hugging a stranger would be weird were relieved to find out that it was not. Even some who had come along just to take pictures ended up joining in the compassion ritual.

Our stint passing out hugs didn’t last long. One kiosk vendor called the security guard because he said we blocking people from coming into his area. We moved but the security person was new and didn’t know how to handle this happy group of huggers.

She demanded that we show our permit. I didn’t know we needed a permit to hug.

The mall manager was called down and although he ultimately did make us cease and desist, he did agree to a hug.

I sometimes tell the story that I hugged a man in July 2007 who had a big dream of becoming president. Like him or not, the power of my hug is what landed Barack Obama in office.

Recently I was in San Diego for a conference and that night was the first ever American Laughing Championships. I hugged my friend Julie in the elevator right before she entered the ballroom for the competition. Julie Ostrow is now the America’s best laugher. All hail the power of a hug.

Yes, I’m being slightly silly here, but there is power in our compassion. That’s what hugs transmit. It is the human connection.

My college boy son in Arizona was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. Even though he was not seriously injured, the thought of him so far away getting hurt made me weak. As he recounted it all by phone to me, he said, “Yeah, some lady from the car behind the guy that hit me stayed with me and hugged me. That was nice.” My tears of mom-anxiety turned to tears of gratitude. I am forever grateful to that stranger for hugging my son.

My son accepted that ritual of compassion willingly and found comfort. That’s what hugs do.

Hugs convey consolation and congratulations; we hug in sorrow and in joy; we hug to say I’m sorry, I missed you, I like you, I love you. We hug our friends and we hug our lovers; we hug our teachers and our co-workers; we hug someone we haven’t seen in a while and we hug someone we have just met.

That’s when I ask for permission. I may be chatting with someone and when it’s time to part, if I feel the urge to hug, I ask if it’s okay. I have never been denied.

You open your arms in a little semicircle and embrace another human being. According to Virginia Satir: We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.

There’s science to back up the power of hugging. Oxytocin and serotonin, etc. I know it simply to be one ritual where we are giving and receiving at the same time. Maybe that is why hugs allow us to grow.

Hug. It’s a little bitty word and the act has a phenomenal impact. Try it. All hail the power of a hug.

(Kelly Epperson Simmons is an author/speaker/coach who gets wonderful hugs every day from her Prince Charming. Kelly helps people birth their books at www.kellyepperson.com or call toll free 888-637-3563)

The 3 WHYs to ask yourself before you write

Writing is a wonderful exercise for your head and heart. You gain deeper insight and clarity into you, and that helps you serve your peeps and the world in a bigger, bolder, fuller, deeper way.

That is what the world needs.

Love is stronger than fear and when you overcome or work through your own fears, your impact and your confidence increase exponentially. Sometimes the fears are hidden and we don’t even realize we have bugaboos to face until we get to that point where we have to step out and say what our soul is really wanting to say.

Writing helps us find out what it is we came here to say.

Your point of view matters. Fiction writers know that you have to write from a single point of view and you can’t be bouncing all over the place. Nonfiction writers need to embrace that as well. You have a point of view on something that matters to you. You have wisdom, experience, expertise, and tons of content to illuminate your point of view. Good writing includes information and inspiration.

We’ve all read multi-page sections in magazines about finding a slimming swimsuit, how to hide “flaws,” and make sure you have a margarita before you go swimsuit shopping because it’s stressful and depressing.

If your passion is positive body image, your point of view matters and is needed in a world that teaches us to hate or hide our bodies. I saw a Facebook post that said: “How to have a bikini body this summer. Put on a bikini.”  Amen.

What is it that makes your heart sing or gets you crazy frustrated? You have something to say there.

It makes me want to shake some people sometimes who wear blinders and do not see how wonderful their life is, and how we have power to create our happiness. Living a life of joy makes my heart sing AND gets me crazy frustrated that others don’t see how they too can open up and allow happiness in. So I wrote a couple books on the topic.

What’s it for you?

I always teach to ask yourself three questions before you sit down to write – or rewrite. These questions can be remembered as the 3 Why’s:

WHY am I writing this? What is the deeper passion and purpose? What is the bigger vision?

WHY would anyone read this? What’s in it for them?

WHY am I the only one who can write this particular book/story/article?

Those questions keep you centered and grounded, and provide an anchor for you.

We all have a spark inside. For some, it’s ablaze. For some, it’s spittering and sputtering. When you write from your “this matters to me” point of view, it lights someone’s else flickering spark.

Books change lives. The first life to change is yours.

Use the opportunity of writing to have great conversations with yourself to determine what it is that you want to share. Let the ideas bubble up in you. Some of you know absolutely what it is, and some of you still need a little perc time.

Clear your head. Take a walk. Ask the three WHYs.

If you need help fleshing it out, give me a holler. Our writing heals us and heals the world. Let’s get to it.

Smart capable sweet

I was told today by a potential client that my “sweet spirit” shines through. I used to think if someone called me sweet that implied I was not smart or capable or professional. I thought people would pat me on the head and pinch my cheek and say, “Oh, isn’t she sweet” and walk away.

As it turns out, people feel safe birthing their books with someone they find sweet. Writing a book can be a personal, and transformational, journey, and they want someone who truly cares. This shows how we can get hung up in our insecurities, and the conversations in our head are not always accurate.

My boys see a cool car and they say, “Sweet!” Or a job as a lifeguard checking out the opposite sex in their bikinis is certainly a “sweet” gig. And when we hit our stride in business or in sports, we say we found the “sweet” spot.

Sweet is a good thing.

Little kids are sweet. My husband is sweet. Our boys are sweet. When I call them sweet, I mean it as a glowing compliment. My youngest son, a college freshman, is one of the sweetest people to ever walk this planet. His heart is as big as Texas, and I know that will serve him well no matter what profession he chooses, and right now he’s majoring in Accounting and Finance.

Do I think his sweetness will hinder his ability to get clients and be a success in the business world? Of course not. I tell him to just be his awesome self because he is smart, capable, and professional. And sweet.

Isn’t it interesting that the loving appreciation we show others, we so often withhold from ourselves. I’m not alone here. I know many women, and some men, who are very hard on themselves. We would rather find fault that cut ourselves some slack.

No more.

Fears and insecurities and doubts are simply a part of life. We don’t have to listen to them. Make a pinky promise with me right now that we will treat ourselves with love and respect, and if others see qualities in us, we will honor that. We/I will not twist a kind statement like “You have a sweet spirit” into meaning anything other than the intention of the giver.

We are all many things. Sometimes I am impatient, sometimes I am judgmental, sometimes I am indecisive. We are many layers and levels and ingredients. If I happen to be sweet, so be it. The dictionary says sweet is lovely and pleasant.

If someone told me I had a pleasant or lovely spirit, I would be flattered. I think they mean the same thing with the word sweet.

So let me own it. I am smart, capable, and professional. And sweet. How about you? What has taken you a while to embrace?

It’s interesting for me to witness others grow to massive success and the key, besides good business acumen, is being one’s true self. The more people simply be themselves, the more successful they are.

I tell people to write honestly and let their essence come forth. If you are feisty, you better write feisty. Look in the mirror and say I am smart, capable, and professional. And feisty.

I am smart, capable, and professional. And sweet.

Whatever it is that may have ruffled your feathers, look at it now and honor it. Your turn: I am smart, capable, and professional. And (fill in your blank.)

Say it every morning looking the mirror and notice the change in you. Bravo to us all!

(Kelly Epperson Simmons is an author/speaker/coach. Write info@kellyepperson.com or call toll free 888-637-3563.)

 

 

Birth That Book Free Training – Audio Replay

Hey Everybody!

Monday night’s call on HOW TO BIRTH THAT BOOK didn’t have a clear recording and I am told the connection via the web was less than stellar. So, here you go.

This is a “do over” – 35 minutes of my love and lessons for you.

If you want to chat and work through your overwhelm or ask your questions, I have opened up time slots for conversations.

Get your spot here:  https://www.timetrade.com/book/LY8QG

I look forward to talking with you!

Cheers,

 

 

Shoulds VS Joy

Writing is how I love to express. My thoughts explode and ooze from my brain, are filtered through my heart, and then shoot out down my arms to my fingers on the keyboard. That connection with the heart makes all the difference.

We don’t need any more talking heads. We need heads and hearts that align, and that are not afraid to speak the resulting truth.

Every day I talk with folks who are fired up about their business, their life, and their book project. It’s a joy. I’ve also been chatting with some people who come to me with a book idea that will serve or grow their current business, yet the enthusiasm in their voice just isn’t there. They can recount “facts” and “reasons” why this would be a good thing for them to do, but the joy isn’t there. As the conversation progresses, and they relax into their heart, and they realize they are in a safe, nurturing space with me, the energy shifts and they blurt out their mission, their true purpose.

“What I really want to do is…” and then they passionately explain what they really want to write about, and what they really want to do in the world. Sometimes it surprises them that the truth bubbled up. Breaking through the “shoulds” is very rewarding. It’s my job as your coach to allow that processing space for you to come to terms with you.

The dialogue really is between you and you; I just facilitate. I’m good at it. I love the awakening, the vulnerability, the trust that is shared in those chats. I appreciate the gratitude that is expressed. That fills my cup.

Books changes lives, and the first life it affects is that of the author.

Writing a book is a transformational journey. Having the courage to put it out there shifts your posture.

Right now, sit up a little straighter. Do you have something to say? What’s holding you back? What are you afraid of? What are you waiting for? Close your eyes and put your hand on your heart. What is it saying?

I love visual aids. I have the word “joy” tattooed on my wrist, facing me. As I type I can look down and see that reminder to do what brings me joy.

If your book idea does not bring you joy, don’t do it. Yes, writing a book takes some work and dedication, and yes, I help you through idea overwhelm, hidden fears, time constraints, organization, structure, grammar, etc. Those issues are not hurdles at all. It’s just new territory for you and I’m your guide. We blaze the trail together.

If the overall purpose and vision does not bring you joy, then rethink your project. Set up a call and we can bust through the “shoulds” to get to the core that makes you tick and what you really want to write about. Your book is the way to draw people to you, so it works best when it reflects what you really want to do. How do you want serve? How do you want to inform and inspire?

I am the grammar police, and I’m also the language police. When your head stuff kicks in and makes you second guess yourself, I give you words, phrases, and I AM statements to post on your computer to keep you on task, and on your joy purpose. I even have joy tattoos that you can put on your own wrist. (If you want one, send me a note to kelly@kellyepperson.com).

I help you birth that book, that book, the one that really excites you. And that brings me joy

 

 

 

 

Wonder Woman wears reading glasses

I never thought it would happen to me.

The first time I had to extend my arms and straighten out my elbows while holding a menu in order to read that tiny print, I gasped.

“Oh, no!” I shrieked. “There’s a world conspiracy and all the print everywhere on everything is shrinking!”

Of course, I knew it was just my eyes. I had felt some kind of odd pride that I’d passed the forty mark and didn’t need glasses. I didn’t wear contacts or glasses. My eyesight was keen. The eye doctor had told me that everyone over forty would need reading glasses. Everyone except me, I told myself.

It took a few years past forty, but it happened. I spent a while in disbelief, yet it was clear that things were fuzzy.

At first, I would ask my sons to read menus, but then I succumbed. I couldn’t deny it. I needed help. I bought cute rhinestone readers and carried them in my purse for a month before I would don them in public. I know there is no shame, and now I have readers in every room in the house, yet I initially resisted.

I resisted. Why? It seems so silly now. Yet we (yes, we; I’m not the only one hanging on to misplaced ego) resist help all the time in all kinds of ways.

I have learned that reaching out for support is a show of strength. It’s also a sign of wisdom. We have to be wise enough to know what really matters. Now when I put on reading glasses, I get clarity and focus. I smile at myself for no longer being a stubborn dufus who resisted what actually makes my life smoother and easier (and prevents headaches).

Maybe I had Wonder Woman syndrome or the inner OverAchiever of my youth was telling me that I can do it all, I can do it exceptionally, and I can do it alone. The simple truth is that we sometimes need outside help for clarity and focus.

Many times we resist getting help to make our project or business go smoother and easier, and eliminate some of those headaches, because we tell ourselves we can do it alone. Somehow we have been programmed to think that doing it alone is better.

Once you reach out for support, you realize that getting assistance – be it a book coach, a business coach, a speaking coach, or a pair of reading glasses – makes all the difference. We really cannot do much good when everything is fuzzy. Getting that clarity and focus opens up new possibilities and keeps you on the right path.

I’ve had people resist the idea of a book coach. They let their pride tell them that they can do it on their own and it’s a waste of money to pay someone to help them. They take a stab at it, and they put it away. They pull it out again and revisit the dream of having a book. They write a table of contents and the first chapter. Then they let it get buried. Then they dig out and question if it even matters. It gets buried again.

They make up all kinds of excuses and tell themselves that everything else is more important. “The book will have to wait.” Yet the desire never goes away.

The missing piece is simply clarity and focus. Once you have that, everything else falls into place.

Sometimes we need outside help to get that clarity, and support and accountability to help us maintain it. Everyone understands that athletes use coaches to guide them, mentor them, cheerlead them, push them, give them tips, techniques, methods, the wisdom of experience, and keep them on task. When distractions come along, having a trusted advisor to keep you focused gets you to your goal.

Look at how many coaches staff a single football team. The best opera singers have a voice coach. If your child shows interest or ability in a sport, what do you do? You get him a coach.

We can’t do it alone. Nor should we. It’s a heck of a lot more fun and a whole lot easier when you get support. Whatever it is you’ve been resisting, take a look in the mirror and ask your ego to step aside. The fears, the pride, the whatever it is, have not been getting you to completion. It’s time to try a new tactic.

A coach is defined as one who trains, teaches, tutors, mentors and educates. The root of educate is “educe” which means to bring out.

As the book coach, I bring out what is inside you. You can keep it stuffed down in there, or you can bring out your message, what you came here to share. It’s up to you.

I’ve resisted many things in my life. Once I opened up to asking for support, everything broke open. Not only do I have the wisdom to wear reading glasses, I hire coaches who continually bring out from me what I have been chicken to share with the world. Every single time that I face my vulnerability, new worlds break open and I can see more clearly. My vision gets stronger. My life and business grow exponentially. That is my wish for you, to have the courage to get help on your clarity and focus.

Even Wonder Woman didn’t do it alone.

And I’m pretty sure she wears reading glasses too.

I have not read 50 Shades of Grey

I write creative nonfiction. It’s my love. I also have dabbled in poetry and short stories and had some published in the Toulouse Literary Journal a few years back when I lived in France. The only novel I have written was a chick lit book that I wrote as a ghostwriter for someone else. (That’s a tale for another day.) I write nonfiction, be it a book, a blog post, an email, a letter, a Facebook update, an essay, a newspaper column, a thank you card, or a grocery list.

That’s also what I read. If you peruse the tables in my sunroom overflowing with books and magazines, and my bookcase, and my shelves, you will see mainly nonfiction. I love real life told  in a variety of shapes and forms. The writing is great and the content helps me expand in so many ways.

When I was a kid, my favorite books were the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Real life. Story. Creative nonfiction. Laura got her start as a writer by being a columnist for her small town newspaper. I delight in sharing that same start with her.

I delight in books. I’m not a member of any book club and I don’t read the latest hot fad trendy books and I have not read 50 Shades of Grey.

So it appears that my stance would be that fiction writers read fiction and nonfiction writers read nonfiction. Nah. We both need both.

When I do dally back into a novel, I LOVE IT. Oh my goodness, I get swept away. I devour books in one or two sittings. I still am a backseat editor and critique a bit as I read, but if the story sucks me in, I’m gone.

Perhaps that’s why I keep the fiction at bay. I would tell myself  “just one more chapter” and I would not sleep, eat, or work.

My point is that a good book is a good book. We need good books to feed our soul. If you are like me and rarely cross sides, my assignment for you is to do just that.

If you read/write nonfiction, go grab a juicy novel. Embrace it. Lose yourself in story. If you are a fiction junkie, check out some creative nonfiction. Discover the joy of what you’ve been missing. The topics are endless, the writing stellar, and the insights invaluable.

Now when I look back to my early loves, I read it all. I loved Nancy Drew mysteries and Sue Barton books and anything by Judy Blume. I l also loved true stories and was fascinated with everything from Anne Frank to Jill Kinmont to Janet Lynn to Charles Manson.

Books are defined as “a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers.” Books are so much more than that.

What is bound between those covers is inspiration, information, and imagination. Books open our world. Books shape us. Books change our lives.

It is my honor, privilege, and thrill to live among books and the ideas within them. Helping folks birth their books is “the coolest job ever,” to quote a gal I spoke to recently.

So if you are wanting to write a book, fiction or nonfiction, what are you waiting for? Somebody out there needs you to enlighten or encourage or entertain them.

To get your creativity flowing, pick up a book that is not what you usually read. Let it stimulate your brain and your heart. Some of the best self-help books I have ever read are fiction and some of the most cleverly written prose I have ever enjoyed is nonfiction.

Partake of the feast.

Read. Read. Read. And then write. Get going. Somebody needs what you have to say.

As for me, excuse me, please. I have just one more chapter to read…..