Jude Stringfellow's Blog, page 44

Silly Decisions Some Make

 Without going into so much detail about the in's and out's of independent claims adjusters, how they work, what they do, what they can expect to be paid for doing it, and so forth, I will say that I come across those who just don't understand the game -- but they are the EMPLOYERS; they should know better.

    Independent Claims Adjusters are just that; we are claims adjusters who have for reasons of our own, decided to be independent rather than captive. Captive can be good if it pays well, the hours are good, and the employer isn't hanging over your shoulder to be sure you're actually working.  The truth of the matter is, most adjusters are either remote or field, not in-house or staff, and they work - - ready for it? INDEPENDENTLY...on their own. They don't need someone reminding them what it is they are supposed to be doing.

    That being said, no one is first an independent without first being trained. How do you get properly trained if everyone wants you to have experience before you start? Good (no, great) question. Here's the answer; there are literally dozens of companies who will hire people fresh out of the gate but usually during CAT or catastrophic events such as big storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, wind and hail, etc. Once they hire someone who doesn't have the experience another company would prefer, the hiring company uses these folks as the undercoat for their experienced adjusters. It's a harder harsh way of being trained perhaps because the hours are extreme, but the fact is, people will and do hire inexperienced people, train them, and then either release them due to lack of work, or the person themselves will leave and find a company paying a steady-eddy salary with less hours and less micromanagement - - until the next CAT season!

    See, with CAT seasons, a person can make upwards of $34 an hour, to begin with and then another time and a half after the first 40 hours. Most CAT employees (at least the adjusters) work 72-84 hours a week. The money begins to stack up rather quickly. Do the steady-eddy captive sorts really, in their WILDEST dreams, think that an independent will remain captive when CAT comes? Not going to happen, unless they can negotiate a better salary, more time off, etc. You've got TPA or third-party admins now offering 15-18 days of Paid Time Off, holiday pay, etc, but they still pay about $50-55K a year; which won't touch what 1099 independent can make. There are independents, and many of them, clearing over $200K a year. Who in their right mind would think that person will remain with them as a captive? 

    I just had an interview, not 15 minutes ago, with a captive company wanting to pay me $55K and they had the withal to explain to me that they really needed someone with more actual experience. Well, OK. I agreed. They probably do NEED and WANT that, but it comes at a hefty price tag. The person they'll find and put into that slot will be someone who lied about their experience on their resume so they can be hired. When they get the job they'll claim they were trained a completely different way, but hey, they're willing to be trained the company way...of course, they are; they have NO experience.   When they get it, say in 6-8 months, they'll leave and work for the first CAT opportunity that comes along or they'll choose to find a company that pays more for the 8 months experience they have. Simple facts.

    Anyway, I was cordial. I was kind. I asked specifically what they were looking for, and they told me, and I explained I wasn't qualified at this time. I did however, take the opportunity to briefly explain why it is that they will likely find someone who lied, train them, pour money, time, and effort as well as hope and trust into that person, only to have them leave even as soon as September when CAT season is in full swing. Or, I explained, they can hire me, and I'll stay. I don't need as much as others want and/or think they need. I was raised by a woman who felt that ethics and loyalty were valued measurements of a person's character. We'll see what they choose. I'm 99% sure they'll fall flat, but hey, I did try to warn them.

    If you don't know about CAT seasons and independent adjusters, you may want to check it out. I'm currently licensed in 5 states, and about to get another one soon. I may not have it all yet, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I'll be hired as soon as the first real CAT hits - - so why would I want to jump ship then and go back to work for the people who (a) didn't have the insight to hire me in the first place (b) wanted to treat me as if I had little to no experience (c) would only give me $55K a year (albeit the bennies are good)?  The answer? I don't need a lot of money, I prefer 8a-5p work, M-F, and I want to say I have a job, this is what I do. I could use the extra hours to write books!  

    Some people are silly, I suppose. They'll learn. It really is  ONLY a matter of time.

Photo Credit: NOAA

MURDER BOOK: Coming Along Just Fine. Chapter 20

 I would only say that the book is coming along "swimmingly" if one or the other of the characters had been tossed overboard or something. I like doing that sort of thing. To be honest, the last couple of chapters have been dealing with personal and physical situations. I'm in the middle, which is where you would typically find the start of the climax of the book. My book, like all other thriller and detective books, will have an apt amount of killing, solving, sensual women doing crazy things to get a lighter sentence, and you know, the dog. There has to be a dog. I always have a dog in my books. There is one in this one as well. His name is "Keeper" and he's a little Jack Russell Terrier. Maybe someday I'll have a character actually adopt one or buy one, but so far both dogs in my two fiction novels have been found.

    Last night I finished the mid-way point, and this morning I sat myself down with a notebook (and a real pen) and I bullet-pointed the next steps that would be taken by the characters in my book. I even penned the fact that one of them will die, and how he would die. It's sad really because now I'm over here writing about him, giving him things to say, do, and investigate, only to know that he'll end up on the wrong side of a bullet toward the end of the book. No, I'm not going to tell you who dies!! That would be crazy. He is a nice man, though, and he doesn't die in vain. I'll let you in on that right now. His murder will be avenged and his life celebrated.

    In the chapters I wrote today I knew I would need to be a bit creative and throw in the obligatory sex scenes. I didn't want to be too graphic or toxic, this being a 1930s-style typical Dick Tracy type of book; think Perry Mason level of naughty.  I do go into a tiny bit of detail, but I purposely let the readers form their own thoughts, giving them enough to do so. There is a murder in this chapter, a brutal killing, and cover-up. There will be clues in the next chapter and the one after that.  It's time to bring the pot to a boil and let it stew momentarily while we add the pasta!

    Maybe I'll write a book using a bunch of cooking analyses. That could be fun. The sex scenes would involve dripping honey and maybe some strategically placed peanut butter; I don't know. We could use foaming dishwashing detergent to clean the whole thing up and to tidy up the place before the owners came back to realize their kitchen had been the scene of a murder and romp-around! Now I'm thinking about flaked coconut and where I might want to hang a ring of pineapple. Stop!

    This book, the one I'm writing now, has been really fun so far.  I'm on Chapter 21, I think I'll end up with 14 more chapters if I'm honest with myself. With each having about 1800-2200 words, we can take an average of 2100 and multiply that by 35, so, 73,500 words? That's not going to be quite enough. I'll need to fluff and stuff a bit more. I'll do that when I'm completely finished. I'm just really wanting to get the skeleton onto the pages at this point. I will say that I had a good time bullet-pointing the book out to the finish today.

    The dog and I sat in the big chair with coffee, and I put literal bullet points on the pages of the notebook so I could see what the next events would be to take place. It's up to me to put them in order, put them together, get them sorted, add this or that to them, and figure out the dialogue. There's a bit more dialogue going on in this book too. I have caught myself doing that. I don't mind, I really don't. I think it helps people understand what folks are thinking, they need to say it. I make them say it.

    OK, next chapters.  The man I just killed will be disposed of, found, and his killer will be tracked and caught. I won't tell you what happens when that happens. Then there will be a plea deal, a bargaining chip, and others will be sought. Aside from the main three murders that take place, there is a side murder (two) that keeps Scotland Yard jumping. That will need to be sorted. Hogmanay will be planned, as will Christmas and all the trappings that come with the season!

I really like this book. I do. I think it will be a great find, as well as a good gift for someone to give to another murder-book friend; I have a couple. Both of my murder book people are asking to read the book, but I'm not allowing it this time. I want it to be completely done before they get their eyes on it. It won't be published yet, because I do need them to go over the grammar, and spelling issues, and anything they think may add flavor. I just don't want them to jump the gun and figure out what I'm going to do in the end - - it's theatrical! I'll say that.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com  (Candlemaker's Row)

    

MURDER BOOK: Coming Along Just Fine. Chapter 21

 I would only say that the book is coming along "swimmingly" if one or the other of the characters had been tossed overboard or something. I like doing that sort of thing. To be honest, the last couple of chapters have been dealing with personal and physical situations. I'm in the middle, which is where you would typically find the start of the climax of the book. My book, like all other thriller and detective books, will have an apt amount of killing, solving, sensual women doing crazy things to get a lighter sentence, and you know, the dog. There has to be a dog. I always have a dog in my books. There is one in this one as well. His name is "Keeper" and he's a little Jack Russell Terrier. Maybe someday I'll have a character actually adopt one or buy one, but so far both dogs in my two fiction novels have been found.

    Last night I finished the mid-way point, and this morning I sat myself down with a notebook (and a real pen) and I bullet-pointed the next steps that would be taken by the characters in my book. I even penned the fact that one of them will die, and how he would die. It's sad really because now I'm over here writing about him, giving him things to say, do, and investigate, only to know that he'll end up on the wrong side of a bullet toward the end of the book. No, I'm not going to tell you who dies!! That would be crazy. He is a nice man, though, and he doesn't die in vain. I'll let you in on that right now. His murder will be avenged and his life celebrated.

    In the chapters I wrote today I knew I would need to be a bit creative and throw in the obligatory sex scenes. I didn't want to be too graphic or toxic, this being a 1930s-style typical Dick Tracy type of book; think Perry Mason level of naughty.  I do go into a tiny bit of detail, but I purposely let the readers form their own thoughts, giving them enough to do so. There is a murder in this chapter, a brutal killing, and cover-up. There will be clues in the next chapter and the one after that.  It's time to bring the pot to a boil and let it stew momentarily while we add the pasta!

    Maybe I'll write a book using a bunch of cooking analyses. That could be fun. The sex scenes would involve dripping honey and maybe some strategically placed peanut butter; I don't know. We could use foaming dishwashing detergent to clean the whole thing up and to tidy up the place before the owners came back to realize their kitchen had been the scene of a murder and romp-around! Now I'm thinking about flaked coconut and where I might want to hang a ring of pineapple. Stop!

    This book, the one I'm writing now, has been really fun so far.  I'm on Chapter 21, I think I'll end up with 14 more chapters if I'm honest with myself. With each having about 1800-2200 words, we can take an average of 2100 and multiply that by 35, so, 73,500 words? That's not going to be quite enough. I'll need to fluff and stuff a bit more. I'll do that when I'm completely finished. I'm just really wanting to get the skeleton onto the pages at this point. I will say that I had a good time bullet-pointing the book out to the finish today.

    The dog and I sat in the big chair with coffee, and I put literal bullet points on the pages of the notebook so I could see what the next events would be to take place. It's up to me to put them in order, put them together, get them sorted, add this or that to them, and figure out the dialogue. There's a bit more dialogue going on in this book too. I have caught myself doing that. I don't mind, I really don't. I think it helps people understand what folks are thinking, they need to say it. I make them say it.

    OK, next chapters.  The man I just killed will be disposed of, found, and his killer will be tracked and caught. I won't tell you what happens when that happens. Then there will be a plea deal, a bargaining chip, and others will be sought. Aside from the main three murders that take place, there is a side murder (two) that keeps Scotland Yard jumping. That will need to be sorted. Hogmanay will be planned, as will Christmas and all the trappings that come with the season!

I really like this book. I do. I think it will be a great find, as well as a good gift for someone to give to another murder-book friend; I have a couple. Both of my murder book people are asking to read the book, but I'm not allowing it this time. I want it to be completely done before they get their eyes on it. It won't be published yet, because I do need them to go over the grammar, and spelling issues, and anything they think may add flavor. I just don't want them to jump the gun and figure out what I'm going to do in the end - - it's theatrical! I'll say that.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com  (Candlemaker's Row)

    

MURDER BOOK (Half Way There) Chapter 19

 I am telling you what!! You just don't know your characters until they do something that both shocks you and makes you laugh.  There I am, writing, and thinking this book needs a bit of umpf, when out of the blue, my main character ends up bedding his new partner's mother!! WHAT? It's OK, don't freak out, I don't go into any real sexual details.  The main character is about 40 years old, and the partner is about 32, or so, his mom was young when she had him, so she's only 10 years older than the man she finds irresistible.  He is irresistible, c'mon, he's Nick Posh!! Who wouldn't be attracted to a man with Native American and Scottish blood running through his veins? I know I would be attracted...which may be one reason why he's my main character in the next 20+ books I'm writing. No brainer.

    There we have it, there is something going on in the book that may interest and keep a few readers. The book is about murder, I get it, but you can't have a good book without interesting subjects, interesting people, good food, you know, the whole enchilada. Come to think of it, maybe Nick will make enchiladas for his Scottish friends since he was born and raised in the Southwest! Yeah, I can do that. Right now the two men are fussing over the book itself. It has the names in it of the people who were killed and the names of the people who will be killed. Nick hasn't found the connection yet to tie the author of the book in with who the murderer(s) are yet, but it's only halfway written. I have an entire fiasco to go!

    Writing can be both exciting and entertaining. I find that when I'm writing I'm not looking at the clock, I'm not really eating like I should be. I stop in the middle of it and take a shower, walk the dog, go to the store, and then I don't even remember where I was, so I start reading the last several pages only to surprise myself. I have no idea what I'm putting on the pages half the time until I go back and read it. There's a suction from my brain to my fingers and my eyes and mind don't get to see it or read it until I put the brakes down a bit and go back over the last few pages. I also read and re-read the notes I write to be sure I'm hitting on them, and adding them into he mix. I do forget to do that, and then the great notes I really thought I had to have in the book end up being ready for the sequel.

    All that being said, it's time to walk the dog and get the kitchen clean again so I can make something for dinner. I've decided to eat today. After I do that I'll likely read another Sherlock Holmes story or two in order to release the points in my brain that want to do something monotonous and boring. I need the enlightenment of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to rescue me. He has no idea how influential he can be.  I wonder now if I'll ever get around to telling Eoghan that his mum and his employer and partner had a thing. I don't think they'll have another, I think it was just a thing they did and have between them. Telling Eoghan could upset him, and even cause a rip between himself and Posh. Best perhaps to let adults be adults and not involve the kids - - yeah, he doesn't need to know. 

    Here is a sample of that chapter: 

"A tinge of awkward embarrassment rushed through the darkpigment of the man’s face, burning only slightly down the back of his neck ashe allowed his mind to imagine a thought.  What would it be like to take the mother of hisnew partner only meters away from the man she had birthed? A man Posh had cometo admire and even trust over the few weeks they had known one another. Poshwasn’t sure if his mind could imagine the right superlative to address the stageQueen, but she deserved a response." 

Photo Credit: Pinterest

MURDER BOOK (Chapters Flying)

 I'm taking a wee break before I get back to writing, and I have to say, this book is not going to be the same type, style, or even size as the last one.  I am still going to have the publisher print the book in size 12 font because I think people should be able to read the words without squinting. Maybe that's just me, but I am all but not going back to reading book books, physical books, because the font is set at 11, and where that may seem like only a bit smaller than 12, which is it, it's monumental to me. I can read 12 without issues. I just can't focus on the line I need to be focusing on when I read something smaller. OK, yeah, so it's just me.

    I am on Chapter 15. If you read yesterday's blog you know I was on Chapter 12 when all hell broke out at my house after the computer ate my work. I had put in over 6000 words and the damn thing just stopped working and ate my manuscript. I had the OLD manuscript saved and I had been saving my work as I went along, but NOPE, it was gone. I thought I was going to have a conniption. I really did. God prevailed, and I found the other words just sort of hanging out in a file where they should not have been. I have zero clue as to how it happened, but I quickly copied and pasted them into a new document and then I saved that document a few times. That was incredibly scary and I hope I never have that happen to me again.

    Today is a new day. I've written another three chapters today, and am about to write Chapter 15 soon. I have 90 written pages at this point, but by 90 it is closer to about 150 in the actual book. The pages online are bigger. I think I did the math once and it was like 310-320 words per page when I'm typing them, but when they get sent off to be formatted, there are about 240-260 words per page, and that's a 9x6 page; it may be that there are fewer words on the other sizes of books. I don't want this book, the Murder Book, to be a 9x6. I want it to be a regular-sized book. In fact, when I send off the manuscript of "Of Kilted Pleasure" to be redone, I think I'll have it done in a smaller-sized book as well. I have NO clue why I agreed to the 9x6 for it. Now, I need to go measure the books I like so I can see what size my book will be. I'll be right back.

    Now, I know. The books I buy, or the ones I used to buy, that are murder or mystery-type books are either 7.5 x4, or they are 8x5.  I like either of those better than 9x6. I just can't understand why I would have succumbed to the thinking that a 9x6 book would be OK. It's just not. I don't like it. I pick up my book to read it and say NOPE...I don't like it. The problems an author must face. I know, they are so very very trivial, and I need to not be so bothered. I just think, and now I know, that I prefer the 7x4 size and 12 font.  It may end up being a 400-page book, but John Grisham does that all the time. If it's good enough for John, it's good enough for me.

    Chapter 15 will be really cool. I'm about to introduce the actual book which gives my book the title of "Murder Book".  It is a book about a detective solving a few murders, but there is an actual book where the prominent murders are listed and there are some that haven't happened yet. Oh no! I'm giving it all away. It's OK, even if someone steals my idea I have more. I am never without a good story. The fact that this book will have to wait until I'm flush money-wise (again) sort of makes me sad, but then again, it gives me the chance to go through it a number of times to be sure I've corrected all mistakes, big and small, fat and thin, pretty and ugly. I have to say, this time, I am taking it upon myself to be a bit more attentive in the initial writing stage(s) and I'm finding that I'm fluffing and stuffing more up front too. When I do go through the thing I won't be adding too terribly much.

    Right now the character of Eoghan MacRae, a Scottish singer and songwriter, who has been faulted by his wife, and is about to be fired by his employer, is privately asking himself boundary questions which he'll have to come to grips with either before the end of this book, or at the beginning of the next. He'll end up being a sort of side-kick and pseudo detective in these books; maybe one day he'll even go so far as to get his license and put his name on the door. Nick doesn't even have a door at this point. He travels and is loaned out quite often. Not one to settle down too quickly, Posh finds the love of his yester-life is available again. He may have a second chance. That may be at the end of this book or the beginning of the next.

    The good news is, I'm on Chapter 15!  I will write another two today probably, and another 3 or 4 chapters tomorrow. I'll be at least 1/2 way through by this time tomorrow, and I'll know more about what will end up in this book and what will be carried over - - I think the murders have stopped in this one now, and now it's all about the disposals, the reasoning, the clues, and the gusto it takes to step out of ones comfort zones to make things click!  (Oh, and there's a really cute dog in this one too. Really cute.) 

Bye!!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com 

    

    

Murder Book SCARE.

 I am sitting at the computer now, just thanking Jesus, and really just saying over and over again, how very thankful I am. I was about to have one of the biggest personal breakdowns I have ever had, but to most people, my little fit would have seemed to pale by any comparison. I am a writer. I write. I am in the middle of writing my first murder novel when today, after writing over 50 pages of over 300 words per page, (let's do the math) about 15,000 words, when out of the blue the computer decided NOT to save the words to the file. WHAT? It was GONE.  Just GONE. 

    I use Word, so I checked the three (yes 3) separate places where I always save my work. I tend to save every 15 minutes or so, and I thought I had. I never don't do that. I am, if nothing else, consistent. I was 100%, absolutely sure, that I had in fact saved my work, and it was GONE. Talk about hitting the lowest key possible. I was just really so very upset not only with myself but with the machine I was using, with the software, and with life in general. I was even about to yell at my dog who, for some damn reason, wouldn't stop woofing under her breath at whoever it was outside, someone I personally could have throttled if I was downstairs. I was not. Again, thank you, Jesus.

    I decided today, to get back into the mix of writing "Murder Book". It needs to be done, but for about a month I have not felt it. I have not been in the right frame of mind. I didn't have the same urgency writing this book, as I did when I wrote "Of Kilted Pleasure", but I can at least say that with this book, while writing "Murder Book" I am taking my time to be sure I don't misspell anything, and I'm double checking all historical points, places, names, dates, etc.  I'm trying to do more of my own due diligence now before it is published, and that makes a great difference.

    Anyway, I'm over here writing, and I wrote Chapters 9, 10, and 11 and I was just about to write Chapter 12 when the computer just decided to blank out and keep my words. I have NO IDEA what happened. I literally couldn't find it anywhere. I was just livid. I checked by date to see if I had saved it by another name; which wouldn't make sense, but you just never know. Stranger things, right?  I had not. It just wasn't there. It wasn't on the flash drive, it wasn't on the desktop, it wasn't in Documents. I don't know what the hell happened to it.

    I don't remember what I did, or where I went to look for it, but in Word itself I somehow managed to find a document that looked similar, a ghost-like copy, and I pulled it up. It was my document. I decided to CTRL+A and selected the entire document, then I pasted it to a new document, renamed it, and saved it. Then I saved it over the other document that I could find, the one I wrote a month ago, the one I thought was using to write the last several chapters. This darn thing is more than saved now. It is not going anywhere! 

    Murder Book is taking on legs of its own really. I'm finding myself branching out and doing a bit of the fluff and stuff now, rather than writing it and then doing the fleshing of it. Speaking of fleshing. Damn, I am actually creating a thread that I had no idea I would be writing. It's a little macabre but it goes along with the content and intent of the book itself. It's a side-line murder, one that has nothing to do with the others, but it gives the characters something to investigate, and it gives the readers an insight into the deviant mind of a killer who isn't part of the main group the main characters are focused on; so it's a thorn in the side, but viable. I love it.

    I decided to write three chapters today, and another three, maybe four tomorrow. I'll write the same on Monday, as it is a holiday, and then if I feel like it, I'll carry it over to Tuesday. Let's see, I'm on 12 now, so that'll be 15 tomorrow, 18 on Monday, and maybe 21-22 by Tuesday.  At this rate, the book should be finished by the end of June or around the first weekend of July. I can't have it published yet, so it's not that big of a deal really. The thing is, as soon as I get it done I'll begin to tweak it, and then go over it a dozen times to be sure I didn't miss anything. By the time I do get it published, I'll have written the sequel to the romance novel, and I'll be in the middle of writing Pinball, a book that just sort of came to me in the middle of the night. I have to put it into its place one day.

    Chapters 9, 10, and 11 of Murder Book were fairly easy to write. I've not gone into much detail really, and that's because I typically write then I fluff and stuff.  I am outlining, and getting things set up, but again, I seem to be adding more to each chapter now rather than waiting to do so later. I think the book could end up being closer to 400 pages; who knows. I have to introduce Nick Posh and set up the series, so this book may be slightly thicker than the ones to follow. The Nick Posh books will be written on a somewhat regular basis so I can have one book or maybe two out each year. That's the goal. It won't be hard to do once I get all the other books out of the way.

    I have the trilogy of the romance books, "Of Kilted Pleasure", "Of Kilted Love" and "Of Kilted Memories", then there's "Pinball" which I think will end up being the sequel to "Murder Book" actually, and there is a third that I'm already formulating in my skull -- and then, there's "Stollen" and "1211", and they have nothing to do with either series. Wow. I have some work to do. I need to get off this computer before I lose it. I came so close...so close.  Say goodnight....goodnight.

Photo Credit: Shanon Fagan

Open Letter to Tex

 Don't worry, Tex, I won't say your real name. I won't point fingers, I won't blame you. I'm just letting you know that the time has come (and I'm sure you'll be happy to know it) to let you go, and to stop praying for you in the manner that I was asked or assigned to pray for you.

It's been over three years, almost four now, since God asked me, then commanded me to pray for your protection and wisdom. I believed I was doing so because it was quite apparent to me and the world, that you were suffering, going through unnecessarily hard and challenging times, but during that time you remained faithful to our God and you continued to be the man of the family; until you stopped.

You may think I don't know what happened, but I do. I don't take my assignment lightly, and I did do my research. I spoke with your friend, as you know, but did you know that he also spoke with me? Did you know a few of your friends have reached out and asked me what I think has happened to you? I know you won't be too shocked to find this bit of information out because you stopped talking to them, just like you blocked me and stopped talking to me. The difference is, they gave you up a year ago, and it's taken me another full circle of the sun and seasons to do so. But I did so.

Today, I asked God to release me from the prayers I've been sending and to allow me to fully surrender you and your life, your soul, your person, and everything to the God you and I both know you're shaming through your continued actions. You may wrap yourself in that rainbow with your new "brother" but we all know the truth. It's not only obvious, but it's also really disgraceful. You had a family. Even if you and she were no longer able to make things click, you have children that you have absolutely failed to fight for; choosing to be miles and miles away from them, and with the men you know are keeping you from your blessings; your rightful blessings. Your choice.

Because you've given into the lies I can't support you. I tried. I really did. I forced myself into the prayer closet and remained still, trying to hear God speak about it. The answer was clear enough. I'm no longer assigned to do that. He's going to do with and to you what He does to His children. Unlike you, He won't leave His children, but He will discipline them when they disgust and dishonor Him and His Word.  If you think I'm being narcissistic you'd be wrong. I begged Him to give me hope, to give me a reason to continue to pray. Like Lot, I wanted to see a sliver of hope in you - - it's not there. You are now on a stage pretending to do what you think is worthy - - like Cain, your offering is just not what He commands.

Am I perfect? Oh heck no! NO! I can't claim that, but when I have a question about what I'm doing, whether or not it's what He would approve, I seek the Word, and I don't listen to men who wrap themselves in the rainbow of lies tickling my ears; allowing them to pay for my affection. At some point, Lot had to realize, as I have, that there just isn't enough to pray over at this point. God will have to do what He does. I've lost all respect for you. Those girls don't deserve to have a dad, a grandmother, and a brother on the wrong side of right. You had the position, the honor, and the responsibility to raise them knowing that what their grandmother did was wrong; instead, you allowed it to be acceptable. That only led to their brother's behavior, and now yours. 

I still believe you are redeemable. I pray you are. That is my prayer now, that you'll stop the crazy and return to the Truth. 

Joshua 24:15  "Choose you this day who you will serve. As for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord."  No means  NO now, just like it did in the days of Lot. If you have to lie about what you're doing because you know it's wrong, it's wrong. 

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Changes Made (to the book)

 If I had not made such monumental mistakes in the book before I sent it off, and only discovered them afterwards, I would not have had the opportunity to do what I just did. I changed a small part of the book upon making the corrections; and now, when I resubmit it, the first book will become a collector's item for sure. Let me explain.

    The book "Of Kilted Pleasure" is a Highlander Romance novel. Being so, it had a sort of guideline set by other authors, so that my book, so as to keep up with said genre, would be romantic and even sexual at times.  That being said, I think I may have gone a bit overboard with one particular scene at the beginning of the book. I wanted to catch the attention of the reader and keep their attention. I have to admit, I've always been able to write erotic passages, but that doesn't mean I need to. I guess I sort of got caught up in it, and I wrote it, then I published it. Once the book actually came out and I read it for the first time in print, I have to admit again, that it may have been stepping over the proverbial line...just a touch. (pun intended)

    Basically, what happened was, I was given 20 free copies of the book, and while reading through it I was reading for my own personal pleasure, but realized I was actually not that happy that I had said what I said. Yes, people have sex all the time. Yes, what the characters were doing wasn't gross, or unnecessary. They were engaged with their passion, they were sharing it amongst themselves, but the problem is, I let the audience in on a moment that may have been better received as a fantasy and not as a fully detailed description of what exactly was taking place. There's something to be said about innuendo. I blew that concept out of the water.

    So, and this is good. I realized upon reading the entire book, that there were 12 undeniable mistakes. Some I had made, some that were made by the publisher when I did not pay for their editing process. I don't want to get into that right now, but it actually worked in my favor, because I was able to correct a HUGE and unforgivable mistake that I had made; I had given the wrong name of a historical person who I said performed a duty when he had been dead about 98 years. My bad!! I was absolutely thrilled that I could make that correction for sure. I was also able to make the other corrections, and then today, before writing to the publisher to see what I need to do to resubmit the book, I decided to correct one of the more graphic sex passages.

    The book has about three sexual passages I think, all within the context of being a fantasy of the heroin Aria.  There are other sexual mentions, but they are not fantasies. Two are things that the bad guy says, and they are graphic, crude, and rude intentionally so that the reader realizes who they are reading about. They will not be pleased with his callous and disrespectful demeanor. Another deals with the natural order of things, and just is what it is. There was no need to change it in any way. We all come to that point in our lives about the same time the protagonist comes to that moment in the book. All is good.  Still, there was the first encounter that needed a bit of taming. So I tamed it. It's still good. Don't get me wrong, it's just not in-your-face sexual.

    To be honest, I do feel better about it. I can't stop the sales of the books right now, but when I am able to resubmit it I will. For now, the books with the mistakes and the more sexual wording will be collector's items, and believe me when I tell you I already get emails telling me I have random "ww" in places. Yeah, I know. I can't fix it, I can't help it. I am doing what I can, it is what it is, and no, I'm not an idiot. I just don't have a magic wand I can wave to change things. It doesn't work that way. You have to ask to resubmit, then stop the press on one book before you can submit the other. I'm doing that. I can't stop the global presses as easily, that will have to take place at the publisher level. I wish I had reread the book before submitting it, but then again, the first publisher I hired did that for me, and they intentionally left the mistakes in it. Yea!

    Well, life is interesting, and we learn as we go. I'll read and re-read and then triple-read every book I submit from this point. I'm happy to learn, and happy to be a part of the changes and challenges of the business. If a misspelled word is the worst thing that happens to me in this life, I'm good.

    

    Photo Credit: Peakpx.com

    

Deployment. (Not THAT Kind)

 A few weeks back I had the fun of telling my son, an E6 Staff Sgt. in the U.S. Army, and Oklahoma National Guard, that I was going to be "deployed" soon. I knew it would make him laugh.  He goes on real deployments.  He's been commissioned to do so a number of times, and every time he does, he's gone for a year or close to it. The last time he was deployed he came over to my place in October and he set up the Christmas tree. He did it for a good reason. It was (is) his personal Christmas tree, and he set it up, decorated it, and told me that he would be back in a year or so to take it down. It was his promise to his mother, that he would be returning from the war zone. In September of the following year, I greeted my son at the reunion celebration, a few days later, he returned to my place and took down his tree. Thank you, Jesus.

    My deployment, the one I will be commissioned and contracted to do, will be of a different sort altogether. I am a licensed insurance Claims Adjuster and at the time of this writing I am licensed in five separate states. I am licensed in my home state of Oklahoma, then in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and in Florida. Let me tell you, getting on with Florida was not the easiest thing to do; nor was it the cheapest state to sign up with either.  To get on with your home state you take a test if your state has an exam to take. Study guides can run upward of $100, then there are three-day classes you can take, which are $245 or so. Your test is $65 or $70 I don't remember, but when you get it, you pay for the license as well. It's another $45 or so. That's your home state, and mine is Oklahoma. Yours may vary. 

    Getting on with Florida was like pulling the proverbial teeth. Some states have reciprocal agreements and Oklahoma is one of those states. I had to pay $68 to get the license, and then $50.75 to have my fingerprints sent over digitally, but you can't do that yourself you know, you have to set an appointment and then drive to wherever it is that they do them; for me, it was Norman, OK. I'm OK with that. Norman is my little slice of heaven.  After the $50.75 I had to pay another (additional) $60 for a self-appointment, and you must be appointed. So, roughly $180 to get on with Florida...dang!  Alabama isn't too far off with their $120 bill, I think Mississippi is a close 3rd at $118.  Thank you Texas and Louisiana for not raking me over the coals!

    Anyway, back to the deployment. As a Claims Adjuster without actual experience in the field or the industry, I am subject to being trained in one of three ways. I can be hired as a staff adjuster and be trained by the carrier, or the insurance company. I can be trained as an independent, catching all the free and paid classes I can on my own and just wait to be deployed by someone, or the third and much more realistic way of being trained this late in the "season" (it's actually the beginning of the hurricane season, but late for training) I will be caught up and employed by one of the 40+ companies I am registered with. I will be sent their equipment after I sign a contract stating I will work for them exclusively during the deployment, and they will train me on the fly. That's how about 68% of all Claims Adjusters become experienced Claims Adjusters. We wait to be deployed!

    If you know me, and some of you do, you know I am both an overachiever and I don't wait for things to happen. I make things happen. I've been registering with more than an average amount of companies to all but guarantee that I will be chosen. I am racking up the states' licenses and then sending my updated resumes to all of these companies so they keep in touch and they know I'm moving up the invisible ladder!  I also take as many of the free classes as I can through Alacrity, Pilot, Pacesetter, and State Farm; others offer training as well.  There are many independent adjusting firms that offer training both for their own and for anyone who wants to register on their roster. I am one of those people. 

    There aren't enough hours in the day to take and complete all the training that is available, but I'm trying. The thing is, it's good practice for the hours I'll have to keep when I am deployed. Most companies work either six or seven days a week, and they work either ten or twelve hours a day. After 40 hours you get paid time and a half, and most of the companies start a person out around $30 an hour; it depends on the deployment and the client carrier. Do the Math!  I'll stay on deployment for a while to ride the tide and save what I can; if you do it long enough you can work a year, stay off work a year, travel, write books, and go back to it. Or, if you want to, after the first deployment, you can stay with the company and do day-to-day (daily) work if they have it, or you can become an independent adjuster, get your EIN and work the dailies for several companies. NEVER get bored!

    I applied for my EIN online and am waiting for it, I thought it would be here by now, so I may have to call the IRS tomorrow and get an update. Until it does come in I can work under my personal social security number, but it is best if you can work under the EIN and have a name for your "company". My company is one I've had for years, but I had to let it go and the EIN dropped. At least I think it did. I'll find out more tomorrow. My company is Stringfellow Agency. So original. I was going to call it Reulaca, I have used that name in the long distant past when I operated out of my home before it was cool to do so. Reulaca is a mix of my three kids' names: Reuben, Laura, and Caity.

    Over the past two days, yesterday and today, I've filled out four separate onboarding packages for four separate companies that are all gearing up for the 2023 Hurricane Season.  One company texted me with a happy little text saying "Are you ready for a great hurricane season? We are!"  My first thought was, should I be sad that I'm hoping for a catastrophic event? Maybe that makes me a really bad person. Then my next thought was, I can't control God, but I can prepare myself to help others when it happens. I like that thought better.  I've been involved in the industry since about April, so three months. I've been watching YouTube videos by Chris Stanley of IA Path, Matt Allen of AdjusterTV, and all the others that give great insight and podcasts to describe what a day in the life looks like. CNC or Catastrophic and National Claims have a good channel to learn from. They are actually the first ones I saw! (Hi Guys!)

    I watched the videos, found a few of the "actors" on LinkedIn, and connected with them. Their HR set me up with State Farm's HR which houses in the same building they do in Mobile, AL, and I was immediately put on their roster and started training. They get dibs on me first; I thought that to be only fair. As soon as one company offers me something I'll let them know so they'll have an option to pick me up or let me take the other assignment. One thing I can say, there are so many, so so so many nice people in the Claims industry. It's as if everyone is willing to help everyone. There are Facebook groups to join and become involved with. I'm connected on LinkedIn with more than 2000 Claims people from the adjusters to the CEOs of the companies. EVERYONE is so helpful and wants everyone else to survive and thrive in the industry. You can't say that about a lot of industries.

    When I deploy I will so do as a remote desk adjuster. I'll wear the uniform of my people; jammies. I'll literally move from my bedroom to the office in my apartment, and that is where my setup is. They'll send me their equipment, and I'll hook it up to my other two monitors, and be ready to call people, be called, work claims, review claims, examine claims, write claims, and just be the trainee they deserve to train. I want to be both helpful and resourceful. If you know me, and like I said, some of you do, you'll know I'm already reading up on the processes so I'm at least familiar with it. I'll be sticking to AUTO rather than property for now. I want to start slow, build it up, and keep it going. If I like auto I'll stay. I can this, after only two or three months of really getting into this, I know my car inside and out like I've never known it before. 

    I'm not sure I'm "looking forward" to a "great" hurricane season, but I know it's coming and I know there are wildfires, hail, wind storms, tornadoes, heavy snow and ice, as well as other catastrophic events that can take place. Earthquakes are another big one that can happen instantly and we need to be ready and on the rosters! Before long I'll have another four to six licenses and be that much more ready - - can't wait. Fun times...well, times!! Time times!!  I may not be thrilled, but my bank account will thank me later.

    

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

PRIDE Lies.

 I was these days old minus maybe two when I found out that the actual rainbow (you know, the one God made) isn't a bow shape, but it is actually, when seen from 30,000 feet, a circle. No, I had no idea. I thought it was a joke, CGI, or something, but no, it's true, the rainbow is a continuous circle. Which, now that I think about it, makes a lot of sense to me. God makes a lot of things round for a reason; time is one of them. There is no beginning, there is no end, and that's the reason we wear wedding bands to reflect the love that God has for us as a union; a union that is not supposed to be broken.

    When the gay community (sorry, I can't remember all the alphabets being used) decided to use the rainbow as their international symbol, it was not the actual 7-color rainbow, (7 being the number of completion) but it was the 6-color rainbow, and the number 6 is representative of man. That makes a lot of sense to me too.  That which is  NOT of God is against God, and when they took the light blue color out of the flag, they did so, I am told, to show the more dominant darker blue. They didn't want or need two shades that were so close. That's a lie. They did so because it was a 7th color and they wanted to make it 6 for a reason. The one who commissioned it wasn't a follower of Christ. The man's name was Gilbert Baker, and he was a good friend of Harvey Milk. He was not only NOT a Christian, he hated Christ, openly.

    People ask me sometimes what my views on homosexuality are, and if they ask, I have to assume they don't mind me having my open and honest opinion. It's just that when I give it if it doesn't agree with their own, they begin to call me names that are reserved for those who break laws and are civilly unruly. Sorry, but I make and take my stand believing the Truth, and the Light, and I'll continue to do so. I prefer the Truth to the lie every time. There's a reason that Satan is called "the deceiver" and "the liar".  It's because he lies. We all love fruit, but there was this one in particular, one that didn't need to be shared with us, and there he was, that serpent, that liar, creating havoc. Eve could have had ANY other fruit, and that damn Satan knew it; he lied. He continues to lie. His greatest lie is that times have changed and it's acceptable now. No. It is not.

    I don't remember who said it, but I'll borrow the saying "I'd rather stand with God and be shunned by the world than stand with the world and be shunned by God."  Another good saying is that "Just because 1000 people agree with the lie doesn't make it the truth."   God said it, I believe it, and that settles the matter. The Truth, however, would be that God said it, and that settles the matter. It really doesn't matter what or how I personally believe.  I am, not, not, not going to judge anyone for their choices; that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that some of the choices people make are choices they've been LIED about, and they believe the lie and take on the consequences of their decisions. We all sin, every last one of us. God knows it. I know it. I'm not saying that gay people don't go to heaven, or that they can't be asked to do God's work. They can be. All sexual sin is sin. There's just this thing about "unnatural" that can't be undone, no matter how hard you try. No surgery will "correct" what God has done. He doesn't make mistakes.

    A friend of mine, just this morning, posted a meme that really shows it all if you let it. There's an American electrical plate on the wall, and a person is trying to plug in the female end of an electrical cord into the wall. It doesn't work. It won't happen. No matter how hard you try. Even if you stick something to it and then plug it in, it isn't going to produce electricity unless it is HARD WIRED from the beginning to be what it needs to be. That doesn't mean the cord is useless. It just can't work the way the person wanted it to, no matter how many times they attempt it. Don't believe the lies. The Truth is never going to change. You can literally ask God today how He is, and the answer will be that He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be the same tomorrow. This is the case. This is the Truth. Don't think He's going to change His mind about homosexuality just because the calendar says it's 2023. 

    Again, that being said. God is good. He is good today. He was good yesterday. He will continue to be good. Satan is bad. He was bad yesterday, he continues to be bad now, and yes, read the Book, Satan loses, and when he does, the world will figure it out. The really really sad news is, that Satan is dragging (yes, dragging) people into false hopes and lies that will cause many to lose their souls. Don't fool yourself, of course, gay people can go to heaven, but they live in the fact that their sin both disappoints God and causes them to not be blessed as they could or would be blessed otherwise. If you believe otherwise, you're listening to the lies. I don't want that for anyone.

    I won't beat the Bible over anyone's head. They are old enough to make the decision to be unnatural, they are old enough to read the Book and find a path to repentance. I will continue to pray for people who need to find that path. I pray for myself as well, because I'm a sinner who, without Christ, without my Jesus, I would be as lost as anyone else, and probably more since I'm outgoing, and a bit reckless at times. I thank God every single day for my salvation and for my relationship with Him and with His Son Jesus. I love people. I'm the one over here praying and hoping. I'm the one cheering on the positive and asking that the negative be revealed and not wrapped in pretty bright (6) colors that reflect not only the flat and short-sided rectangle that is but embrace the 7-color circular bow, the endless love of our God; He is truly the only Truth. 

    Why do they call it PRIDE? Think about it. If that alone doesn't make you stop and reassess then you really have been blinded by the false light. It's not about whether or not you have short hair, wear Crocs, own French Bulldogs, drive a Subaru or if you like musicals! C'mon. It's not the crap the world dishes out, it's reality - - and rather than living for the day, perhaps we should be preparing for eternity. Gilbert Baker probably wants a do-over. Just sayin'.

Photo Credit: AdobeStock.com