Clint Adams's Blog: Live & Learn: A Retiree's Guide to Keep Going

Hi, everyone,It's been a while. I hope you're all doing w...

Hi, everyone,

It's been a while. I hope you're all doing well.

As we all age, our focus may change, our working lives may be coming to an end, but our purpose never retires. It keeps us going.

I wrote Live & Learn: A Retiree's Guide to Keep Going to help seniors see worth where it may now be challenging to locate.

Please visit this interview to learn more about why I felt the need to write and publish this book. Hope it resonates with you.

Thanks for your continued interest. Stay well and keep learning. 

Best to you all,

Clint

https://cravebooks.com/author/clint-adams?tab=interview

BLOG / My Fingers Don���t Go There

���Come on, you know you wanna.��� Oh, the temptations, the peer pressure. I know it���s what everyone else is doing, but, somehow, it just doesn���t feel natural to me. I try to tell myself that it���ll all be OK���once it���s over.

Maybe Lady Gaga���s right���and I was just born this way. She should know. From what I hear, her fingers have been everywhere. Every time I���ve thought about it, you know, putting them ���there,��� I just get all nervous and sweaty. Will they be the right moves? Will it be fast enough? Will I be able to finish? And���what if my Internet connection goes out while I���m right in the middle of it?

Sometimes they���ve rested there, my fingers, for minutes at a time. Shaking. Trembling. Spell-checking. Yes, my keyboard���s seen it all���and I just know it���s laughing inside at me. ���What an idiot!��� it���s saying. ���Just type the damn words. Press ���Enter.��� And forget about it. Smoke a cigarette afterwards.��� That could be the whole problem come to think of it ��� I DON���T smoke. I���m man enough to try inhaling a little���as long as I don���t swallow.

I���ve always been a good learner. I���ll just look back at what everyone else has posted; they���ve never had a problem with it, why should I? Scrolling. Yes, that���s the answer. OK, here���s some from Facebook:

��� ���I���m tird.���
��� ���I hate my hair.���
��� ���Hang over!!���
��� ���Life���s a bitch.���
��� ���Test tomorow.���
��� ���The suns shinning.���

Good stuff, right?!? Wow! I bet they never gave it a second thought. I admire their courage; posting things like that to their Wall. I sure wish I could be more like them. My problem is that I want to tell a story, be more personal and somehow make my post, my story, meaningful. Maybe others will be able to identify with what I���m saying and they���ll realize they���re not alone. I LOVE telling stories that mean something.

At my age, I don���t think I���ll ever change. My fingers just don���t work that way. They have a mind of their own and type what they want. The way I see it, life���s short. There���s stories to be told, histories to be shared and lessons to be learned. This is why I created STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR, a teen/young adult storytelling program; inside, these young people, have much more to purge than status updates and comments.

If you have a moment, please take a look at this video: Stories About Facing Fear, teen/young adult storytelling. Soon, it���ll be retitled: ���Stories About Facing Fear: Danny���s Story��� and will shortly be joined by a second, new video: ���Stories About Facing Fear: Amy���s Story.��� It���s what I���m all about with regard to my mission to help teens and young adults.

If your fingers are feeling frisky, please feel free to let them press ���Like��� or leave a comment. Your support, and interest, is most appreciated.

Until we meet in the real world, I wish you all the best, virtually.

Clint

---
This is syndicated from STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR blog.

To learn more about Clint's most recent occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear by Clint Adams.

BLOG / My Fingers Don’t Go There

“Come on, you know you wanna.” Oh, the temptations, the peer pressure. I know it’s what everyone else is doing, but, somehow, it just doesn’t feel natural to me. I try to tell myself that it’ll all be OK…once it’s over.

Maybe Lady Gaga’s right…and I was just born this way. She should know. From what I hear, her fingers have been everywhere. Every time I’ve thought about it, you know, putting them “there,” I just get all nervous and sweaty. Will they be the right moves? Will it be fast enough? Will I be able to finish? And…what if my Internet connection goes out while I’m right in the middle of it?

Sometimes they’ve rested there, my fingers, for minutes at a time. Shaking. Trembling. Spell-checking. Yes, my keyboard’s seen it all…and I just know it’s laughing inside at me. “What an idiot!” it’s saying. “Just type the damn words. Press ‘Enter.’ And forget about it. Smoke a cigarette afterwards.” That could be the whole problem come to think of it – I DON’T smoke. I’m man enough to try inhaling a little…as long as I don’t swallow.

I’ve always been a good learner. I’ll just look back at what everyone else has posted; they’ve never had a problem with it, why should I? Scrolling. Yes, that’s the answer. OK, here’s some from Facebook:

• “I’m tird.”
• “I hate my hair.”
• “Hang over!!”
• “Life’s a bitch.”
• “Test tomorow.”
• “The suns shinning.”

Good stuff, right?!? Wow! I bet they never gave it a second thought. I admire their courage; posting things like that to their Wall. I sure wish I could be more like them. My problem is that I want to tell a story, be more personal and somehow make my post, my story, meaningful. Maybe others will be able to identify with what I’m saying and they’ll realize they’re not alone. I LOVE telling stories that mean something.

At my age, I don’t think I’ll ever change. My fingers just don’t work that way. They have a mind of their own and type what they want. The way I see it, life’s short. There’s stories to be told, histories to be shared and lessons to be learned. This is why I created STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR, a teen/young adult storytelling program; inside, these young people, have much more to purge than status updates and comments.

If you have a moment, please take a look at this video: Stories About Facing Fear, teen/young adult storytelling. Soon, it’ll be retitled: ‘Stories About Facing Fear: Danny’s Story’ and will shortly be joined by a second, new video: ‘Stories About Facing Fear: Amy’s Story.’ It’s what I’m all about with regard to my mission to help teens and young adults.

If your fingers are feeling frisky, please feel free to let them press ‘Like’ or leave a comment. Your support, and interest, is most appreciated.

Until we meet in the real world, I wish you all the best, virtually.

Clint

---
This is syndicated from STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR blog.

To learn more about Clint's most recent occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear by Clint Adams.

BLOG / Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Jimmy Buffett makes me think of margaritas. Do any of you remember his album (and title track), CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IF ATTITUDES? Any of you remember Jimmy Buffett? Rather than dragging you all down that tired, now congested path called Memory Lane, I’ll get to my point pronto.



How many of you come back from a vacation feeling different? Changed? Inspired? More positive? I hope each and every one of you can relate to these questions, regardless of where your own personal longitude or latitude’s located. For the past year and a half, I’ve been hanging out @ 51° 30' 0",-0° 4' 0" (London, England), and that’s exactly 15 months longer than I’d expected. Somehow, it’s become home. How’d that happen??? Possible answer: Mini-vacations = changes in attitudes. Can you relate?



I don’t know why, but on my last holiday (travel/s: British-English; Christmas: American-English), I just knew something was going to be different upon my return “home.” Looking back to the start of the New Year, I was right. My attitude’s changed, and as a result, so have my goals. I’m more positive, more fresh. I appreciate and respect where I now am, and I want to make the most of my time here. Cheers, Londoners. I don’t take you for granted.



Cheers to y’all. I’ll always appreciate those of you who follow this blog, whether you choose to read it or not. Its keywords (writing, spirituality, humor) will go unchanged, but the blog title will now become, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: BOOKS. It will continue to be my adult (grown-ups, not pornographic) blog. Now that more of my time’s devoted to my teen storytelling program, I’ll soon be launching a second blog, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: TEENS (http://StoriesAboutFacingFear.blogspot.com/). Also, the URL, www.StoriesAboutFacingFear.com, will now forward to that (blog) site. My primary website (for adults AND teens; related to my books) will remain www.ClintAdams.com.



I’m happy that I’ll get the chance to write in “teen-speak” again. OMG, I can’t wait. It’ll be sooooo chillaxin’.



Adults, my BFFs, you still with me? Or you think I’m bein’ a wanksta? Whatever.



Seriously, I want you to know that I’m with you for life, my friends. My mission hasn’t changed; I’ll continue to write about spiritual stuff in the funniest way possible, exactly the way God intended.



So, until next time, stay positive and KEEP traveling…your head’ll be glad you did.



---

This is syndicated from STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: BOOKS blog.



To learn more about Clint's most recent occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE (TEEN) INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear by Clint Adams.

������ ���K-E-DoubLe-oh...Double-good...Kellogg���s-best-to-you!��� ������

Boy, howdy! I may not be no ���double-naught��� spy, nor do I have the movie-star looks of any Dash Riprock, but sure as shootin���, I got me one fine mess of a story to tell.

As an adult, the letter ���K��� only represents one word, ���karma.��� When I was a kid, it stood for my absolute favorite breakfast cereal, Kellogg���s Corn Flakes (of Battle Creek, naturally), the official sponsor of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, my most favorite TV show on the planet. Now, it���s hard for me to look at any part of my adult life without connecting it to my childhood family (the Clampetts). It���s all about our life���s lessons, where we come from and making sense of the two combined. I���ve never been no good at math, but I���ll do my best to add them two together. Just like Jethro, let me do myself some cypherin���...

1+1=2. 2+2=4. 4+4=...4+4=, 4+4 is...well, don���t you pay me no nevermind. Math never amounted to no hill o��� beans anyways. It all adds up to where you are now and how many friends you���ve got���online, I reckon���Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and then some���not to mention how many you can fit in your cement pond.

Seriously, I write this blog now for one reason (my first post as a former-writer): it���s all about storytelling, whether it be in the present or via retrospect. I sincerely believe that if we didn���t have a means to story-tell, to ���get it ALL out,��� we���d all be goners by now. Y���all agree? Well, that���s how I see it. That���s why I started STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR, a student-led, after-school teen-storytelling program (here in the U.K.). Young-ins here, just like anywhere���s else, got somethin��� to say. Otherwise, if they didn���t, would all end up stone squirrely, just like the rest of us.

Their brains, sometimes, is like one big kettle o��� catfish set on high heat just waitin��� to boil over and explode. Instead of expecting to clean up the mess, I say, ���Let���s talk.��� If only Granny Clampett could have set herself down and chatted with Mrs. Drysdale, rather than takin��� the hickr���y switch to her, they could have been downright neighborly to one other. Don���t ���cha think?

Just like Granny and Margaret Drysdale, under any and all circumstances, communication���s the key. Even if it���s rather one-sided, I aim the get teens to tell their stories, to give them their turn���so they don���t end up taking the switch to nobody, especially themselves.

My STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR test project begins (at two London secondary schools) in a matter of weeks now. I have high hopes. I aim to pass the possum at the fancy eatin��� table in peace.

I���ll make sure to write again, lettin��� you know how it turned out. Please login once more���

Y���all come back now, ya hear?

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE (TEEN) INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.

♪♪ “K-E-DoubLe-oh...Double-good...Kellogg’s-best-to-you!” ♪♪

Boy, howdy! I may not be no “double-naught” spy, nor do I have the movie-star looks of any Dash Riprock, but sure as shootin’, I got me one fine mess of a story to tell.

As an adult, the letter ‘K’ only represents one word, “karma.” When I was a kid, it stood for my absolute favorite breakfast cereal, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (of Battle Creek, naturally), the official sponsor of THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, my most favorite TV show on the planet. Now, it’s hard for me to look at any part of my adult life without connecting it to my childhood family (the Clampetts). It’s all about our life’s lessons, where we come from and making sense of the two combined. I’ve never been no good at math, but I’ll do my best to add them two together. Just like Jethro, let me do myself some cypherin’...

1+1=2. 2+2=4. 4+4=...4+4=, 4+4 is...well, don’t you pay me no nevermind. Math never amounted to no hill o’ beans anyways. It all adds up to where you are now and how many friends you’ve got…online, I reckon…Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and then some…not to mention how many you can fit in your cement pond.

Seriously, I write this blog now for one reason (my first post as a former-writer): it’s all about storytelling, whether it be in the present or via retrospect. I sincerely believe that if we didn’t have a means to story-tell, to “get it ALL out,” we’d all be goners by now. Y’all agree? Well, that’s how I see it. That’s why I started STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR, a student-led, after-school teen-storytelling program (here in the U.K.). Young-ins here, just like anywhere’s else, got somethin’ to say. Otherwise, if they didn’t, would all end up stone squirrely, just like the rest of us.

Their brains, sometimes, is like one big kettle o’ catfish set on high heat just waitin’ to boil over and explode. Instead of expecting to clean up the mess, I say, “Let’s talk.” If only Granny Clampett could have set herself down and chatted with Mrs. Drysdale, rather than takin’ the hickr’y switch to her, they could have been downright neighborly to one other. Don’t ‘cha think?

Just like Granny and Margaret Drysdale, under any and all circumstances, communication’s the key. Even if it’s rather one-sided, I aim the get teens to tell their stories, to give them their turn…so they don’t end up taking the switch to nobody, especially themselves.

My STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR test project begins (at two London secondary schools) in a matter of weeks now. I have high hopes. I aim to pass the possum at the fancy eatin’ table in peace.

I’ll make sure to write again, lettin’ you know how it turned out. Please login once more…

Y’all come back now, ya hear?

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE (TEEN) INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.

BLOG / As a writer, no 2 words have more meaning than���THE END.

It was a starry foreboding night long ago now. Rather than the end being in sight, it was an unanticipated beginning, a miracle chance to start life anew. And I was scared shitless.

After having solved the mystery of my lifetime on December 31, 1991, I���d spent nearly the entirety of 1992 wondering ���What do I do with this new information I just learned?��� No not a movie, it���s real; a murder (and its "extenuating" circumstances) that had been covered up by a major metropolitan (San Francisco Bay Area) police department. Although the facts should have been the most unnerving, it was the secret itself that left me sleepless. Night after night I realized in some way, shape or form that the truth NEEDED to come out. But how?

Storytelling.

Having never had any interest in reading or writing while growing up, I knew telling my story myself was the only option, a last resort of sorts. The discovery of the truth represented its central plot. A book. Fiction? Or non-? Didn���t matter. This story NEEDED to be told. The truth needed to come out. I felt wholeheartedly as if my life depended on it. On that symbolic day, July 04, 2009, THE SEVENTH RITUAL was released as a novel for adults, my fifth book.

### ### ### THE END ### ### ###

I don���t write anymore. I���ve told my story; it���s not locked up inside me now. As a writer I was able to turn my own horror into fiction. But it was those other four books that changed my life, those teen novels. It was through that process that I discovered my purpose in life, my destiny.

After having finally told the story of my lifetime on July 04, 2009, I���d spent nearly the next year wondering ���Now what do I do?���

Storytelling.

I���d now like to share with you me new true passion (that also happens to exist as a portion of my Business Plan���s Executive Summary):

***

As a socially-driven (on-site) after-school service to students, Stories About Facing Fear gets the ball rolling so that teens can solve their own problems, by themselves, together. Collectively, these students listen and speak to one another, via personal storytelling.

Across the United Kingdom two debilitating maladies dominate school life: bullying and Social Anxiety Disorder, two mutations of the same virus, fear. Also prevalent amongst U.K. teens: self-harm, self injury and suicide. The statistics for teen depression within the U.K. are staggering. According to the charity Depression Alliance, at least 19,000 U.K. children attempt suicide annually (one every half hour) whilst more than 2 million children attend medical surgeries with some kind of psychological or emotional problem; suicide is now the number one cause of death for 18-24-year-old males.

Stories About Facing Fear was primarily created to give teens an outlet, a means for the expulsion of their own stress, anxiety, anger and fear within a familiar, safe and peer-supportive environment. Rather than internalizing these destructive forces, students are encouraged not only to share but to ���get it all out.��� Storytelling possesses the power to heal. At any age it���s cathartic, clearing the path for all things positive.

As well as being a venue, a method, a means for storytelling that liberates, Stories About Facing Fear aims to remind teens of the fearlessness they were born with, the ability to live life fearlessly; while at the same time instilling an objective of remaining fearless forever. Within our blueprint (for success) is one core principal: the majority of all fears are learned; only a small percentage being natural.

Thankfully, many resources are available to U.K. teens. Most come in the form on on-line assistance and seem to address the standard issues affecting teen life: sex, drugs, drinking, bullying, depression, not fitting in, not being accepted, unsupportive parents, peer pressure, etc. Stories About Facing Fear has found that teens, many times, aren���t immediately comfortable addressing such weighty issues in the midst of strangers; they prefer to start out slowly, with less (judgmental) consequences attached. S.A.F.F. welcomes this approach.

Several (U.K.) teen-issue websites are for parents only. Several after-school venues are off-site and focus on childcare, not necessarily on interaction or problem solving. Stories About Facing Fear is the only after-school organization offering storytelling as its foremost goal. This unique ingredient features prominently in S.A.F.F.���s marketing strategy while seeking the attention of partner schools.

As a non-profit social enterprise, Stories About Facing Fear, is not a franchise business. It is a service offered to schools, with the bulk of the service provided prior to, and during, the first on-site S.A.F.F. group meeting. Beyond this point, students and school staff are responsible for keeping the group independent, student-led and successful.

Stories About Facing Fear is owned and managed by Clint Adams. Clint is a published author of four teen novels that share one common theme: 'life begins again when you have no fear.' Clint possesses a master���s degree in marketing, owns and operates his own publishing imprint, Credo Italia, and successfully promoted his novels and facilitated their accompanying No Time For Fear (teen) workshops internationally. All S.A.F.F. services/training will be provided by Clint.

Overall, Stories About Facing Fear is a simply-run organization with a potent message. If communication is the key to success for basically all relationships, why should storytelling be exempt from this process? Storytelling has existed since the beginning of life, at a time when it wasn���t called entertainment. It solved everyone���s problems then; now should be no different. In the present, statistics prove that teens are starved for a way to purge���in the least violent most therapeutic way possible. S.A.F.F. = a safe haven, a place for young people to be free.

***

To say, ���thanks��� properly to those that have supported me in my writing is a blog in itself. Next time, I promise. For now, I hope you���ll accept and appreciate my newest venture; the reason I���m here. Until next time, as the late-, great Red Skelton (and my eternal childhood hero) said, ���Good night and may God bless.���

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.

BLOG / As a writer, no 2 words have more meaning than…THE END.

It was a starry foreboding night long ago now. Rather than the end being in sight, it was an unanticipated beginning, a miracle chance to start life anew. And I was scared shitless.

After having solved the mystery of my lifetime on December 31, 1991, I’d spent nearly the entirety of 1992 wondering ‘What do I do with this new information I just learned?’ No not a movie, it’s real; a murder (and its "extenuating" circumstances) that had been covered up by a major metropolitan (San Francisco Bay Area) police department. Although the facts should have been the most unnerving, it was the secret itself that left me sleepless. Night after night I realized in some way, shape or form that the truth NEEDED to come out. But how?

Storytelling.

Having never had any interest in reading or writing while growing up, I knew telling my story myself was the only option, a last resort of sorts. The discovery of the truth represented its central plot. A book. Fiction? Or non-? Didn’t matter. This story NEEDED to be told. The truth needed to come out. I felt wholeheartedly as if my life depended on it. On that symbolic day, July 04, 2009, THE SEVENTH RITUAL was released as a novel for adults, my fifth book.

### ### ### THE END ### ### ###

I don’t write anymore. I’ve told my story; it’s not locked up inside me now. As a writer I was able to turn my own horror into fiction. But it was those other four books that changed my life, those teen novels. It was through that process that I discovered my purpose in life, my destiny.

After having finally told the story of my lifetime on July 04, 2009, I’d spent nearly the next year wondering ‘Now what do I do?’

Storytelling.

I’d now like to share with you me new true passion (that also happens to exist as a portion of my Business Plan’s Executive Summary):

***

As a socially-driven (on-site) after-school service to students, Stories About Facing Fear gets the ball rolling so that teens can solve their own problems, by themselves, together. Collectively, these students listen and speak to one another, via personal storytelling.

Across the United Kingdom two debilitating maladies dominate school life: bullying and Social Anxiety Disorder, two mutations of the same virus, fear. Also prevalent amongst U.K. teens: self-harm, self injury and suicide. The statistics for teen depression within the U.K. are staggering. According to the charity Depression Alliance, at least 19,000 U.K. children attempt suicide annually (one every half hour) whilst more than 2 million children attend medical surgeries with some kind of psychological or emotional problem; suicide is now the number one cause of death for 18-24-year-old males.

Stories About Facing Fear was primarily created to give teens an outlet, a means for the expulsion of their own stress, anxiety, anger and fear within a familiar, safe and peer-supportive environment. Rather than internalizing these destructive forces, students are encouraged not only to share but to “get it all out.” Storytelling possesses the power to heal. At any age it’s cathartic, clearing the path for all things positive.

As well as being a venue, a method, a means for storytelling that liberates, Stories About Facing Fear aims to remind teens of the fearlessness they were born with, the ability to live life fearlessly; while at the same time instilling an objective of remaining fearless forever. Within our blueprint (for success) is one core principal: the majority of all fears are learned; only a small percentage being natural.

Thankfully, many resources are available to U.K. teens. Most come in the form on on-line assistance and seem to address the standard issues affecting teen life: sex, drugs, drinking, bullying, depression, not fitting in, not being accepted, unsupportive parents, peer pressure, etc. Stories About Facing Fear has found that teens, many times, aren’t immediately comfortable addressing such weighty issues in the midst of strangers; they prefer to start out slowly, with less (judgmental) consequences attached. S.A.F.F. welcomes this approach.

Several (U.K.) teen-issue websites are for parents only. Several after-school venues are off-site and focus on childcare, not necessarily on interaction or problem solving. Stories About Facing Fear is the only after-school organization offering storytelling as its foremost goal. This unique ingredient features prominently in S.A.F.F.’s marketing strategy while seeking the attention of partner schools.

As a non-profit social enterprise, Stories About Facing Fear, is not a franchise business. It is a service offered to schools, with the bulk of the service provided prior to, and during, the first on-site S.A.F.F. group meeting. Beyond this point, students and school staff are responsible for keeping the group independent, student-led and successful.

Stories About Facing Fear is owned and managed by Clint Adams. Clint is a published author of four teen novels that share one common theme: 'life begins again when you have no fear.' Clint possesses a master’s degree in marketing, owns and operates his own publishing imprint, Credo Italia, and successfully promoted his novels and facilitated their accompanying No Time For Fear (teen) workshops internationally. All S.A.F.F. services/training will be provided by Clint.

Overall, Stories About Facing Fear is a simply-run organization with a potent message. If communication is the key to success for basically all relationships, why should storytelling be exempt from this process? Storytelling has existed since the beginning of life, at a time when it wasn’t called entertainment. It solved everyone’s problems then; now should be no different. In the present, statistics prove that teens are starved for a way to purge…in the least violent most therapeutic way possible. S.A.F.F. = a safe haven, a place for young people to be free.

***

To say, “thanks” properly to those that have supported me in my writing is a blog in itself. Next time, I promise. For now, I hope you’ll accept and appreciate my newest venture; the reason I’m here. Until next time, as the late-, great Red Skelton (and my eternal childhood hero) said, “Good night and may God bless.”

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.

BLOG / Headstones, copyright law, a writer���s workplace...and coincidences.

���Hey, Holger, why don���t you read one of my books sometime,��� I suggested innocently. ���No, I don���t zink zo���too deprezzing.��� ���What are you talkin��� about? No, not depressing. Inspirational. And, they���re actually kinda funny.��� Holger shook his head from side-to-side and we went back to guzzling, I mean, zipping our Augustiner Br��u in the comfort of the open-aired Biergarten with only heaven above us.

What was Holger so afraid of? Heaven only knows. Oh, well. No problem. Whatever. He���s not alone though. Come to think of it, nearly everyone���s got an issue with that particular one. It���s sorta like the ���Lord/God/King��� of all fears; the fear of dying. That���s why I wanted to write the teen novel, DON���T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN (2005). I wrote it as a tribute to my cat, Samantha, for having to put up with me for ten years. She taught me to be unafraid of heaven. I���ll never forget Samantha. I will never forget creating DBAOH and the unique writing process that went with it. ���Yippie-yi-yo-k���(well, you know the rest).��� Yes, just me, the tumbleweeds, the sagebrush and the Silver Terrace Cemetery in Virginia City, Nevada.

Every day, just as the Pony Express traversed its way through the Carson Pass, so did I. I had work to do, people to talk to���except most of the time they never answered back. Nearly every one of them checked out about a hundred years earlier. That���s OK by me, I didn���t pay ���em no nevermind. Back, back, back I went���searching for the most tucked away, secluded gravesite I could find. Right there, on the outskirts, I made a new friend. Meghan Fitzsimmons, my new writing partner, but she never knew it. Luckily there was a bench right next to where Meghan was buried. In the spring and summer of 2003, I���d sit there and write my (handwritten) 10 pages a day. I loved every minute of it. Just me and my buddy Meghan.

On my trek to, and back from, the wooden-gated entrance of the cemetery, with a metal sign hanging above that read,

Stop and read as you pass by,
As you are now, once was I,
As I am now, You will be,
Prepare for death and follow me,

I���d stop to look at the various headstones contained within. As a writer, I paid particular attention to these words scripted in the 1800���s; beautiful poems, tributes in verse. Who wrote them? These words? And, would it be OK to borrow a few? It wasn���t my intention to plagiarize; I was looking to add a bit of authenticity to my fiction.

Months passed as I moved onto drafts two, three, four and so forth. More and more I began to realize that I���d included a variety of original epitaphs in my manuscript, listing real people and the dates they were born and died. Oh, crap. I had to figure out once and for all who, exactly, owns the rights to headstone text. Hallmark? :-) I let this dilemma slip outside my head for a moment, and began to do what I always did whenever I needed to solve a problem. I went for a walk along the paths of Lake Tahoe���s east shore, where I was living.

As I was strutting my way through the woods, a couple came up from behind me. No, not stalkers. They asked where the trail ended. I told them. Then, I don���t know what came over me, it just came out of my mouth, ���I���m so confused. Do you have any idea who writes what appears on headstones? Who in the world owns the rights to stuff like that?��� Answer: ���My goodness. I���m a copyright lawyer.��� Spooky sh--, right? Explanation: It doesn���t matter who wrote it or where the copyright was registered, if it was at all; it was written too long ago (1850���s-60���s)���public domain now. Whew!

When a writer paraphrases, no concern. But, when a writer uses text verbatim, make sure your bases are covered. In this lawsuit-happy world where copyright infringement violations occur daily, look after your a--. I���m not at all keen on this sometimes fear-inducing phrase, but, ���Better safe, than sorry.���

Epilogue: It had been years since I last visited Virginia City and the cemetery there. In 2005, I became a European citizen, but I went back to the U.S. for a visit in 2007. What did I miss most? Lake Tahoe, duh. While staying in nearby Reno during the late-fall to see a Go-Go���s concert, I began driving to Mt. Rose to go to the lake, but an early, hazardous snowfall made me detour to a lower elevation. Instead of heading southwest, I headed southeast. To Virginia City.

Wouldn���t that be nice? To walk through that cemetery once more. So I did it. No one else was there. A little eerie. I tried to find that one spot I always went to. In the far distance I could see the bench. As I approached, I read the headstone I had seen so many times before. Meghan Fitzsimmons, a young mother who had died in her early-thirties on October 06, details I hadn���t really noticed before. Oh, my God. I had to look at my BlackBerry to double-check. Yes, today���s date: October 06.

Without flinching, I knew to thank Meghan right then and there, for letting me sit on her bench all those times. Meghan���s site was in disarray at this point, appearing as if no one had visited her in years. I tidied it up the best I could. I will never ever forget Meghan Fitzsimmons. It was always soothing and tranquil when I sat next to her. Meghan reaffirmed to me that the process of writing is the gift itself; what happens thereafter is gravy.

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.

BLOG / Headstones, copyright law, a writer’s workplace...and coincidences.

“Hey, Holger, why don’t you read one of my books sometime,” I suggested innocently. “No, I don’t zink zo…too deprezzing.” “What are you talkin’ about? No, not depressing. Inspirational. And, they’re actually kinda funny.” Holger shook his head from side-to-side and we went back to guzzling, I mean, zipping our Augustiner Bräu in the comfort of the open-aired Biergarten with only heaven above us.

What was Holger so afraid of? Heaven only knows. Oh, well. No problem. Whatever. He’s not alone though. Come to think of it, nearly everyone’s got an issue with that particular one. It’s sorta like the “Lord/God/King” of all fears; the fear of dying. That’s why I wanted to write the teen novel, DON’T BE AFRAID OF HEAVEN (2005). I wrote it as a tribute to my cat, Samantha, for having to put up with me for ten years. She taught me to be unafraid of heaven. I’ll never forget Samantha. I will never forget creating DBAOH and the unique writing process that went with it. “Yippie-yi-yo-k…(well, you know the rest).” Yes, just me, the tumbleweeds, the sagebrush and the Silver Terrace Cemetery in Virginia City, Nevada.

Every day, just as the Pony Express traversed its way through the Carson Pass, so did I. I had work to do, people to talk to…except most of the time they never answered back. Nearly every one of them checked out about a hundred years earlier. That’s OK by me, I didn’t pay ‘em no nevermind. Back, back, back I went…searching for the most tucked away, secluded gravesite I could find. Right there, on the outskirts, I made a new friend. Meghan Fitzsimmons, my new writing partner, but she never knew it. Luckily there was a bench right next to where Meghan was buried. In the spring and summer of 2003, I’d sit there and write my (handwritten) 10 pages a day. I loved every minute of it. Just me and my buddy Meghan.

On my trek to, and back from, the wooden-gated entrance of the cemetery, with a metal sign hanging above that read,

Stop and read as you pass by,
As you are now, once was I,
As I am now, You will be,
Prepare for death and follow me,

I’d stop to look at the various headstones contained within. As a writer, I paid particular attention to these words scripted in the 1800’s; beautiful poems, tributes in verse. Who wrote them? These words? And, would it be OK to borrow a few? It wasn’t my intention to plagiarize; I was looking to add a bit of authenticity to my fiction.

Months passed as I moved onto drafts two, three, four and so forth. More and more I began to realize that I’d included a variety of original epitaphs in my manuscript, listing real people and the dates they were born and died. Oh, crap. I had to figure out once and for all who, exactly, owns the rights to headstone text. Hallmark? :-) I let this dilemma slip outside my head for a moment, and began to do what I always did whenever I needed to solve a problem. I went for a walk along the paths of Lake Tahoe’s east shore, where I was living.

As I was strutting my way through the woods, a couple came up from behind me. No, not stalkers. They asked where the trail ended. I told them. Then, I don’t know what came over me, it just came out of my mouth, “I’m so confused. Do you have any idea who writes what appears on headstones? Who in the world owns the rights to stuff like that?” Answer: “My goodness. I’m a copyright lawyer.” Spooky sh--, right? Explanation: It doesn’t matter who wrote it or where the copyright was registered, if it was at all; it was written too long ago (1850’s-60’s)…public domain now. Whew!

When a writer paraphrases, no concern. But, when a writer uses text verbatim, make sure your bases are covered. In this lawsuit-happy world where copyright infringement violations occur daily, look after your a--. I’m not at all keen on this sometimes fear-inducing phrase, but, “Better safe, than sorry.”

Epilogue: It had been years since I last visited Virginia City and the cemetery there. In 2005, I became a European citizen, but I went back to the U.S. for a visit in 2007. What did I miss most? Lake Tahoe, duh. While staying in nearby Reno during the late-fall to see a Go-Go’s concert, I began driving to Mt. Rose to go to the lake, but an early, hazardous snowfall made me detour to a lower elevation. Instead of heading southwest, I headed southeast. To Virginia City.

Wouldn’t that be nice? To walk through that cemetery once more. So I did it. No one else was there. A little eerie. I tried to find that one spot I always went to. In the far distance I could see the bench. As I approached, I read the headstone I had seen so many times before. Meghan Fitzsimmons, a young mother who had died in her early-thirties on October 06, details I hadn’t really noticed before. Oh, my God. I had to look at my BlackBerry to double-check. Yes, today’s date: October 06.

Without flinching, I knew to thank Meghan right then and there, for letting me sit on her bench all those times. Meghan’s site was in disarray at this point, appearing as if no one had visited her in years. I tidied it up the best I could. I will never ever forget Meghan Fitzsimmons. It was always soothing and tranquil when I sat next to her. Meghan reaffirmed to me that the process of writing is the gift itself; what happens thereafter is gravy.

---
This is syndicated from CLINT ADAMS BOOKS blog.

To learn more about Clint's recently-released occult crime novel for adults, THE SEVENTH RITUAL, his upcoming non-fiction book, STORIES ABOUT FACING FEAR: THE INTERVIEWS and his series of teen novels, please visit his website: Stories About Facing Fear.