Clancy Tucker's Blog, page 262

13 April 2015 - THE BEAUTY OF MUSHROOMS

THE BEAUTY OF MUSHROOMS
G'day folks,
Mushrooms are the recyclers of forests. You may not know this, but mushrooms are so diverse their types rival that of the entire animal kingdom. They've also been found to be a closer relative to humans than other plants.


Photographer Steve Axford is passionate about the colors and beauty of the mushroom and the world of fungi in general, and loves to share his visual curiosity and discoveries with the world. Living in Australia, Steve travels around the world, capturing photos of rare animals, plants and the diverse people he meets. But his greatest love of photography is saved for the fungi, which, I think, have never been captured as beautifully as this. 





















Clancy's comment: Wow! Thanks to Steve Axford for these magnificent photographs. Most of them look like communication discs from Mars.
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12 April 2015 - ROSE RED - A short story by Vera Rothwell

ROSE RED
- A short story by 
Vera Rothwell -
G'day folks,
Today, I offer you a wonderful short story. It was written by one of my biggest supporters who is attending a writer's group here in Australia. Vera is a great admirer of my 'Gunnedah Series' of books. I reckon her story is great.

                                                    The smell of the red roses that her mother loved was almost overpowering.  The church was full of them, sent or brought by the many people who loved and respected her mother.  Who owed her!
Sherilyn wondered if anyone had actually passed out through being overcome by roses.  Personally she preferred a perfect white rose, but her mother had always surrounded herself with the red.  It was “her” flower.
It was hard to concentrate on what was being said.  She hadn’t come to terms with her mother’s death, didn’t know where to start to do so.  She felt grief, yes of course she did; but she also felt resentment, a resentment that had been with her most of her life.
She thought back to the years when her mother, father and she had been a happy family.  Her mother and father had loved each other and both had adored her.  She had always felt happy and loved, with her parents guiding her through her early years.  It all went horribly wrong when her father was killed by a drunk driver when she was only seven.


Her father had left them well provided for, so money was not a problem.  Her mother had no need to go and find a job where Sherilyn would have been left to her own devices after school, no, she could stay home and life could go on almost like before.  Almost.  But it didn’t.
Because she was only seven years old at the time, Sherilyn could not comprehend the enormous hole left in her mother’s life.  When Sherilyn was at school during the day, her mother needed to find something to do with her time, or she thought she would go crazy with grief and loss.  So she started out helping at the local women’s refuge.  From there she added abused children, then homeless people then more and more causes to fill the days.  Then all these good works started to spill over into what Sherilyn considered “their” time.  
“I’ll be late home today darling; your dinner will be in the fridge.  Don’t wait up for me” became a familiar phrase.  There were fetes, cake stalls, fundraising dinners, quiz nights – Sherilyn lost count of the number of good causes that her mother supported.
Of course everyone else thought her mother was a saint.  She could never say “no” if someone asked her to help out.  
“What about me?” Sherilyn would think, as once more she reheated her dinner in the microwave.  She would have loved her mother to be home more and listen to her problems, or ask about her day, as they chatted over dinner.



The church was full – people were standing at the back as every pew was filled.  All of the people that her mother had helped and touched in some way had come to pay their respects.  There was so many, Sherilyn thought helplessly.  “All these people had a piece of my mother’s life that I didn’t” she thought.  “They probably knew her better than I did in the end”.
The service seemed interminable.  Sherilyn hardly heard the words being spoken.  She had opted not to give her own tribute, instead having the minister read her words for her.  She had spent hours trying to find the right words to express her feelings about her mother and her sense of loss, but in the end had settled for the usual trite phrases about grief and leaving a hole in her life.  It seemed inadequate to express the void that opened before her, but it would have to do.
Finally the service was over, and, as her mother had wanted to be buried next to her husband, the congregation continued on to the local cemetery.  Sherilyn had never been spooked by the cemetery like some of her friends, because her father was there she thought of it as a peaceful place to rest for eternity.  The day was fine and sunny, which in itself seemed wrong – surely dull skies and rain were more suited to such an occasion.  That the birds sang and the flowers added an incongruous touch of gaiety, only added to the sense of unreality which Sherilyn felt.
That shield of unreality was finally torn away from her as her mother’s coffin was lowered into the grave and she was invited to throw a red rose down to rest on the coffin.  Sherilyn looked down at her mother’s coffin and was overwhelmed by the finality of it all. 
 “Mum” she thought, “I need you so much, I always have, why aren’t you here for me?” Her mother’s voice sounded in her head “Sherilyn, you know I had to go, you father needed me too, and it was time”. 
Sherilyn had no idea how she got through the rest of the endless day.  After the graveside service, afternoon tea was served at her mother’s house.  The long French windows were open, allowing the pleasant breeze to waft inside carrying the smell of her mother’s precious red roses.  Sherilyn remembered asking her mother why she didn’t plant some other flowers.“But darling” her mother had replied, “roses are the queen of all flowers, don’t you agree?”  Sherilyn had then argued about perhaps planting other colours of rose, such as her own favourite, the white.  “They don’t have the same smell as the red ones” her mother said, and that was that.


Finally the last good-bye was said, the last awkward hug exchanged, and Sherilyn collapsed onto her favourite lounge chair, waiting for the catering staff she had engaged for the afternoon to finish cleaning up and leave.  At last they too were gone and Sherilyn was alone for the first time – really alone, she thought. 
“I’m an orphan” she thought to herself in some surprise.  “Orphan conjures up the thought of Oliver Twist, not a twenty eight year old woman, but orphan I am”.
She wandered out into the garden, trying to find some place where she could quiet her mind, but the red roses only made it worse.  She went back inside and looked at the clock – nearly six.  She didn’t feel like dinner, although she had hardly touched any of the afternoon tea.  She poured herself a glass of chilled white wine and stared into the glass.
“What happens next?” she said aloud.  She sank down again into the lounge chair and sipped at her wine.  Suddenly the grief struck her and the tears started rolling down her face. “Oh Mum, Mum, I need you so much” she said, “Why aren’t you here for me?” she repeated her thought from the graveside.  Once again she could swear she heard her mother’s voice in her head. “Darling, I’ll always be here for you”.



Numbly Sherilyn wondered if she was going mad, hearing her mother’s voice in her head.  How could she be “here for her” when she had just seen her lowered into her grave?  She decided to go upstairs and try to get some sleep, which had been avoiding her over the previous few days.  She walked into her bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks.
There, lying on her crisp linen pillowcase, was one perfect white rose.

Clancy's comment: Many thanks, Vera. Great build up and fantastic finish. If you were in my class, I'd smile at you and say three words I've become famous for, "Love ya work!"
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11 April 2015 - GREAT TIPS

GREAT TIPS
G'day folks,
Time to pontificate on some wise tips.









































Clancy's comment: Mm ... My favourite was that ever so brief poem about winter. What was yours?


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10 April 2015 - JONATHAN ODELL - Guest Author

JONATHAN ODELL
- Guest Author -
G'day folks,
Today I introduce a very interesting author from the USA. 

Jonathan Odell is a novelist, short story writer, essayist, speaker and memoirist. His work appears in anthologies, national periodicals, newspapers, and a soon to be published volume of essays about growing up in Mississippi. He has also done extensive work in organizations in the area of racial inclusion. Jonathan now makes his home in Minnesota, but stays long enough each year with his Mississippi family to keep his citizenship papers up to date. 
Welcome, Jonathan ....

1.    TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.

I began late. Growing up a gay boy in the conservative South, I buried any creative expression that might make my manhood suspect. I became a successful businessman instead, beginning my own company, making a fortune and wanting to die.
2.    WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?
At age 45, instead of killing myself, I quit my job, left my partner, sold my house, gave away my dog and decided to learn to write—from scratch.
3.     WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?                                     I start with the voices and let them take me where they will. I develop plot later.
4.    WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Being able to say it aloud in public and nobody laughs. Also all my social disabilities are now seen as the charming eccentricities of an artist.
5.    WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
The dark nights when you realize the story doesn’t hold together.
6.    WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
I was an industrial psychologist and leadership coach.
7.    WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
As a white man who writes about race, the thing I’m most proud of is developing a dedicated African American following.


8.    WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
A memoir about growing up gay, fundamentalist, and Southern Baptist in Mississippi. I may entitle it, “God, What Were You Thinking?”
9.    WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Exploring on my own spiritual journey.
10. WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Historical Fiction
11. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
DON’T write what you know. Write what you are DRAWN to know. It’s the only way to keep your story alive.
12. DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
Yes. When I have it, I just have my characters talk without editing.
13. DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
I can edit 14 hours a day anywhere. I can write new material only 2-3 and that needs to be in the morning, sealed in a tomb.

14. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
I am not wealthy, but I'm lucky enough to have friends who are. I love to go to their summer cabins, weekend homes, and winter retreats and spend weeks at a time in glorious isolation.
15. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
Making myself cry or laugh out loud.
16. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
Sorry, but I’ve never found anyone who knows me better than Faulkner.
17. WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
You make it look effortless! Or, I could have sworn you were a woman, or black.


18. WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
“Didn’t you have an editor?”
19. WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
That’s all I'm influence by. I’m constantly excavating and re-using the past.
20. OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
My husband works out of Myanmar. I love traveling with him and exploring the country. I love Law and Order reruns.
21. DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
Yes, I’ve made much use of editors.
22. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
I’ve written something that I love so much, I don’t need anyone else to tell me it’s good. That is a high.
23. IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
My husband. When he’s home, we spend 24 hours a day together for months at a time. He paints and I write in rooms that adjoin. I never get tired of his company. He is the most interesting person I know. And, he likes my writing.
24. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Exchange jobs with each other for a year. You are all stuck in your own narrow perspectives.
25. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Immediate future—a 25-city book tour. Long term, I’m working on another novel and my first memoir.

26. WHAT FIVE BOOKS WOULD YOU TAKE TO HEAVEN?
 I know it’s sacrilege to say, but I don’t love any book that much. But I’m sure they have a great library there.



27. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
Yes. I really can’t create a believable character unless I can empathize.

28. DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
As soon as you get over the fallacy that the world should be fair, then you’re ok. There are much worse books than mine that have done much, much better. AND there are books that are much better than mine that will never get published. Stay humble. It’s not all about you.

29. DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?
 I quit three or four times during the writing of each book. It helps to surrender it all and then later if you come back to it, you know it’s your choice. There is renewed energy and optimism.

30. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
The first book, The View from Delphi. It’s the book I learned to write on. It also resulted in a reconciliation with my parents and my home state of Mississippi, all of which I had abandoned.

31.  HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER.
 It’s something that each writer needs to be clear on for themselves. NEVER let others define success for you. For me, it’s to discover what I have to say that no one else can.
32. WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
Beyond being dramatically transformed into completely self-actualized people, I want them to say, “That was a damn good story.” Story is everything.
33. HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
I’ve never done it myself.


34. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
I'm living it. Until the next dream comes along.




35.   WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
 I’ve been blessed with agents, editor, publishers and p.r. people who work their hardest to keep me out of my own way. 

36.  ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
No
37. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
 Intense, private, serious, spiritual, and sporadically silly.

38. WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Bullies and religious intolerance.
39. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?

Bettyville: A Memoir by George Hodgman . Wonderful Comes out in March of this year.
40.  WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
Everything looked familiar.  And then he knew. This was the place from which his journey had begun.
41. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
To have the capacity to love more.


http://www.jonathanodell.net/

Clancy's comment: Thank you, Jonathan. Wow, a 25 city book tour! Good luck. Hope you sell heaps.
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9 April 2015 - WHY WE HAVE NUMBERS

WHY WE HAVE NUMBERS
G'day folks,
We use numbers all day, every day. We write them, we click them, we calculate with them and we use them to think and count. But how much do you know about the actual numbers you use? Most of us know that they were invented way back, by the Arab empire, adapted by the whole world. Before that, the popular numbers were the Roman numbers (I for 1, X for 10 and so forth). But do you know WHY the numbers look the way they do? If not, then here's why:




































Clancy's comment: Mm ... I never knew that. Did you?I'm ...

8 April 2015 - 'GUNNEDAH HERO' - A Powerful Excerpt

GUNNEDAH HERO
- A Powerful Excerpt -


Winner of two awards in theAustralian National Literary Awards:  2007 & 2011
G'day folks,
Here is another piece from one of my books, 'Gunnedah Hero', that I consider to be reasonably powerful. What do you think? It was written by Smokey Danson, the main character in this book, whist he was droving cattle on what we call The Long Paddock - pushing his surviving cattle along the sides of the public roads, searching for feed and water to keep them alive in Australia in 1910. This piece relates to knowledge that Smokey gained from an Aboriginal drover, Magic Billie, he had met along the way. Smokey nicknamed Billie 'Magic' after the Aboriginal had taught him many bush survival techniques; what we call 'Bush Magic'. This piece also highlights the loyalty of Smokey's cattle dogs.

By dusk my camp had been set up and the mob was resting, chewing their cud, all of us satisfied to have found an oasis. By nightfall I’d snared a fox and a hare for the dogs, had eaten dinner and was readying myself to start a new letter to Molly and my parents. Two things had been on my mind since we’d left Gunnedah: how my parents would react to the large sum of money I’d inherited, and whether rain had fallen on Wiralee. If follow-up rains had arrived, maybe I could sell our cattle in Armidale and return to Wiralee with the proceeds of the sale.   
Just after dinner I started to feel awful. At first I felt light-headed and dizzy then I broke into a sweat and felt feverish. In no time at all I was soaked in perspiration and my head was thumping. I was worried. Being alone and sick was the last thing I wanted. But as my condition worsened, some of Billie’s advice about bush medicine came back to me. I grabbed the lamp and my diary and flipped through its pages until I found some notes I’d written. I rested my diary in my lap and scanned through my notes.‘There,’ I muttered. ‘The camel tree or Bardirri.Burn the bark in a fire and rub the ashes on the body to cool down.’ With perspiration pouring from my forehead I reached across and opened one of my saddlebags where I’d stored some bark from the bardirri. I placed the bark on the edge of the campfire and wiped my brow with my sleeve. My temples felt like they were about to explode and my face was on fire. I turned back to my notes. Although the camel tree bark would cool me down it would not treat the cause of the fever. Something else had to be done to fix that. ‘Turpentine bush or Beyeria. Boil leaves in billy and drink to reduce a fever,’ I read, and struggled to concentrate. ‘Turpentine bush. Now where did I see that?’ I recalled seeing one near the spot where I’d shot the fox. Unfortunately it was some distance from our camp and I risked collapsing somewhere in the dark whilst searching for it. I had no choice, though. The fever had to be reduced as quickly as possible.
Jedda and Roscoe had sensed something was wrong. Both dogs watched me as I struggled to stand up. With the lamp in one hand and a rough stick as a walking aid in the other, I set off in the general direction of the turpentine bush. My eyes stung and my legs were weak but the dogs followed me loyally as I stumbled along in search of the required leaves. We hadn’t gone far when I tripped and landed flat on my face. I hollered in pain. Dazed, I looked for the lamp. Luckily, it was still alight and the glass lens hadn’t broken. ‘Thank God,’ I muttered. Starting a bushfire was the last thing I needed. Desperate, I reached out and clumsily grabbed the lamp. ‘Ouch!’ I bellowed. The searing heat had burnt my hand and my shout alarmed the dogs. Roscoe sat beside me and gave a short, sharp bark. Jedda leaned over and licked my face. I appreciated their affection but I was too ill to offer them praise. Struggling to my feet, I shuffled for a few more yards before I saw what I was looking for. It was not the turpentine bush I’d seen previously. It was another, bigger one. With a pocket full of leaves I turned and staggered back toward camp. Fortunately the glow of my campfire made it easy to find my way.
While I waited for the leaves in the billy can to boil I grabbed the bark of the camel tree that I’d placed on the edge of the fire. It was still hot so I rubbed it in the dry earth until it was cool enough to use. Eager to cool my face, I rubbed the bark between my hands then wiped it all over my face and neck. Billie was right. It was magic. I felt immediate relief. Loading the fire with logs, I crawled under my swag and pulled Cracker’s horse blanket and my moleskin coat on top of me. My plan was simple: drink the liquid from the turpentine leaves and reduce the fever by perspiring it out. I drank two pannikins of tea laced with leaves from the turpentine bush and felt the special concoction working almost immediately. Perspiration began pouring off me. The liquid had a strange taste but I trusted Billie’s remedies. I patted the two dogs and blew out the lamp, hoping my body would release whatever had caused the fever. 



The following morning I woke with a start. I felt fur close to my cheeks and something was lying across my feet. I opened my eyes to see Jedda lying beside me. When I raised my head, I saw Roscoe with both paws and his chin on my legs. I looked at them and smiled. The fever had gone and my dogs had shown extraordinary loyalty and compassion. ‘Morning, Jedda. Morning, Roscoe.’ I sat up and gave them both a big hug, realising how many special moments had occurred since I’d left home; moments I’d shared only with my wonderful dogs. I changed into dry clothes and washed my soiled clothes in the lake before preparing a hearty breakfast. The experience of the night before had taught me a couple of things. One was that I wanted to learn all I could about Billie’s bush magic. It was remarkable. Another was that if my dream of using the miners’ gold to transform Wirralee Station into a wonderful property was to come true, I’d need help. The name of one man came to mind. A smart and honest drover I’d been fortunate to meet on the long paddock, a drover who’d treated me like a brother. ‘Got to tell Dad we need Magic Billie at Wiralee.’   

Clancy's comment: Well, what did you think? Did it get you involved, wanting to flip the page to find out what happened next? This was one of several times when Smokey found himself alone, and in trouble. Want to read more? Okay, head to the 'Gunnedah Hero Reviews' above and read some great reviews. Then, head to my book shop at the top  right hand corner of this post and buy a paperback or e-book. Having done that, you might also like to buy the sequel - A Drover's Blanket; a powerful tale about Smokey's girlfriend, Molly, whilst he was on the long paddock trying to survive and keep his cattle alive.





 


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7 April 2015 - WERNER STEJSKAL - Guest Author

WERNER STEJSKAL
- Guest Author -
G'day folks,


Today, I welcome the author of the children's series "Oliver and Jumpy" for small to primary school-aged children. The Oliver stories started out with YouTube clips and are now available as picture books as well. Werner's involvement in "Oliver and Jumpy" is the latest project in a very interesting life.

Welcome, Werner …
1.    TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
I was born in Austria, worked for the United Nations in Vienna for many years before my wife and two children and I emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, in 1987. In Australia I was involved in Network Marketing, online exports and the printing trade, to finally get involved in Real Estate. Our children are married, and we have three grandchildren. With the empty house syndrome and finally retired, I had to fill the void. This was when, very surprisingly, my series “Oliver and Jumpy” came into being.
2.    WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?
I have always been an avid reader and did like to write essays, newspaper articles etc. Of course there has always been the idea about that novel to be written. The problem with immigrants is that you lose a lot of ability in your mother tongue and you never gain full expertise with your second language. I found that not only did I have the language for novel writing, which could be overcome with ghost writers or good editors, but I simply did not have any plots to tell. But whoever looks after us decided to give me an option. On an West to East-bound flight with sleepless nights afterwards, the idea for my series was born. Through the first night I was somehow given the idea to write my stories for small kids as a series. I saw the two main characters before me and had the first three short stories in my mind when I got up in the morning. I wrote another story daily. They are now nearly 60. Two days later I thought it might be great to have them illustrated. I found several great illustrators who helped me to create the YouTube illustrations and now the ebooks. This series is still continuing. There will eventually be 20 books sometime by the end of the year. A TV series is next on the agenda.



3.     WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I used to get most ideas for a new story in the pool swimming. I have learned to see the story in pictures and write the text accordingly.
4.    WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
I love doing my series, because I do almost everything myself. I write the story, source it out for illustrations, create the book and YouTube version on my Ipad, do all promoting and so forth.
5.    WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Like most writers will know, promotions are the hardest.
6.    WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
Most likely a ruler of some sort. I should be now, but can’t be bothered to go into politics.7.    WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
Just this series.



8.    WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?
Oliver and Jumpy will take the rest of my life to finish with other language version to follow.
9.    WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
My daughter’s cat.
10. WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?
Children’s
11. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?
Get your work edited by a couple of people if you self-publish. I am still having things fixed!
12. DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?
Not really.



13. DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
Usually evenings.
14. DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
On the couch with the Ipad.
15. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?
Be creative.
16. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?
Nora Roberts. She is just so amazing with her 200 books. Of course they are much the same, but I love her language and stamina.
17. WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
That some of my stories are educational.
18. WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?
That I need to edit the stories. Still in the works!
19. WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Not in this case.
20. OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
Reading, reading, reading, walking, travelling, architecture.
21. DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
Unfortunately not. I was too full of myself.
22. DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT DAY.
Do all socializing and promoting mornings and evenings over my Ipad. Have very late lunch out and a late long walk down to the beach. House work as needed. Remember, we are retired.



23. IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
Now that is a trick question, because I need to say: my wife! Hopefully she will never read this. I am not saying any name, but I guess, another writer with a lot of imagination and alround knowledge. Of course SHE would need to be pretty and interested in me as well. Otherwise it still may get boring.

24. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
Wake up! War has never worked in the long run. Leave people live their own lives without interference; no matter how bad they manage their affairs. Look after your own people first of all. Do the best at home and look after your poor.
25. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
Keep the series going, do other language versions, do a TV series and eventually create a new series with differenet characters.
26. WHAT FIVE BOOKS WOULD YOU TAKE TO HEAVEN?
I only read books once. So I would take five new ones. All my books come from the library in large print. I still have 150 Nora Roberts novels to go. I buy the tissue boxes wholesale!
27. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
Yes, I am Oliver, the tomcat.
28. DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
Doesn’t it to everybody?
29. DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?
No. I am not a quitter. I push things through no matter what.
30. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
I only do this series.
31.  HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER.
In the end success is measured in money. The majority of people on Amazon never sell any books. They would tell you about the satisfaction they get from writing and seeing their book published. B…! Everybody wants to sell books and see how successful they are!!!
32. WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?
Children should enjoy the drawings and the uncomplicated stories, maybe learn a little lesson now and then.




33. HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
Well, everybody says covers sell the book. Thats why you see so many very good covers that you can’t make a choice. I have been told my covers are crap. But I believe in a series you need a uniform approach that brands the series. So I opted for simple covers. The pictures are taken out from the books. The great thing is that I do them myself as well and if you see my book between a hundred other covers, you will immediately remember that you have seen another book from this series.
34. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
Get invited by Ellen DeGeneres.
35.   WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
I spend unlimited time on promoting and finding ways to promote. LinkedIn Groups are a fantastic place to find new ways. I spent hundreds of hours collecting emails of reviewers and manage to get 30 reviews within a short time.
36.  ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
Yes, I have an aggregator helping me with this, because I thought I save time. Bad news. I would have been faster doing everything myself in the end. After a year we are finally getting somewhere.
37. DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Logical, efficient, motivated, individual, imaginative. Sorry if that sounds like Oliver!
38. WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Illogical, inefficient, unmotivated, sheeps, unimaginative people.

39. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
One of fifty Nora Roberts books. I don’t even look at the titles anymore. I know the guys kiss after ten pages and have three times sex throughout the book.
40.  WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
The End.



41.  WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Being able to look after our grandchildren.
42.  ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Meow!


AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Werner-Stejskal/e/B00NFANG58


WEBSITE: http://www.bedtimestory4you.com/


Clancy's comment: Well done, Werner. Love the illustrations. Keep going. My best wishes to Oliver and Jumpy.

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6 April 2015 - MORE WEIRD STUFF

MORE WEIRD STUFF
G'day folks,
Welcome to some more weird stuff to make you grin.














































Clancy's comment: Wow. The world sure has some crazy people who make weird things. 


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5 April 2015 - ADAM HARVEY - Aussie Country Singer

ADAM HARVEY
-Aussie Country Singer -
G'day folks,
Today I present one of Australia's best known country singers - Adam Harvey. Adam is an absolute gentleman, and I might add, that his name and some of his songs are mentioned in my latest book - 'Pa Joe's Place'. With a career spanning almost twenty years, half a million album sales, gold and platinum albums and eight Golden Guitar Awards, Adam Harvey is one of Australia's most popular & enduring recording artists.
Following the outstanding success of The Great Country Songbook, his platinum selling album with Troy Cassar-Daley, Adam releases his new album Family Life on August 22.You're looking at a man who's proud
You're looking at a man who's found where he wants to be
Where he's meant to be
Family Life is alright with me. 
Family Life is a collection of personal stories and observations that will resonate with people of all ages from all walks of life. Some are heartfelt, some are humorous and they're all delivered with Adam's impeccable vocal phrasing and expression. They tell of Adam's experience as a husband, a father and a son... of a man who is content with his life.
 


Adam wrote the moving 'My Little Boy' on the day that his son started high school.

"I wrote 'My Little Boy' during pre production for the album", recalls Adam. "My son Conway was a little nervous about his first day at high school and I was feeling sentimental about him growing up so quickly. The song pretty much wrote itself... it just poured out. During the recording sessions I had Duncan Toombs in the booth with me, filming. I was feeling pretty emotional singing this one and at the end of the song I looked up at Duncan and he had tears streaming down his face! Talk about a couple of big sooks! You can actually hear my voice get a bit shaky at the end of the recording."

There's also a beautiful duet with Adam's twelve year old daughter Leylah, a cover of 'Daddy What If', the classic Shel Silverstein song made famous by Bobby Bare.

"Recording a duet with my baby girl Leylah was not only a highlight of this album, but also of my career," says Adam. "I'm so proud of the way she sang in the studio, and I still get teary when I play the track and think about it. With her typical sense of humour Leylah told me this duet might be a one off because she thinks I'm holding her back!"

'She Don't Know She's Beautiful', the first single from Family Life is a simple, infectious song about a man's appreciation of a modest woman but director Duncan Toombs has added a twist to the video that adds another dimension to the song.

That's not to give the impression that Family Life is all syrup and sentiment. 'Kids' is a tongue in cheek reflection on the ups and downs of parenthood and 'Mere Male' is a song about the endearing quirks of the male of the species. And there's a duet with country rockers McAlister Kemp about catching up with old friends over a bottle of Rum.

"To me great friends are the family we get to choose for ourselves. 'One Full Bottle of Rum' is all about catching up with your close mates for a few quite drinks every now and again. I had a lot of fun recording this one with Drew and Troy".
 
 Adam and Troy Cassar-Daley -another Aussie country legend whose name and work also appears in 'Pa Joe's Place'.
Two songs that explore new stylistic ground for Adam are the poetic and rhythmic 'Count On Me' which Adam wrote for his venerable wife Kathy... "the glue that holds the Harvey circus together" and the chilling 'You Are On My Mind' a lonely tale of loss and longing that was recorded live in the studio with just acoustic guitar and fiddle.

"Adam has written some amazing songs over the years" comments producer Graham Thompson, who collaborated with Harvey for the first time on Family Life. "But I think this is his best collection of songs so far. Certainly his most personal and compelling. When I listen to these songs I feel like I'm having a conversation with Adam... just sitting there listening to him talk about his life and getting to know him."

Adam Harvey's deep, soulful voice is one of the great all time voices of Australian country music and Family Life is his most personal and enthralling album to date.
 


"This Album really came very naturally to me. It was also a lot of fun because I'm writing songs and singing about the things that I love the most... family! I can still remember the day thirteen years ago when Kathy called me on my way home from work to say that I was going to become a father... I was so frightened that I nearly crashed the car! Back then I could have never imagined the love, pride, and sense of purpose that my family would give me. That's where this album comes from. I've been blessed with the best job in the world and I never take it for granted, but being a good father to my son and daughter will always be my greatest achievement."
 




 http://www.adamharvey.com.au/


Clancy's comment: Love ya work, Adam. 
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4 April 2015 - ORIGINAL CREDIT CARDS

ORIGINAL CREDIT CARDS
G'day folks,
Ever wondered about the first credit card? How many do you own? Better still, how much do you owe?
Charging for products and services has become a way of life. No longer do people bring cash when they buy a sweater or a large appliance, they charge it. Some people do it for the convenience of not carrying cash; others "put it on plastic" so they can purchase an item they cannot yet afford. The credit card that allows them to do this is a twentieth century invention. 
At the beginning of the twentieth century, people had to pay cash for almost all products and services. Although the early part of the century saw an increase in individual store credit accounts, a credit card that could be used at more than one merchant was not invented until 1950. It all started when Frank X. McNamara and two of his friends went out to supper. 


The Famous Supper
In 1949, Frank X McNamara, head of the Hamilton Credit Corporation, went out to eat with Alfred Bloomingdale, McNamara's long-time friend and grandson of the founder of the Bloomingdale's store, and Ralph Sneider, McNamara's attorney. The three men were eating at Major's Cabin Grill, a famous New York restaurant located next to the Empire State Building, to discuss a problem customer of the Hamilton Credit Corporation. 
The problem was that one of McNamara's customers had borrowed some money but was unable to pay it back. This particular customer had gotten into trouble, when he had lent a number of his charge cards (available from individual department stores and gas stations) to his poor neighbours who needed items in an emergency. For this service, the man required his neighbours to pay him back the cost of the original purchase plus some extra money. 
Unfortunately for the man, many of his neighbours were unable to pay him back within a short period of time and he was then forced to borrow money from the Hamilton Credit Corporation. 
At the end of the meal with his two friends, McNamara reached into his pocket for his wallet so that he could pay for the meal (in cash). He was shocked to discover that he had forgotten his wallet. To his embarrassment, he then had to call his wife and have her bring him some money. McNamara vowed never to let this happen again. 
Merging the two concepts from that dinner, the lending of credit cards and not having cash on hand to pay for the meal, McNamara came up with a new idea - a credit card that could be used at multiple locations. What was particularly novel about this concept was that there would be a middleman between companies and their customers. 


The Middleman
Though the concept of credit has existed longer even than money, charge accounts became popular in the early twentieth century. With the invention and growing popularity of automobiles and airplanes, people now had the option to travel to a variety of stores for their shopping needs. In an effort to capture customer loyalty, various department stores and gas stations began to offer charge accounts for their customers which could be accessed by a card. 
Unfortunately, people needed to bring dozens of these cards with them if they were to do a day of shopping. McNamara had the idea of needing only one credit card. 
McNamara discussed the idea with Bloomingdale and Sneider and the three pooled some money and started a new company in 1950 which they called the Diners Club. The Diners Club was going to be a middleman. Instead of individual companies offering credit to their own customers (whom they would bill later), the Diners Club was going to offer credit to individuals for many companies (then bill the customers and pay the companies). 
Previously, stores would make money with their credit cards by keeping customers loyal to their particular store, thus maintaining a high level of sales. However, the Diners Club needed a different way to make money since they weren't actually selling anything. To make a profit without charging interest (interest bearing credit cards came much later), the companies who accepted the Diners Club credit card were charged 7 percent for each transaction while the subscribers to the credit card were charged a $3 annual fee (begun in 1951). 
McNamara's new credit company focused on salesmen. Since salesmen often need to dine (hence the new company's name) at multiple restaurants to entertain their clients, the Diners Club needed both to convince a large number of restaurants to accept the new card and to get salesmen to subscribe. 
The first Diners Club credit cards were given out in 1950 to 200 people (most were friends and acquaintances of McNamara) and accepted by 14 restaurants in New York. The cards were not made of plastic; instead, the first Diners Club credit cards were made of a paper stock with the accepting locations printed on the back. 
In the beginning, progress was difficult. Merchants didn't want to pay the Diners Club's fee and didn't want competition for their own store cards; while customers didn't want to sign up unless there were a large number of merchants that accepted the card. 
However, the concept of the card grew and by the end of 1950, 20,000 people were using the Diners Club credit card. 


The Future
Though the Diners Club continued to grow and by the second year was making a profit ($60,000), McNamara thought the concept was just a fad. In 1952, he sold his shares in the company for more than $200,000 to his two partners. 
The Diners Club credit card continued to grow more popular and didn't receive competition until 1958. In that year, both American Express and the Bank Americard (later called VISA) arrived. 
The concept of a universal credit card had taken root and quickly spread across the world.

Clancy's comment: The first time I ever saw a plastic card was in Washington DC at 2am in the morning at a whopping supermarket in 1973. Now, they are an accepted part of life. I guess the secret is to use them, not abuse them. 

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