John Starley Allen's Blog
July 2, 2023
Hi Everyone...
This is just to let you guys know, I haven't fallen off the edge of the world. I've been doing a lot of intense writing on my current project. And there's no clear-cut end in sight, so I just keep plugging away.
I had a bit of free time today, so I just wanted to do a shout out.
Thank you for being my friends and followers.
I hope you guys have a fantastic summer!
--John
I had a bit of free time today, so I just wanted to do a shout out.
Thank you for being my friends and followers.
I hope you guys have a fantastic summer!
--John
June 15, 2020
New Video: Service and Caring
Hi Everyone,
Now more than ever
there is a need for
caring hearts and helping hands.
In a lot of ways,
this song ties in with my book
A Splash of Kindness.
"When push comes to shove
I wll stand for the cause of love and truth..."
https://youtu.be/hhTgM0FURjA
Now more than ever
there is a need for
caring hearts and helping hands.
In a lot of ways,
this song ties in with my book
A Splash of Kindness.
"When push comes to shove
I wll stand for the cause of love and truth..."
https://youtu.be/hhTgM0FURjA
December 2, 2018
A Song for the Christmas Season
I can't believe we are now in the Christmas season!
Where did the year go?
I just wanted to share a Christmas song I wrote
with my Goodreads friends and followers.
"The Spirit of Christmas" was written in conjunction with my holiday novel, "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices"
The song takes place during a pivotal moment in the story. The song occurs just before the main character finds out about some amazing results from some simple acts of kindness performed during the holiday season.
Best wishes to Everyone for a holiday season filled with warmth and Christmas spirit!
https://youtu.be/n8zYJKEr5BU
Where did the year go?
I just wanted to share a Christmas song I wrote
with my Goodreads friends and followers.
"The Spirit of Christmas" was written in conjunction with my holiday novel, "Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices"
The song takes place during a pivotal moment in the story. The song occurs just before the main character finds out about some amazing results from some simple acts of kindness performed during the holiday season.
Best wishes to Everyone for a holiday season filled with warmth and Christmas spirit!
https://youtu.be/n8zYJKEr5BU
September 14, 2017
Books Sent Out To Winners
The giveaway for A Splash of Kindness is officially over and copies have been sent to the winners. I want to thank everyone who expressed interest in my book and who entered the giveaway.
August 25, 2017
Goodreads Giveaway
FREE Stuff!
Now through September 5
Goodreads giveaway
for my book
A Splash of Kindness:
The Ripple effect of Compassion, Courage & Character
Now through September 5
Goodreads giveaway
for my book
A Splash of Kindness:
The Ripple effect of Compassion, Courage & Character
April 21, 2017
The Silo: A Mother's Intuition
The following is a true story about an incident from my childhood.
…
“Hey, John, let’s run out to the silo,” my older brother, Sam, called out as he ran past me.
“Wait up!” I ran as fast as I could to catch up to Sam.
My brother and I lived on a big farm in the country with our mother and grandfather. We loved the fresh air, the open space, and the green fields that turned gold in the fall. But most of all, we loved the silo. To me, it looked like a giant soup can without the label.
As we got closer to the silo, I could see its rusty patches, dents, and cracks. I once asked Sam about them. He explained, “You know how Grandpa’s face is kind of wrinkled and how he has brown spots on his hands? It’s because he’s old. Well, that’s how it is with the silo. I bet it was shiny and smooth when it was new.”
For two boys with active imaginations, the silo represented all sorts of things. Some days it was an ancient castle. Sometimes we pretended it was a tall skyscraper or a pirate ship. I especially enjoyed standing in the center of it and yelling as loud as I could, then hearing my echo bounce off the curved walls.
When we reached the silo, Sam said, “Let’s play spaceship.” For the next twenty minutes, we pretended to soar through space and discover new planets.
We took turns climbing to the top of the steel ladder rungs welded inside and outside the silo, pretending that we were on the spaceship’s observation deck. Just as I had spotted a new planet, Mother’s voice brought both would-be space explorers back to earth.
“John! Sam! Time for supper.”
During supper, Grandpa asked us what we had been up to.
“We were playing spaceship in the silo,” Sam said.
“You boys sure enjoy that old silo, don’t you?”
“You bet,” I said. “Grandpa, can I ask you a question? Back in the old days, what was the silo used for?”
“Well, it was kind of like a big closet to store things in,” Grandpa said. “When this farm was in full swing, we needed somewhere to store all the feed for the cattle.”
My eyes grew big. “You mean you filled the whole silo with just feed? You must have had a lot of cattle!”
“We did. I remember when my papa had the silo built. I was just about your age. It was new and shiny, and one of the tallest things I’d ever seen.”
After supper, I cleared the table, and Sam helped Mother wash the dishes. When the dishes were done, Sam asked if we could go out and play.
“No,” Mother said. “I want to talk to you both. Let’s go into the front room.”
From the look on Mother’s face, we knew that she had something serious on her mind. We followed her into the front room and sat down.
“I know how much you enjoy playing in the silo,” she began, “but today I had a strong feeling. Right before I called you in for dinner, I felt that you shouldn’t play in it anymore.”
“But Mom, that’s our favorite place to play!” Sam cried.
“Yeah, Mom!” John frowned.
“I know you like playing there. But I can’t deny what I felt. I had a strong impression—call it intuition--that you shouldn’t play there anymore.”
“So that’s how you feel about the silo?” Sam asked.
“That’s right. I can’t give you any other reason except that I strongly feel you shouldn’t play there anymore.”
Later that night, when we were both in bed, I asked Sam, “Do you really believe what Mom said about the silo?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“How come?”
“I’ve never told anyone this, but do you know Bobby Morrison?”
“The tall kid with red hair?”
“That’s the one. Well, last year he and I planned how to cheat on a history test. I’m not going to tell you what the plan was, because I don’t want you trying a dumb stunt like that.”
“If it’s so dumb, why did you do it?”
“Well, I’m getting to that part. When the test started, I remembered what mom had once told me. She said, ‘You know it’s wrong to cheat.’ After that, I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“So what’s the big deal?” I asked.
“The big deal is that Bobby Morrison got caught cheating…and he got into a lot of trouble.”
I thought about what Sam had said for a moment, then asked “So you’re not even going to sneak over to the silo?”
“No.”
“Well,” I said reluctantly, “I guess I won’t either.”
The next few days were hard for us. We had to think of new games to play that didn’t involve the silo. One afternoon Sam said, “Let’s put a puzzle together.”
“Aw, who wants to do that?” I groaned.
“Do you have any better ideas?”
Since I didn’t, we set up a table on the back porch and started working on a puzzle. But I had a hard time concentrating—my eyes kept wandering in the direction of the silo. The good old silo. “Too bad we can’t play there anymore,” I thought miserably.
“Hey, stop daydreaming,” Sam said.
Before I could reply, Mother came out with a pitcher of cool lemonade.
As the three of us drank from frosty glasses, we heard a low rumble. The ground trembled, and the puzzle pieces on the table started doing a crazy dance.
“Look!” I pointed at the silo.
It wobbled and leaned to one side. The rumble grew louder while another sound filled the air—the sound of metal scraping, grinding, and ripping. A great cloud of dust rose up as the silo crashed to the ground.
Grandpa came running out of the house. “What in the world?” Then he saw the silo. “Oh! Oh, my!”
That night, I lay in bed unable to sleep. I kept thinking about my mom and the silo. And I realized my mom was a person I could trust. She always lived up to my trust up to the day she passed away at 90.
…
“Hey, John, let’s run out to the silo,” my older brother, Sam, called out as he ran past me.
“Wait up!” I ran as fast as I could to catch up to Sam.
My brother and I lived on a big farm in the country with our mother and grandfather. We loved the fresh air, the open space, and the green fields that turned gold in the fall. But most of all, we loved the silo. To me, it looked like a giant soup can without the label.
As we got closer to the silo, I could see its rusty patches, dents, and cracks. I once asked Sam about them. He explained, “You know how Grandpa’s face is kind of wrinkled and how he has brown spots on his hands? It’s because he’s old. Well, that’s how it is with the silo. I bet it was shiny and smooth when it was new.”
For two boys with active imaginations, the silo represented all sorts of things. Some days it was an ancient castle. Sometimes we pretended it was a tall skyscraper or a pirate ship. I especially enjoyed standing in the center of it and yelling as loud as I could, then hearing my echo bounce off the curved walls.
When we reached the silo, Sam said, “Let’s play spaceship.” For the next twenty minutes, we pretended to soar through space and discover new planets.
We took turns climbing to the top of the steel ladder rungs welded inside and outside the silo, pretending that we were on the spaceship’s observation deck. Just as I had spotted a new planet, Mother’s voice brought both would-be space explorers back to earth.
“John! Sam! Time for supper.”
During supper, Grandpa asked us what we had been up to.
“We were playing spaceship in the silo,” Sam said.
“You boys sure enjoy that old silo, don’t you?”
“You bet,” I said. “Grandpa, can I ask you a question? Back in the old days, what was the silo used for?”
“Well, it was kind of like a big closet to store things in,” Grandpa said. “When this farm was in full swing, we needed somewhere to store all the feed for the cattle.”
My eyes grew big. “You mean you filled the whole silo with just feed? You must have had a lot of cattle!”
“We did. I remember when my papa had the silo built. I was just about your age. It was new and shiny, and one of the tallest things I’d ever seen.”
After supper, I cleared the table, and Sam helped Mother wash the dishes. When the dishes were done, Sam asked if we could go out and play.
“No,” Mother said. “I want to talk to you both. Let’s go into the front room.”
From the look on Mother’s face, we knew that she had something serious on her mind. We followed her into the front room and sat down.
“I know how much you enjoy playing in the silo,” she began, “but today I had a strong feeling. Right before I called you in for dinner, I felt that you shouldn’t play in it anymore.”
“But Mom, that’s our favorite place to play!” Sam cried.
“Yeah, Mom!” John frowned.
“I know you like playing there. But I can’t deny what I felt. I had a strong impression—call it intuition--that you shouldn’t play there anymore.”
“So that’s how you feel about the silo?” Sam asked.
“That’s right. I can’t give you any other reason except that I strongly feel you shouldn’t play there anymore.”
Later that night, when we were both in bed, I asked Sam, “Do you really believe what Mom said about the silo?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“How come?”
“I’ve never told anyone this, but do you know Bobby Morrison?”
“The tall kid with red hair?”
“That’s the one. Well, last year he and I planned how to cheat on a history test. I’m not going to tell you what the plan was, because I don’t want you trying a dumb stunt like that.”
“If it’s so dumb, why did you do it?”
“Well, I’m getting to that part. When the test started, I remembered what mom had once told me. She said, ‘You know it’s wrong to cheat.’ After that, I just couldn’t go through with it.”
“So what’s the big deal?” I asked.
“The big deal is that Bobby Morrison got caught cheating…and he got into a lot of trouble.”
I thought about what Sam had said for a moment, then asked “So you’re not even going to sneak over to the silo?”
“No.”
“Well,” I said reluctantly, “I guess I won’t either.”
The next few days were hard for us. We had to think of new games to play that didn’t involve the silo. One afternoon Sam said, “Let’s put a puzzle together.”
“Aw, who wants to do that?” I groaned.
“Do you have any better ideas?”
Since I didn’t, we set up a table on the back porch and started working on a puzzle. But I had a hard time concentrating—my eyes kept wandering in the direction of the silo. The good old silo. “Too bad we can’t play there anymore,” I thought miserably.
“Hey, stop daydreaming,” Sam said.
Before I could reply, Mother came out with a pitcher of cool lemonade.
As the three of us drank from frosty glasses, we heard a low rumble. The ground trembled, and the puzzle pieces on the table started doing a crazy dance.
“Look!” I pointed at the silo.
It wobbled and leaned to one side. The rumble grew louder while another sound filled the air—the sound of metal scraping, grinding, and ripping. A great cloud of dust rose up as the silo crashed to the ground.
Grandpa came running out of the house. “What in the world?” Then he saw the silo. “Oh! Oh, my!”
That night, I lay in bed unable to sleep. I kept thinking about my mom and the silo. And I realized my mom was a person I could trust. She always lived up to my trust up to the day she passed away at 90.
January 4, 2016
The New Year...
Be it a new day, a new week, a new month, or a new year, it's nice to have new beginnings. Beginnings, for me, represent hope and a chance to do better.
One of my favorite songs of hope is sung by Ebeneezer, in the musical Scrooge:
I'll begin again
I will build my life
I will live to know
I fulfilled my life
I'll begin today
Throw away the past
And the future I build
Will be something that will last
I will take the time
That I have left to live
And I'll give it all
That I have left to give
I will live my days
For my fellow men
And I'll live in praise
Of that moment when
I was able to begin again
One of my favorite songs of hope is sung by Ebeneezer, in the musical Scrooge:
I'll begin again
I will build my life
I will live to know
I fulfilled my life
I'll begin today
Throw away the past
And the future I build
Will be something that will last
I will take the time
That I have left to live
And I'll give it all
That I have left to give
I will live my days
For my fellow men
And I'll live in praise
Of that moment when
I was able to begin again
December 21, 2015
Wow...!
Wow...! 2016 is almost here. (There's just that little detail of getting through Christmas.)
I'm starting to do the "resolution thing." Lose weight, of course. Take advantage of reading the scriptures more. Setting more time aside for serious reading. Doing the same for serious writing. Being a better friend. A better listener. Increasing my capacity for tolerance and love and empathy.
One of these years maybe I'll do right by my resolutions...
Maybe this year...
I'm starting to do the "resolution thing." Lose weight, of course. Take advantage of reading the scriptures more. Setting more time aside for serious reading. Doing the same for serious writing. Being a better friend. A better listener. Increasing my capacity for tolerance and love and empathy.
One of these years maybe I'll do right by my resolutions...
Maybe this year...
October 28, 2015
Interview with Cyrus Webb
Just finished being interview by Cyrus Webb. He related a great "ripple effect" story about an art teacher whose words of encouragement inspired him to this day.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inspirat...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inspirat...
September 4, 2015
Long Format TV Interview
Just completed taping a 30 minute interview for KUED Channel 7 TV. I was honored to be interviewed by a local legend in journalism--Ted Capener.
After 30 minutes you would think there wasn't a lot more to say. However, when it was time to wrap up, Ted said, "You know, we never had chance to get into your chapter on Philo Farnsworth." He went on to say that as a young reporter he had had an opportunity to interview the great inventor.
The interview will air Sunday, September 13 at 5:30 pm.
After 30 minutes you would think there wasn't a lot more to say. However, when it was time to wrap up, Ted said, "You know, we never had chance to get into your chapter on Philo Farnsworth." He went on to say that as a young reporter he had had an opportunity to interview the great inventor.
The interview will air Sunday, September 13 at 5:30 pm.
