1. Who has authority over you? God.

2. Where do you go to get a feeling of community? There's a coffee shop a few blocks from where I live called Fair Grounds. We go when we can for a drink and dessert. Malc likes to grade papers there, while I usually bring a book or a notebook for writing. They haven't been open long, but we're seeing a fair amount of regulars and familiar faces.

3. What do you do, or have you done, in your life that "goes against the tide?" Does my previous tirade against Grease 3 count? No? Well, I guess the closest thing I've done is given up network television. I don't watch the shows "the whole world watches" anymore. Other than that I'm pretty mellow.

4. Guilt can be a powerful weapon. Those who have mastered its power can very good at getting what they want. Have you ever used guilt to get you what you want? Have you ever had it used on you? How did you react? No, I'm afraid to say I'm not that effective. I try to make Malc feel guilty all the time and nothing works.

5. I was walking through the mall Friday night and saw a lot of teenagers who dressed really wild and just acted like idiots - not caring who was looking or what others thought. And I remember being that way, having that kind of freedom. I must have looked like a fool then too. Did you ever do anything in public with your friends as a teenager that you would never do today? Tell me about that. Twelve years ago I was one of those teenagers. Back in my Rocky Horror days we used to go the mall hours before the midnight show in our costumes and parade around like we owned the place. Once we accosted one of those survey people and had our picture taken with her; later on we were banned for life from the Village Inn for singing naughty songs.

6. I don't watch the television show "Survivor," but I did notice they allow each contestant to bring one "luxury item" to the deserted island with them (make-up, a book, etc.). If you were to go to an island for three months, what five "luxury items" would you bring and why? 1) MP3 player loaded to the hilt, because I love music and it helps pass the time; 2) My PDA, loaded with e-books, because I love to read; 3) Spiral notebook and pen, because I am only capable of writing first drafts by hand, I can't compose from the keyboard as well; 4) Batteries, see 1) and 2); 5) My mountain bike, for exercise.

7. If you would have had a choice, in which time period would you have like to have lived? Why? Difficult to say. Certainly I would want to live in a time where there was indoor plumbing, and women were at least allowed to vote. Seems every decade of the 20th century had its share of tumults, but if I had a choice I would pick the 1970s because I'd like to see the time of my childhood from an adult perspective.

BONUS: Where do you dare me to draw the line? Toledo.

Now, if you'll excuse me, Agent Scully has a date with Ringo Starr.

But [Cartoon Network] officials say the network was instructed by its owner, Ted Turner, to stop showing the Speedy cartoons because of racial stereotyping.

Ted doesn't want to offend.

This is the same Ted Turner who once joked about kicking the Pope. This is the same Ted Turner who poked fun of some of his employees because they had gone to Ash Wednesday Mass and still had the ashen crosses on their foreheads.

Ted doesn't want to offend?

You want to know how to get Speedy back on television? Petitions won't work. Just tell Ted Catholics hate Speedy cartoons. He'll have them back on the air by lunch today.

There is something about the name Therese (Theresa, Teresa...) that has been a blessing in my life. The writings of St. Teresa helped bring me back to the Church, and Little Flowers features a strong Teresan influence. Then there's my own sister. If God sees fit to give me a daughter, I have a name ready.

Anyway, enjoy the new layout. The next one is due for Advent and Christmas.

I run the risk of becoming unpopular here when I say that I never much cared for the original film. I've never been nostalgic for the fifties, and the music doesn't exactly set my feet a-tappin'. If I want to watch a rock and roll musical, I'll watch A Hard Day's Night. The music and screenplay are far superior.

I'm also of the belief that it is a very rare occurance when a sequel can equal or surpass the quality of an original film, even if the original film sucked in the first place. Hannibal and countless others couldn't do it, The Godfather, Part II could, and I have a feeling The Two Towers will. Grease 2 was a flaming pile, a waste of celluloid and talent. In my opinion, it was one of the worst films ever, and I've seen Xanadu and Manos: the Hands of Fate. Why should I hold up hopes for a third installment?

Say, didn't Barbra say once she'd leave the country if Bush was elected? Why is she still here?

My alma mater, Jacksonville University, produces an annual collection of poetry, fiction, art and photography called The Aquarian. The Aquarian enjoyed a controversial run in the four years I attended JU, and let me assure you it had little to do with my own contributions, which were quite mild and in retrospect not very good.

During my freshman year, The Aquarian was banned from campus soon after its release because the editorial board (which included faculty and staff), allowed a work of fiction many on campus deemed offensive. The banning resulted in a protest in front of the administrative offices where supporters of The Aquarian faced off against the specific student organizations supporting the censorship of the magazine. Me, being the wide-eyed wannabe writer, saw nothing too offensive in the story printed. Besides, even I knew then if I didn't like something in the magazine I could always turn the page. I did not support the administration's decision to remove the magazine, nor was I pleased to hear that the editor, a friend of mine, was severely reprimanded. If censorship would be supported for a story with bad language, who was to say somebody next year would find something offensive in a Catholic-themed tale?

I was one of the lucky few to get a contraband issue before they were confiscated and replaced by a thinner edition containing only the contest winners. Many non-winners who contributed were naturally upset that their writings were no longer in print. Many of these green-covered pamphlets ended up in the trash.

Sophomore year, new editor. I join the staff and discover to my dismay that there is a movement around campus to boycott the magazine. Submissions are nil. Why submit work if the same thing could happen again is the general mentality. I ended up writing an article for the newspaper, a plea to students not stifle their creativity and punish a student-run organization. The editor told me "I don't care if it's two pages long, there will be an Aquarian this year." Eventually we got enough material.

Junior and senior year, I leave the staff for conflict of interest reasons. I submit work, and I take third place in fiction both years. Not bad for two very silly stories. I'm one of the few people during my senior year to have sold a short story to an outside magazine in addition to being published in The Aquarian. I'm on my way.

This morning I received a plea from the current Aquarian editor via a Florida writers mailing list. Budget cuts have forced the staff to seek outside funds in order to produce a magazine this year. I owe much to The Aquarian and the people involved; I don't think I ever would have had the courage to send my writing out to others had I not the support of the people involved with JU's magazine. So you can either credit or blame them for this.

If you want to help support the future of the literary arts, by all means let me know. The Aquarian is one of few outlets for aspiring writers at JU to present their work to an appreciative audience. The current editor is willing to acknowledge all donors with a free copy and a thank you on the back page. Maybe we can convince them to add our URLs, too. :-)

As long as I live I will never understand why a person sees the need or desire to do things like this children - clergy, laypersons, whatever. To kill two other people and then take off with their daughter...why? What did the friends and family of these people do to deserve this hell? What did the parents and child do? One would think even a year after outside forces tried to destroy us that we would stop doing it to each other.

I don't consider the name Kathryn unusual, though it is not the most common spelling used. My only pet peeve is that people keep wanting to transpose the R and Y in my name. My name tag at CWF spelled out in this fashion. Ugh.

As for whether or not a name can make or ruin a person, I can't say. However, I probably would be uncomfortable having triple bypass surgery performed by somebody named Doogie.

What would possess you? Could it be...SATAN?

</church lady>

I wish I was in Tijuana, eating barbecued iguana...

I have been knocking around the idea of putting one or two FIE titles into print. I just don't have the money to do it. I doubt this place will be very cost effective for me but it's fun to calculate costs with their quotes page.

So we have power, but the phones are still dead. I can work on the computer at home, but I can't access the Net from there just yet. More work to be delayed. At least the place doesn't smell like smoke anymore.

Even if you don't win, Saints is a nice little book to have, especially if you are interested in stories about the saints. Tim has received a number of compliments from homeschooling parents about the book as a learning tool, so if there's a homeschooler in your family consider giving Saints as a gift.

These commericals are funny, even if you don't drink. I have a few ideas of my own, but on paper they pale in comparison to what I hear on the radio. Maybe I'll let you be the judge one day.

Far worse could have happened on Saturday than just the basement of our apartment building catching fire. The entire building could have gone up in flames. I could have lost everything I own. I could have been hurt. Malc could have been hurt. But we're okay. So is the apartment, we just don't have power.

To not have power and phone for two days, though, is inconvenient, and it has left us powerless. We've had to stay elsewhere for the past two days because the owners of the building have not yet done anything to remedy the power situation. Who knows when they will? In the meantime we are having to spend money we don't have on hotels that are not cheap. We could not stay home; there is still the faint stench of smoke and no air circulated this weekend. It would have been like sleeping in an oven, and all around us the people who did stay kept lighted candles in their apartments. Just what we needed, more fire.

I haven't been able to write, or edit, or do any of my freelance work. Everything is on the home computer, which cannot work now. Still, I try to tell myself that I am lucky, but I feel like Job.

Malc laughed at that. He said I'm nowhere close to Job. Job suffered immensely.

Yeah, well, certainly there was a character in the Bible who was constantly inconvenienced. I'm that guy.

At the risk of getting myself kicked off the team, I couldn't help but design these. For every good idea there must be a parody. I don't know how these thoughts get into my head:

Well, word has come down from FanFiction.net, a huge fan fiction database, that RPF will no longer be archived. RPF stands for "real person fiction," stories about people who exist rather than characters from television shows. If you have visited FanFiction.net in the past, you will have seen that RPF stories mainly consisted of fictions about favorite music groups (mainly boy bands), comedians, and sports figures. There was even a category for Whose Line is it Anyway stories (huh?).

In the Beatles category, for example, you once could find a plethora of tales about young girls (whose names are the same as the authors - surprise, surprise) who accidentally discover rips in the time/space continuum and travel back to 1964 Liverpool where Paul (and/or George, John, and Ringo) falls madly in love with them. This is a phenomena known in fanfic circles as "Mary Sueism," and the majority of such stories are not well-written and should probably be relegated to diaries with brass clasps and Hello Kitty covers. No, I have never written such a story.

The closet thing to RPF fiction I have written are two "spec scripts." In one, I put Lennie Briscoe from Law and Order on Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Regis. Hilarity ensued. In the second one, I crossed two Beatles with The Drew Carey Show. I wrote it a year ago as a tribute to George. In the story, Drew needs to hire a band for an office party and discovers that DrugCo. - employers of his friend Lewis - managed to clone John and George through some DNA samples stolen from a Beatles exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Kate works. It was a silly, inaccurate story, and it was one of those things that came to the top of my head one day and wouldn't go away until I had written it down. I imagine these fictions will be affected by this new ruling, so it looks as if I'll have to find another home for them.

Right now a petition is circulating among authors of RPF for FanFiction.net to reverse this ruling. The official reason for dumping RPF is fuzzy, and I have to wonder if legal issues are involved. With television shows and movies there are copyrights to consider, but can a real person be copyrighted?

Were it up to me, I would suggest a compromise: limit RPF stories to people who are no longer alive. When I met James Ellroy, he explained that when he prepares to write a book where real persons are portrayed, he always makes sure the people are no longer living to avoid legal problems. If you're familiar with Ellroy's work, you'll know he splices well-known figures into his fiction (American Tabloid extensively features John and Robert Kennedy).

As far as I know, only two public figures have spoken out against fan fiction: Anne Rice and Patricia Kennealy have asked fans not to base fan fiction upon their books. It makes me wonder if some celebrity wandered into FanFiction.net and did not like what he/she read.

I have to wonder if those rankings are really legit, or if they are really a ploy to get people to buy books (hey, this book ranks tenth, so it has to be good!). Little Flowers has been hovering in the 500,000's for a while now. At one point, just after an article about me appeared in our diocesan newspaper, the number jumped as high as the 2,000's! I still think that had to have been an error, because my sales reports for that time did not reflect an increase in sales. Unless, somebody's holding out on me...

He's here!

Mom will be there this evening. Hopefully so will Jack.

Meanwhile, I've finished two good books I plan to review later: Donald D'Haene's Father's Touch and Love Thy Sister by Maria Grazia Swan. More later.

I rolled into Steubenville around 4PM on Friday and went straight to the festival HQ after checking into the Super 8. Soon after I learned two things about this town I had not known before: 1) Dean Martin was born there, and 2) there is no Taco Bell. None that I could find, anyway. So much for my miniscule food budget.

I checked in as a presenter and Bud MacFarlane, whom I had not met before, handed me my kit. My name was not spelled correctly on the tag. Nihil would have loved it.

That night (and throughout the next day) I manned the FrancisIsidore E-Press table, where I offered CDs of our available books as well as literature on the Catholic Writers Association. George Galloway split the table with me so he could sell his novel, The Powder Monkey, and I had the chance to meet his wonderful family. Pick up George's book, it is excellent.

Overall, it was a nice event, with about 250+ people roaming around the place. It was nice to put faces to the names of CWA members and St. Bloggers I read in my e-mail: Tim Drake, Christine Haapala, Victor Lams, Sean Gallagher, Greg Popcak, Mark Shea, the guys at Arx Publishing (Robert, Claudio, and Tony), Sean Dougherty and David Craig who organized everything, Emily Snyder, Michael Dubruiel, Dhani Harrison (Gotcha! Take a drink.), Clara Falzone, Anna Abell, Rae Stabosz and her daughter, Randall Matke, and Cathy Beil.

There were four sessions on Saturday with many different seminars. The crowd seemed like a mix of older people, many of whom (as I gathered from talking to people) knew next to nothing about e-books, which would explain why only five people showed up for my talk. I imagine the title of my presentation was either too confusing or people just weren't interested. David Craig, a writing professor at FUS, wrote me later to mention that I "looked a bit bummed" as I packed up and left that Saturday night.

In a way, yes. I worried myself sick over that presentation for months, and I took great pains to write a speech that I thought would be simple to understand and very informative. Then only five people show up out of 250-plus, and suddenly I find myself throwing away my cards and just blabbering for twenty minutes about whatever comes to mind. I was convinced that I had done such a lousy job, despite David's reassurance that I did very well.

Also, while many of the people who stopped by my table were polite and friendly to me, I let myself be bothered by the one ditzy freshman who picked up one of my disks and giggled, "I'd rather read a real book." I smiled politely and told her the CDs contained real books, real books written by real people and branded with real ISBN numbers. What I really wanted to do was give her a nice karate chop. Yes, I have a temper. I'm Sicilian. I don't, however, want my flaring temper to discolor this past weekend for any of you. I did take pleasant memories away with me. I enjoyed having dinner with Victor Lams, and I enjoyed it even more when he picked up the check. :-)

I enjoyed that feeling inside me when Tim Drake handed me a hard copy of Saints of the Jubilee, which he edited and to which I contributed two chapters.

I enjoyed hearing the applause coming from the program center when George Galloway concluded his presentation on writing historical fiction.

I enjoyed meeting Ralph McInerny, to whom I gave a copy of Murder Most Trivial. He said, "I've heard of you."

That made my day. I haven't heard of me.

For now, though, I leave you with this:

Any, she's at Therapy in a Box, our family motto. In our case, however, we should probably rephrase that Therapy in a Lunchbox.

My presentation on e-books and the future of Catholic fiction is scheduled for Saturday morning at 9. I'll tell you right now that the way the speech is written, it will focus more on e-books in general and e-publishing, with brief reference to how Catholic fiction can fit into the industry. It won't be a long speech, I tend to talk fast, so there may be time for anyone who comes to see me to be able to catch the end of another session in that time.

At the FrancisIsidore table, I'm lending space to CWA for promotional purposes. One other CWA author, George Galloway, should be at the table with his book, The Powder Monkey, plus I will have promotional items from other authors in our group. FrancisIsidore will have three CDs for sale: Little Flowers and A Summer Knight's Tale which will sell for $4 each, and a sampler containing Murder Most Trivial, Schism, and Images of Grace which will sell for $3 each. All books are in HTML format. If you are unable to make CWF, you can go to FrancisIsidore's website and purchase books there.

I can only accept cash and checks. I don't know how George is handling his sales, I would assume the same way.

Now I have to go find my copy of Rome Sweet Rome so I can get Scott Hahn to sign it.

Speaking of Amazon.com, they are taking forever getting Saints of the Jubilee to me. Go get it from 1stBooks directly, it's easier.

1. Where were you and what was happening in your life the moment when you first became aware of what was happening at the World Trade Center in New York City last September 11th? What was the first thing you did when you heard the news? Like everyone else, I suppose, I had gone to work that day. I got in around 8 and already one co-worker was there. Slowly others showed and went we right to the work day. I don't recall the exact time, but I was on my computer answering some e-mail when a male co-worker walked in and said he had heard on the radio that a plane hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was that the plane had malfunctioned; terrorism never entered my mind. We turned both sets on in the office and just stood there slack-jawed.

2. When those truly responsible for the attack are apprehended, what do you think would be the most fitting form of justice? This is a difficult question to answer. Gut instinct says hang them from the highest tree, but as a Christian it is morally wrong to favor the death penalty. I realize, too, that those responsible could never compensate the families of all the victims in their lifetimes, so I would say lock them away with no parole.

3. This will probably be much like when our parents respond to "Where were you when JFK was shot?"- an event never forgotten by those who were there. But how do you think the history books should present the 9-11 attacks? Should it be included for all future generations? How can we truly convey the shock, the outrage, the emotions and pain of that day to the children of our children? I'm certain there are plenty of documentaries and news specials on hand to convey the events of the day. History should present the attacks as they happened. Unlike WWII, the media presence today is much stronger, therefore there are more sides of the story to tell. People should be able to have access to everything they want to see and read so that hopefully something like this will not happen again.

4. No one in that building, in the Pentagon, or on the planes (other than the terrorists) knew that 9-11 would be their last day to be alive. For me, it brought home the reality that I could be gone at anytime, without any warning. Now, I really want each day to have some value. Did the events of 9-11 bring about a change in the way you live your life? It did. I've since learned that I need to stop worrying about trivial things. I learned to defer my troubles to God. I learned that if just one person in my lifetime is able to find some enjoyment in what I have to offer as a writer then I don't need to worry about anything else.

5. Several who loved to fly in planes will not step foot in one anymore. Many parents are more protective of their children. A year later, do you find yourself feeling more secure than back then? Or is it just a matter of time before something else happens? I have flown twice since the attacks, and truthfully I have not felt safer. As for other aspects of my life, I do feel safe, and I strive to resolve myself to God each day. Whatever happens, happens.

6. The best way for me to honor the those impacted by the attack will be to refrain from any media that day. No papers, no radio and especially no television. Others will light candles, and others will attend special services. What, if anything, will you do to personally reflect on the tragedy? Wednesday will be a blog holiday for me. I think I might leave a poem or something on the blog to carry over until I return.

7. One of the visuals that touched me the most were the walls and walls full of hand made "Missing" posters. What image will you always have in your mind when you recall the events of 9-11? I will always remember my then co-worker Melissa, whose husband was at the Pentagon that day. She had not been able to get a hold of him all morning. Early in the afternoon, however, her phone rings and she starts crying. We all expected the worst, but then she turned around and we saw her smiling through her tears. Her husband was okay, and he was headed home. That was probably the high point of my day, and I'll never forget it.

BONUS: Who's gonna come around when you break? God

• "Patron Saint of Cheerleaders" (Is there one? If so, I can guess who it isn't.)
  
• "LOTR E-Book" (I don't think the trilogy is available in electronic format.)
  
• "IConcepts Webcam"
  

The best part about Chex Mix is that it is a very versatile snack. At Harris Teeter alone there are about six different varieties (I know, I bitch about different styles of Oreos, but I'm willing to make an exception here. At least there are no obvious dyes in Chex Mix that could color my intestines like a rainbow.). Plus, if I am in the mood for something sweet, I can make a sweet variety using one of these recipes.

Yes, Mike, it's vegetarian, too.

If you're non-veggie, stir in some pork fat and slap Emeril's picture on it. Whatever.

BLOG (blahg): n. Overly generous deposits of fish food floating at the top of an aquarium.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking when I started this whole thing.

By Hall's definition, Sniglets are words that don't appear in the dictionary, but should. During the show's heyday, Hall published several Sniglets books, four of which I happened to find today while unpacking yet another box. Malc buys them at used bookstores to use for his reading classes. By and large, the books are a mixed bag: some Sniglets will leaving you crying, while others are just so lame you can't help but wonder if they were included as filler. The books are out of print now, and the show will probably never be seen in syndication or released on DVD because the humor is dated (plus, much of the show poked fun at Reagan, which would be just tasteless now).

Sniglets, however, shouldn't have to fade from the public conciousness. Here's your Sniglet for today:

ADHOKUM (ad hok um): n. In commericals, the belief that because the actor is wearing a white lab coat, he must be an expert.

Now, I think Paul was born and raised Catholic, but I don't know if he was married in the Church this time (I think his previous marriage was a civil ceremony). Doesn't signing a pre-nup go against canon law? Pete, have you covered this on the CLOG?

Anyway, the messages I have been receiving lately concern transport. There are some people looking for rides, and some offering rides. I personally will not be able to transport anybody since I am not 100% aware of my driving schedule, but I do know of some people looking for rides and looking to help others. If you fit into either category, you may want to join the CWA list and see if you can make any arrangements. Too bad there isn't going to be a psychedelic school bus driven by Shirley Jones traveling the country to pick up people.

Meanwhile, go get Penny's book, it's in softcover now. Go buy Tim Drake's new book, too. If you've written a book, let me know while I'm still in a good mood and maybe I'll plug it.

What I want to do is find or compile a list of Internet book review sites which feature or specialize in e-book reviews. I need to get some reviews for Images of Grace, and with Leaps of Faith and Drumwall in final edits (more information at FrancisIsidore) I need to build a database and a rapport with people who maintain the sites. If anybody can provide information to help, I would appreciate it.

So far I have nine links if you count my own two review sites for mystery novels and Christian books. I'd just like to have a list that won't disappear next week yet be resurrected in Google's cache for the next 25 years, like the way Google keeps bringing people to this blog just because I mentioned Dhani Harrison last week. (Salud!)

Now, had this review been for one of my personal sites I would have just chucked it altogether and started on the next book. However, this book was assigned to me for another website, which means that the author specifically submitted it to the site and is expecting a review. Being a writer susceptible to bad reviews, it's not in my nature to trash another author's writing, though in my heart I know I can't recommend this title to anybody. In my opinion it needs a few more rounds of editing.

How to break this to the site administrator, though? Thankfully I'm not on a deadline, and I don't know the author personally, but I don't want to offer a positive review just to be nice because I know I would be cheating the site's readers. I don't want to write "This book sucks," either. What to do?

1. What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on a date? Once in college this guy took me out to Olive Garden. I had on a nice dress with hose, and when we stood to leave I snagged the hose on something and tore a huge hole in the leg.

2. Do you eat your veggies? Yes, more now than ever actually.

3. Most people are comfortable going to the bathroom in front of at least one person. Has anyone ever used the restroom in front of you that you wish wouldn't have? What happened and how bad was it? I am relieved to say that has never happened and never will happen.

4. Have you ever had a bad online transaction? You know, the item wasn't what you thought it would be, you got totally ripped-off, no refunds, it just plain sucked? What's the story there? Thankfully, i have never had a problem buying anything online, nor have I had trouble selling my e-books online.

5. Ever have a current love find any old love letters (or similar item) you kept that probably should have been thrown away? How did that turn out? This has never happened to me, either. Before Malc, I never really dated any guys who were the sort to write love letters.

6. A secretary at work was telling me about a trip she took to Mardi Gras. She showed off her beaded necklaces and proudly said she "earned' each and every one of them (for those not familiar with this tradition, ladies walking up Burbon St. in New Orleans will flash people who are upon the balconies, in return the guys will throw them worthless plastic necklaces). I was shocked, I had no idea this quiet gal had a wild side. Was there ever a time when you did something totally outrageous because you knew no one would know who you were, or maybe didn't care even if they did? In college I went to Rocky Horror dressed as Columbia, even for the floor show. That was more than a decade ago, though, and I could get away with it then.

7. Hey, what happened to you last night? I waited forever! Traffic.

BONUS: I know I could break you down, but what good would it do? Yeah, I'd only bide my time and get you back.

I do plan, however, to give "La Shallot's" suggestion a go. Only why should I stop with one foreign language? Why not offer a multi-lingual blog every day? German Mondays, Spanish Tuesdays, Klingon Wednesdays...finally I can make use of Altavista's Babelfish program.

I am not Greek, though I did notice a few similarities between the protagonist Toula and myself. Without giving away too much of the movie, I will say that I had the big, fat Catholic wedding, which was preceded by the big, fat Catholic Marriage Encounter weekend. Now there's a movie to be made.