Work Place Blog Hop

September 10, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 32 Comments

The workplace Blog Hop post by Charles Yallowitz is intended to get some perspective of what our workplace looks like. You can read his post HERE

I have just recently moved my workplace from the dining room to an actual space which I can call my own. So I am very glad to show you all around.

Here is a picture of our cat Frankie waiting on my desk. One would think he is waiting to greet me and to wish me a joyous day of writing. No, what he really wants is to get fresh water from my glass and walk on my keyboard. The windows open to a view of a pond in the rear of the house. This is a third-floor location so the view also includes the Corpus Christi bay which is barely visible through the houses. Here is a photo of the view. The owl is not a pet, but is standing guard over the mourning doves.

This last photo is another view of the desk. The two doors off to the right lead out to the porch where some serious suntan and snooze time can be had. Needless to say, I don’t often go out there.

The item I can’t do without is music. I write while listening and it seems to keep me focused on my work. I especially enjoy Queen and have every one of their songs on a rotation. I also have a number of other favorites and basically hit shuffle. My iTune library is quite large and covers the sixties to present. Now for my nominees:

Now for my Tagees:

Wednesday Story – Hump Day

September 10, 2014September 5, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 16 Comments

Wednesday again and time for a story. This week’s story involves our boy Frank actually trying to do a good deed for someone and getting a little bit overwhelmed. The title is Help and I hope you like it.

“So sir can I help you.”

“What makes you think I need help.”

“Well, you are sitting on the curb and you haven’t moved for the last ten minutes.”

“How do you know. Are you watching me?”

“Well no. I was just sitting on that bench over there having my lunch and noticed you sitting here with your feet in that mud puddle.”

“What’s your name anyway?”

“Frank. How about yours?”

“I don’t have a name you would understand. I was left here from another planet. Now get outta here and leave me alone.”

“Another planet? Which one.”

“Yeah right. You get me to tell where and you go there and turn me in.”

“Turn you in? Turn you in to who?”

“To whom. To whom. Turn in to whom. Damn, I have to listen to the language being slaughtered after ten years of lessons. Just makes you want to spit.”

“Okay sir. I get it. You are a crank and you want to be left alone. Here take this.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s five bucks. Maybe you can get enough wine to kill yourself you old goat.”

“Wine? I don’t drink wine. I’m an officer in the imperial force. We don’t have time for wine.”

“Whatever. Do you want the fiver or not?’

“Not Frank”

“Okay then I tried. See you around old man.”

“Agent Zorra. You okay?”

“Yeah, I never thought that guy would leave.I’m glad I kept my helmet on being under water all this time and holding onto your feet. Pull me out of this water will Ya.”

“The next time we do a transport, I hope you pick a dry spot.’

“Who would have thought a pothole in New York would swallow our ship? I think we better tell Zamboo we have a problem.”

Rave Reviews Spotlight Author Tour – Tamie Dearen

September 9, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

I want to Welcome Tamie Dearen to Fiction Favorites. She is being honored by Rave Reviews Book Club as a spotlight author. She is now on tour and I am so happy one of her chosen stops is here. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Best Girls Series. Her latest release is Best Foot Forward. The first of the series is Best is Yet to Come. Best is Yet to Come. All can be seen and bought here on Amazon. So Tamie the blog is yours.

Hi! I’m Tamie Dearen—wife, mother, grandmother, dentist, Jesus-lover, musician, composer, and author (as of 2013). I’ve published four books and a novella in The Best Girls Series, and one Young Adult Fantasy, Alora: The Wander-Jewel. As a relatively new author, I’ve found Rave Reviews Book Club to be a great resource for information and a wonderful place for mutual support. I thought I’d share this fun poem.

The City of Flout

I must say, I dare say, it was quite a shock

When I heard that Count Koffner had stolen the lock,

The lock that protected the City of Flout

Kept the good people in and the bad people out

I knew it the minute I opened the door

And saw laughing and dancing and people galore.

So I asked them, “Who did this? Who opened the gate?

Why didn’t you stop him before ‘twas too late?”

The answered, “’Twas taken by some tall dark feller.”

So I set out to find him, in attic or cellar.

I searched for to find him and put him in jail.

I searched for three days, but ‘twas to no avail.

And meanwhile the people so much I did pity

For the terrible things that went on in that city.

The bad people flocked in by hundreds each day

And I, though the mayor, had nothing to say.

They brought toys for the young and books for the old

And jewels in lockets of silver and gold.

There was feasting—what feasting—they ate and they ate.

But what could I do with no lock on the gate?

Then one day I saw in the midst of a crowd

Count Koffner proposing a toast right out loud.

“A toast,” he said, “to the City of Flout,

The most wonderful place in the world without doubt!”

I rushed to Count Koffner and cut off his head.

Then I shot him three times to make sure he was dead.

And then I chased all of the bad people out

And locked up the gates to the City of Flout.

Now the laughing and dancing and feasting are o’er.

The children don’t play with their toys anymore.

I burned all the books and the jewels in lockets.

I searched every home and I emptied all pockets.

But even though everything’s normal again,

With the bad people out and the good people in.

For some silly reason, I really can’t wait

Until somebody else steals the lock from the gate.

By Tamie Dearen

Follow

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TamieDearen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tamie-Dearen/1384772145109650

Website: http://tamiedearen.weebly.com/

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/Tamie-Dearen/e/B00FS21B4Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=undefined&sr=1-2-ent

Top Ten Things Not to Do While Drinking

September 8, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 19 Comments

This is the 62^nd installment of Ten Things Not to Do. This was inspired by seeing some very strange things happen on the beach over Labor Day. I hope you enjoy.

Top Ten Things Not to Do When You Have Been Drinking.

10. If you have been drinking, do not think the soft sand on the beach will prevent you from serious injury as you fall out of the back of your ten foot high monster truck. If you do, at best you’ll get a nasty bump. At worst, you may end up buried up to your neck upside down.

9, If you have been drinking, do not think your four-wheel drive Hemi V8 will pull you out of the surf. If you do, At best you might need to figure out how to get towed back to reality. At worst, you may be the new captain of the good ship Dodge Tough that is slowly going down for the last time.

8. If you have been drinking, do not stand up in the back of your pickup truck yelling an offer to trade beads for bras. If you do, at best you may be spotted by the beach patrol and given a PI ticket. At worst, you may be asked to pay an additional amount in the form of tooth contribution for the poor judgment you have demonstrated by a band of unappreciative Hells Angles.

7. If you have been drinking, do not think doing donuts in the sand with your diesel powerhouse is entertainment for all who watch. If you do, at best you might eventually get stuck to the relief of everyone on the beach. At worst, trying to get unstuck will only see your high-powered monster bury itself well below the place where it will cost more than $500.00 to tow you out.

6. If you have been drinking, do not think the world wants to join you in a skinny dip. If you do at best, the cooler water will bring you to a point where you now realize your mistake and a friendly person will bring your swimsuit to you.. At worst, you will be spending the rest of the day in the water waiting for nightfall so you can finally sneak back to your swimsuit.

5. If you have been drinking, do not think the fire which you intend to build is not big enough. If you do, at best you won’t be able to find any more wood. At worst, you will look high and low for objects that will burn including; beach chairs, tents and tons of beer cans only to discover they don’t.

4, If you have been drinking, do not think you can play beach volleyball as good as the people who are younger than you. If you do, at best the next morning will point out your limitations for the next time. At worst, you may pull several unused muscles and windup at the ER to get straightened out.

3. If you have been drinking, do not think you can fish from the back of your truck way after the tide has come in. If you do, at best you may be there until the tide goes out again. At worst, you may not be there since the tide was stronger than your truck.

2. If you have been drinking, do not think the rest of the beach would enjoy your Dr. Dre turned up to the pain level. If you do you, at best you may get a visit from a big neighbor asking you to turn it down. At worst, you may find your sound system being tested for its water resistance.

1. If you have been drinking, do not get behind the wheel of that monster wagon with the intent to drive home. If you do, at best you might be caught for a DUI. At worst, you may actually be responsible for the injury or death of an innocent person or animal.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt

September 6, 2014September 5, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 8 Comments

The Stream of Consciousness Saturday, prompt for this week is re-. After the re the writer can to anything with it. I have to admit these prompts are starting to get real esoteric. The fact I enjoy esoteric makes me like them. If you want to know more go to Linda Hill’s site and check it out right here: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-september-614/

So here is my impression of re-. The title is Rewind. I hope you like it.

“So what the hell you doing?”

“trying to get this thing to work.”

“What is it?”

“Can’t you see it’s a lamp?”

“No I can’t see it’s a lamp. Doesn’t even look like a lamp. Looks like something out of

“Hello. Wasn’t that a lamp?”

“W-Well yes, I guess─”

“You guess? Don’t you know what I have here?”

“Tell me Frank.”

“This is the damn lamp from

“Yeah, okay Frank. You go boy.”

“First I have to make sure the wishes are in line. We know what happens when you make wishes and screw up. You don’t get what you wished for.”

“Frank. Is this a rewind of the story from the Devil thing last week.”

“Naw. This is the real thing. That devil stuff was crap.”

“Okay. Rub away.”

“Here’s my wish. To receive a billion dollars a year for thirty years.”

“Nice. This means you will live a long time and collect all that money. The Genie will not have anything on you.”

“Rubbing.”

“Yeah, Frank and nothing’s happening.”

“I don’t get it. The guy said it would work.”

“What guy?”

“The guy in the shop up the street. I gave him two hundred bucks. He even gave me a

“Which shop?”

“The one called Rewind. An antique shop.”

“Frank there is no shop named Rewind. There is no antique shop on this street period.”

“He got me again didn’t he?”

“Yeah, Frank he did.”

TGIF JohnKu

September 5, 2014August 29, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

Well, here we are at the close of the week. It is fun to finally get here isn’t it? I think Friday might be my second most favorite day. Saturday is number one, but Friday is a close second. On the Texas coast this will be the first weekend after labor day. This means all the tourists have gone home and we get to have our beaches and town back to normal. It then becomes very peaceful and relaxed. There are only four thousand people on our island. This number can go as high as twenty thousand during the peak crush. So it’s no wonder things seem quiet. I have lived in hugely big cities in my life and I must say it is a treat to experience the peace and quiet of a small town. Todays John Ku (a term coined by Words4jp) hopefully catches the spirit. Hope you like it.

The crowds arrive thick,

Providing some sustenance. . .

Nice to wish god’s speed.

A little More Information About My Book – My GRL

September 4, 2014September 3, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 13 Comments

This week Charles Yallowitz at Legends of Windemere Legends of Windemere wrote two posts on the subject of fan letters and fan art. If you didn’t see them go ahead and click on his site and go to archives. I’ll wait. Okay, you back? Good. The reason I mention Charles posts is I received a fan letter a while back and it was one of the nicest things which happened to me in quite a while. I actually wrote a post about it at the time, but since I had about ten followers I thought I would do another to let those of you who did not see it the first time can review it now. Here is the letter:

as you can see the reader thought the book was worth reading and in addition what I wrote in the book was a message that touched her and she wanted me to know. To say I was touched is an understatement. I hope you all have this opportunity sometime. You will never forget it.

Wednesday Story day – AKA Hump Day

September 3, 2014August 29, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 22 Comments

Wednesday is story time again. I have been fascinated by the concepts of good and evil. Not that the two are particularly interesting but what has been interesting to me is in some cases good and evil are basically defined by the culture in which the acts which are labelled good or evil take place. There are some universal standards of good and evil that transcend cultures such as murder and incest, but there are variable definitions of good and evil which can be found around the world. This week’s story is about Frank and his close encounter with evil titled The Devil You Say? I hope you like it.

“So your name is Frank right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Do I know you?”

“You may have heard of me.”

“Still doesn’t help. You have a name?”

“Well, I prefer His Highness, but Beelzebub will do.”

“Beezlebub? You mean the devil?”

“Ah yes, there is the word most use.”

W-What do you want with me.”

“I have an opportunity for you.”

“Opportunity?”

“Yup. I like that word. Yup, an opportunity.”

“What is it?”

“Whoa, anxious are we?”

Come on. Is it one of those soul sell deals?”

“Well yes, it is Frank. If you sign away your soul I will grant any wish you may have.”

“No tricks. I have seen this kind of thing on TV where the guy signs over his soul and the devil tricks him out of something.”

“No tricks. What would you wish for?”

“Okay, here it is. I wish for twenty million dollars personally handed to me each year for fifty years.”

“Oh, I see you have the time of your life covered so there is no early out. Very clever. Okay, I can grant that wish. Let me check and see the status of your soul. I’ll just use my iPad for a second. Excuse me.”

“Sure.”

“Frank I have some disappointing news for you. I would have been able to grant your wish, but there is only one problem.”

“Problem? What problem?”

“I already have your soul. It was totally committed to me by your own actions so there is no need to provide incentives to get it.”

“There must be some mistake.”

“And you made it Frank.”

One Lovely Blog Award – Presented by Shannon A Thompson

September 2, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 15 Comments

Normally I don’t do awards. Not because I think they are not really nice, I have a great deal of trouble trying to select award winners. This week I’m making an exception due to the fact that the person nominating my blog for this award is someone I have watched grow from over the last two years. She published her debut novel in 2007 to a full-fledged powerhouse in the blogging and writer world. She has a gazillion books (okay seven) currently available and about fifteen-thousand followers. She is Shannon Thompson and you can visit her here. here. Before I list my nominees, I have to tell seven things about myself. Here goes:

1. I have a book published by Martin Sisters Publishing named My GRL (in case you haven’t heard)

2. I live on the Gulf of Mexico

3. I write Thriller Fiction and short stories to relax from thriller fiction novels.

4. I am halfway through the last of the John J. Cannon trilogy (Should be done by November 1)

5. I will be writing a new set of thrillers which will have new characters and a different setting

6. I plan to start the new set on January 2nd (I put this in here so I won’t slip the date)

7. I write every day and have been doing it since April of 2012

My nominees have been chosen due to the short time they have been following my blog. I hope you will visit them and build them into the kind of powerhouse which has become Shannon A Thompson.

http://paulinekingblog.wordpress.com/

http://silverthreading.com/

http://lovehappynotes.com/

Top Ten Things Not to Do While Walking a Dog

September 1, 2014August 29, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 13 Comments

Here is the 61st installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do. The inspiration came from watching a number of people out walking their dogs

Top Ten Things Not to do While Walking a Dog

10. If you are walking your dog, do not stop at a neighbor’s nice grassy place and let your dog do its thing. If you do, at best your neighbor will nicely ask you not to do that again. At worst, you will wake in the morning to a load of manure on your driveway with a note, “sorry about my elephant’s mistake. I’ll be back to pick it up later.”

9. If you are walking your dog, do not think other dogs would be fortunate to meet and play with yours without the other owner’s concurrence. If you do, at best the other dog’s owner will be nice enough to be patient and not sock you. At worst, the other owner’s dog is a rescue from a dog fighting ring and has been in a twelve-step program designed to stop aggressive fighting behavior and up to this moment has been doing beautifully.

8. If you are walking your dog and find you do not have a litter bag at the moment of truth, do not simply leave it there. If you do, at best someone will remind you of proper behavior. At worst, you may run into someone in a very bad mood who has just left the couples counseling session with the knowledge that they are considered a pushover and has just stepped in your dog’s mess.

7. If you are walking your dog do not think it is cute to let it run free with no leash. If you do, at best you will get unapprovingly stern looks from other dog owners. At worst, you may lose your dog around the corner and come to realize the animal control officer pulling away has it and the lion mix it was fighting in the back of the van.

6. If you are walking your dog do not think you can leave your dog tied up outside a store for long. If you do, at best your dog will bark and draw a crowd of unappreciative animal lovers. At worst, you will need to explain to animal control why you left your dog in the sun with no water while you are swinging from a tree upside down where the crowd left you.

5. If you are walking you dog you need to remember that the pavement gets hot in the summer. If you forget a, at best your dog will get tired enough of having hot paws and will jump into your arms to be carried for the rest of the way. At worst, the dog in your arms weighs over one hundred pounds and you will struggle to stay on your feet as you slowly return home barefooted followed by the patrol car with the police officer who threatened to ticket you for animal cruelty unless you gave him your shoes.

4. If you are walking your dog do not forget to bring water for the dog to drink. If you do forget, at best you walk will need to be cut short. At worst your dog will beg passersby to be adopted into foster care.

3. If you are walking your dog at night don’t think everyone can see you if you don’t have a light. If you do, at best you may find yourself jumping into a ditch to avoid the near misses of those who can’t see you. At worst, you may find yourself riding out-of-town on the front of a huge truck whose driver has no idea you and your dog are there hanging on for dear life.

2. If you are walking your dog don’t forget to keep an eye out for coyotes or other animals that might consider your dog a tasty treat. If you do, at best you may have to make a run for it unexpectedly. At worst, you might be in a position of having to go to a primal position and challenge the leader of the pack to a showdown while keeping your frightened pooch safe in your pants.

1. If you walking your dog, don’t forget all is well, and it is a beautiful day there is no more rewarding time. Keep your dog safe on a leash. If you do, at best you will enjoy your friend for years and there is no worse.