#BookReview ~ The Sun Zebra by R. Garcia

Title:    The Sun Zebra
Author: R. Garcia
Genre: ? A children's book for grownups/short stories
Stars:   3-4

The star rating is a little difficult for this book. Basically, I liked it. That makes 3 stars on Goodreads and 4 on Amazon. I really wish they could get together and agree on what the stars mean. Okay, on to the nitty gritty:

This book is a bit different from anything I've read. The stories revolve around the narrator and his family (especially his daughter, Nell, and her imagination). Each chapter is basically its own story and tells some part of their life. The stories seem to have a moral-type ending or something to ponder. I found them enjoyable, though this is not the usual sort of book I read. All in all, it is only around 65 pages and has five different stories included. 

My favorite story was the first, "The Sun Zebra," as I thought it really captured childhood and what we forget as we get older. I did, however, have problems with some things in some of the stories. There were a few times I had issues with decisions the narrator made in terms of protecting his child and her feelings (especially during the second story), instead of taking an opportunity to teach right from wrong. However, things turned out okay in the end, but life unfortunately doesn't always work out that way. I guess the reason that this bothered me so much was the way the story was resolved was pretty unbelievable (although I'm not sure if these are true stories and it really happened that way, or just the author's imagination). Anyway, I thought the more responsible thing to do would be to tell Nell the truth about that fact she had made a mistake. 

Still, even with that minor complaint, I found the stories enjoyable and it is a quick and easy read if you are looking for something fun and light. A lot of things to make you remember the magic of being a child and seeing the world through a child's eyes again. 

Amazon Product Page

Happy reading, everyone! 

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P.S. Don't forget my policy to read the samples before you buy! Everyone's tastes are different. 

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddy's of the world! I hope you have a fabulous day and spend lots of time with your family, or spend it on the phone if you are far away from your children.

I wanted to give a shout out to my Poppa Ray today.  As far as father's go, he's tops in my book.  The best part, he chose to be my Poppa.  No compulsion involved.

I had a great childhood, but since my parents divorced when I was three years old, there wasn't always a stable second parent in my life.  Mom, of course, did a wonderful job and my life has really been a terrific blessing, but my biological father lived seventeen hours away, and I rarely had contact with him.  Sometimes, I missed having a father around.

Enter Ray.  Mom had been single for a while, and she and I lived in a small apartment together when I was fourteen.  She went on one date with this jerk who I really hated.  He gave me a slimy feeling, and Mom came home from that date none too pleased with him either.  After that, I worried about her dating but I also didn't want her to be alone.  Needless to say, I became a little wary when she talked about another guy.  However, she often came home from work telling me about the nice complements this man paid her, and she glowed with joy whenever she talked about him.  His best line ever, one gorgeous day he told her, "This day is almost as pretty as you are." Hearing that totally melted her heart.  Because of this, I decided to give him a chance.

I was nervous to meet him, but I shouldn't have been.  I loved Ray from almost the moment I saw him.  He went out of his way to include me, and make sure it was okay with me if he continued seeing my mom.  Truly, they were meant for each other.  It wasn't long before he asked if it was okay for us to all live together.

I don't know how I made it through fourteen years without him.  Seriously, I already thought I was the luckiest kid in the world, and within a matter of weeks I had a man who wanted to be my father, and wanted to spend the rest of his life making my mom happy.  Perhaps for some people this transition would have been hard, but I don't remember ever resenting sharing him with my mom.  I just remember being pleased to finally have a wonderful father.

Poppa Ray used to own a cabin in the mountains, and we spent many a weekend there, merging his family of six kids with my mom's family of six kids. He knew all the great places to go hiking and we went on a lot of day trips to see waterfalls. For my fifteenth birthday he planned a trip to Park City. It was a lot of fun exploring that little town, and I remember we even ate lunch on a second-floor balcony and it was so fun.  Around my sixteenth birthday we went on a trip to Las Vegas.  All sorts of fun things I don't know if Mom and I would have experienced just the two of us.

He also spent a lot of time encouraging me in any dreams I had (and still does to this day). I've shared this before, but I was raised thinking I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. I have the most supportive parents I think it is possible to have. Their faith in me is, perhaps, the best gift they ever gave me.

Time marches on, and Poppa Ray morphed to Grandpa Ray.  Then, my kids were the ones who went on hikes in the mountains, spending one week every summer with my parents and their cousins at the cabin--no parents allowed! Poppa Ray always took them on money hunts where they "found" money on a dirt trail. They always came home with so many quarters. I think Poppa was much poorer at the end of the week!  So many good memories!

Parent Person,

I want to thank you for being my Poppa.  All the little notes exchanged back and forth before school and work since we didn't always cross paths, knowing I had a father figure I could count on, and being here for me ever since.  There are no words to express my gratitude and love. Thank you for choosing me as your daughter.

I love you lots and lots! ~ The Cute One!

Happy Mother's Day to a Wonderful Woman!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mom's out there!

Biggest shout out to my own Mommie! I love you so much! 

My mom has always been there for me, and there are no words to express my gratitude for the sacrifices she made while raising me. I'm the youngest child of six, and by the time I came around my parents were going through tough times. They divorced when I was three, and my beautiful mother took on the task of being a single mom to six children! I can't even imagine that! 

What I do know for sure is this--I had the best childhood a kid could hope for.  Growing up in the country, swimming in canals, camping every weekend in the summer, barbecues, tree houses and flood irrigating. I'm sure we never had much money, but I never realized that. All I knew is we were happy. 

I remember my mom used to feel bad because as the three youngest, my brothers and I didn't get a stay-at-home mother like the older kids did. However, I remember coming home from kindergarten once a month and mom would already be at work (she worked shift work at the potato plant to support us). She would have lunch sitting out for me with a sandwich, chips, half a Snickers bar and half a Pepsi.  I used to love that. It made me feel so special that she took the time to do that before going to work and I got a special treat. She always felt bad because it was store bought stuff and not homemade. Funny the difference perspective makes.  

If you read my post yesterday about Grams, you know already that music was an integral part of my life growing up. At home, I never remember the radio being off. When MTV came out, we always had that channel playing if not the radio. I remember one year my brothers went to live with my dad in California, and my sisters were already all married and moved out of the house.  My mom and I lived in a little apartment in town for a couple months, just the two of us, and the radio was always playing.  Our theme song that year was Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" (YouTube link to Don't Worry, Be Happy) and to this day I sing that when I'm having a bad day. In fact, it's the ring tone I have set when Mom calls me. 

The older I grew, the closer I became with my mom. I'm one of those fortunate people who didn't have tumultuous teenage years where I hated my parents. Instead, my mom has always been my best friend, teaching me right from wrong, championing me in all my life decisions, sitting on the phone for hours if I need a shoulder to cry on. She has always encouraged me and believed I could do anything. Everyone needs somebody like that in their life. 

She put herself through college while also working and being a wonderful mother. I don't know how she did it all.  I'm not sure she even slept during the years she went to college, educating herself to make a better life for us all. We lived a lot of places, we went through a lot of changes, but I always knew I could count on Mom. 

Thank you, Mommie, for being the strong, independent, loving woman you are, and teaching me to be the same. When God picked the family to send me to, he definitely chose right! I love you so much! Happy Mother's Day!!

Great books:

Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl, Carol Bodensteiner, A memoir of a happy farm childhood. http://amzn.to/xRpHuY


Michal's Window by Rachelle Ayala - Love, Betrayal, Redemption: King David and the daughter of Saul, E-book: http://amzn.to/yO2mPy Paper Amazon: http://amzn.to/JDklTG B&N  http://bit.ly/JPjoIF

Loyalty Binds Me by Joan Szechtman, A novel about Richard III in the 21st-century, E-book: http://tinyurl.com/79jxh8u Paperback Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/c563k48 B&N  http://tinyurl.com/bsxnaty


Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux - A story of love and perseverence. E-book: http://amzn.com/B006T89A4Y Paperback: http://amzn.com/1470101777

After Ten by Michele Shriver- A story of acceptance, forgiveness and the bonds of friendship. Amazon: http://amzn.com/B005YD4V7Q B&N: http://bit.ly/IgCvvK

Always & Forever by Chantel Rhondeau coming summer 2012 - A suspected murderess must start over - romantic suspense. Excerpt http://awe.sm/5on16

In Memory of Grams

In the spirit of celebrating Mother's Day, I wanted to share a little bit about my Grandma Lillian (Grams to me).  Grams was a wonderful lady, whom I dearly miss.  I think all the humor genes in our family came from her. Unfortunately, my brothers and sisters got the biggest portion of those genes and I have to be content to enjoy the humor of others.  Still, Grams was the person who taught me my first dirty limericks.  She was always saying something funny, pure deadpan demeanor.  She was great fun.

As I little girl, I loved going to Grams' house. I sat for hours at her vanity, playing with the jewelry in her multiple jewelry boxes and putting on her makeup. Grams had narcolepsy and fell asleep at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure if I was supposed to be playing in her makeup, or she fell asleep and didn't know about it, but I had a lot of fun!

Grams really taught me love of all things creative and was the reason I joined band in high school. She wasn't a writer, but a musician. Boy was she talented. Her and my Uncle Mori played in a jazz band and performed at many events throughout our community. That woman had mad skills. She played by ear. Grams only had to hear a song once and could replicate it on the piano.  Even when her Parkinson disease became so bad that her head and hands had tremors, she would still slide up to the keyboard and treat us with a tune.

She also loved singing. My last few visits with her, the dementia had become so bad that I'm not sure she always knew who I was. However, she never forgot the words to her favorite songs:  Say Say Oh Playmate, Strangers in the Night, How Much is That Doggie in the Window (she loved the "woof woof" part--I can still hear her doing it), and some song about Ka-Ka-Ka-Katie, beautiful Katie (don't really know what this one is called). We had many more, but my brain can't remember the names of them.

She loved singing those songs and would sometimes remember who we were after singing. Then, she could be enticed to talk about her childhood and tell stories about the horse she used to ride to school, Buck. She loved that horse. She and the other children had horse races during lunchtime and Buck always won.

We lost Grams four years ago, but I am so fortunate to have had her in my life. This Mother's Day, don't forget to thank the women who may not be your mother, but had a significant impact on the person you've become.

The best thing Grams ever taught me? She was babysitting me one evening when I was eight years old. Of course, she was asleep, but I played on the floor in the same room as her.  I asked, "Grandma, what's twelve plus twelve?"  She opened her eyes, looked down at me and said, "Twelve plus twelve is twenty-four. Now shut your mouth and say no more."

She promptly fell back to sleep, but I never forgot what twelve plus twelve was!

I love you, Grams!



Great books:

Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl, Carol Bodensteiner, A memoir of a happy farm childhood. http://amzn.to/xRpHuY


Michal's Window by Rachelle Ayala - Love, Betrayal, Redemption: King David and the daughter of Saul, E-book: http://amzn.to/yO2mPy Paper Amazon: http://amzn.to/JDklTG B&N  http://bit.ly/JPjoIF

Loyalty Binds Me by Joan Szechtman, A novel about Richard III in the 21st-century, E-book: http://tinyurl.com/79jxh8u Paperback Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/c563k48 B&N  http://tinyurl.com/bsxnaty


Life on the Edge by Jennifer Comeaux - A story of love and perseverence. E-book: http://amzn.com/B006T89A4Y Paperback: http://amzn.com/1470101777

After Ten by Michele Shriver- A story of acceptance, forgiveness and the bonds of friendship. Amazon: http://amzn.com/B005YD4V7Q B&N: http://bit.ly/IgCvvK

Always & Forever by Chantel Rhondeau coming summer 2012 - A suspected murderess must start over - romantic suspense. Excerpt http://awe.sm/5on16

Are We Too Busy for Kindness?

In the spirit of the Easter Holiday, I've been thinking a lot about how times have changed since I was a kid.

While leaving a store last night, I had my hands full and couldn't open the door.  A teenager came up on the other side, opened the door, and raced into the store, as though someone were going to beat him inside and get the last of something he wanted if he took two seconds to help me by holding the door.  I shook my head, wondered what had become of society, and went back to my struggle of figuring out how to exit.  Then a... hmmm... we'll call him a 'more mature' gentleman, appeared on the other side of the door.  He opened it, made a sweeping gesture with his arm to the world outside, smiled, and said, "After you, miss."  I smiled widely, thanked him (to which he responded, "Think nothing of it"), and made my escape to the parking lot beyond.

This is what I worry about.  We live in such a "get it now, on demand" society, many people are not even willing to take a few seconds out to help a fellow human being.  Common manners seem to no longer be a priority. 

My brother can never decide if he is a true believer in faith, but he often tells me his personal theory on getting into heaven.  He says if there is a God, He doesn't care about how many times you go to church.  It's my brother's opinion that God counts how many times you let another car out into traffic.  

It's an interesting theory, really, when you think about it.  In the end, are we really judged on how many things we did that appeared to be right?  Or are we judged on our inner intentions, the number of people we hold a door for, the number of times we give money to the beggar on the corner... the number of people we wave in front of us in traffic?

Growing up, we rarely went to church, but Mom had three cardinal rules:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (which went along with Treat thy neighbor as thyself).  Judge not, least ye be judged.  And finally, Thou Shalt Not Tell a Lie. 

I remember her saying these things all the time.  To me they translated to:  Be nice to everyone (even if they are hard to get along with), mind your own beeswax, and always tell the truth.  Honestly, these were so ingrained into my brain, I had a hard time even teasing someone, as that was telling a lie.  Do young people not understand these rules?  Is everyone so busy text messaging and listening to their MP3 players and playing with their Smart phones that they only care about themselves and the next cool thing?  It's a scary thought. 

I think that's part of the reason I like fiction and writing.  My hero will always open car doors, hold a lady's arm, shield her from danger (okay, maybe not at first, some heroes have rough edges, but they learn).  My heroine can be a caring person, concerned with the well-being of others (she can open doors and hold arms too...if she needs to). 

This Easter (and beyond) I want to focus on the true meaning, not the hype put out by the stores to get you to buy new dresses, shoes, and chocolate bunnies (although I'd never say 'no' to a Cabury Creme Egg--yum!).  To me, it's about caring for one another:  Helping an elderly lady put her groceries into her car, taking soup to a sick neighbor, calling a friend just to let them know I'm thinking about them, sitting down to a dinner surrounded by my family.

Whether you are a believer, sitting on the fence of faith, or a nonbeliever in heaven, God, and Jesus, to me the message is universal.  Kindness is an art that shouldn't be lost.

And my personal belief on what life should be about?

LOVE!

Thank you to everyone who is following along and reading my posts, encouraging me in my writing, and helping me along the way!  It means the world to me!  Feel free to leave a comment.  What have you encountered?  Is there still more kindness in the world than "me" mentality?  I sure hope so!  It warms me every time I start to think there is no kindness left, and then someone appears and holds the door :-)

Happy Easter everyone! 

Dancing in the Rain

One of my very first memories is of a rainstorm.  I must have been around two or three years old.  I stuck my head out the sliding glass door and let my hair get wet, delighting in the feel of the cold rain splashing against my hair and face.  Well, until Mom caught me anyway.

Summer rainstorms were not a time to head indoors.  Heck no!  I'd play until soaked with a never a care in the world.  I could always be found in the water somewhere as a child, swinging on an old rope across the canal or jumping off a bridge into the water rushing below.

As a teenager, I remember driving down the road during heavy rainstorms, Def Leopard blaring in the cassette player, rain sheeting across the front windshield.  Pull over?  No way!  I'd roll down the windows and get my friends in the car to help see where we were headed, trying to stay on the road as the windshield wipers cruised at max speed, doing absolutely nothing to help visability.  I suppose that right there is a prime argument for the case against teenager drivers.

There is nothing as awe inspiring as a thunderstorm.  The crackling intensity of the lightening, followed by the crash of thunder, just knowing any second the sky will open up and flood the streets in a matter of seconds.

I love visiting the coast, falling asleep as waves crash against the shoreline.  Taking mountain hikes to roaring waterfalls.  Sitting idle by the lake or spending the day swimming--all these things rank high as perfect vacations.


What is it that draws me in?  Water is a relaxing and magical presence to me. It symbolizes all things great to my mind, and makes its way into each book I write.  Lilly Price fled from her past, and ended up settling in a small town on the shore of a lake.  In my new book, Madeline Scott also moved recently and settled in a little town along the Pacific coast.  It's a dream of mine to live in a little cottage that overlooks the water somewhere...anywhere.

As a parent, there are too many things to worry about for me to enjoy that carefree aspect as I once did.  After all, the kids might catch cold if they go out in the rain. And swimming across the lake now requires life jackets and sunscreen, rather than guts and glory.

Maybe my characters gravitating toward water is a message from my subconscious.  Perhaps that little girl inside me is whispering what my responsible adult self has pushed away--sometimes, to be truly happy, I need to dance in a downpour.