Writing for the Love

Before I begin my review, I'd like to take a moment and share a few personal anecdotes about author Sunny Fader, who passed away recently. Sunny was a long-time supporter and friend of the Florida Writers Association. With her writing experience and expertise, she has helped many fellow authors and writers over the years. I vividly remember when she spoke at an FWA St. Pete meeting a few years ago about her background in screenwriting (and her days in LA), her highly successful non-fiction book about obtaining and keeping volunteers, and her help with the history of FWA that was published in 2011. The last time I saw her was at Wilson's Book World where she and I (and several other local authors) were doing readings from our books on Florida Bookstore Day. She gave me some lovely and kind words as she handed me one of her books and asked if I would accept it as a gift. Sunny also wrote a blurb for my pet stories collection, Lance & Ringo Tails , that appe...

My husband and I have pets, but everyone says they are preparing us for when we have children. I agree to an extent. Though I can't put a kid in a kennel while Brian and I are at work. And I really can't imagine a kid screaming louder than Lance's bark, but I'm probably speaking too soon. I hope kids are not as dirty as the animals. The dog tracks in so much dirt from outside, I sometimes think we live in a dirt pit. If we don't sweep, it starts to look one. The cat has clumps of fur all over the house, and the Advantage is apparently no match for all the fleas this year. Whatever the medicine does kill, kitty leaves behind bits of dead fleas wherever he sits or lays. It's so gross. I've been using all the non-toxic treatments I can find to get rid of them. In many ways, I don't think pet ownership and having kids should be compared. Apples and oranges, really. The time spent caring for something (or someone) other than yourself is the main comparis...