Open Book Blog Hop -18th February

This week the topic is ‘What was your best ‘drop the mic’ moment?’

I must admit, I had not heard that phrase here in East Anglia, UK.  I’ve heard of ‘Taking the Mick’, but not ‘Dropping the mic’.  However, my US blog-hopper friends quickly translated it for me as a kind of ‘glory’ moment that you experience when you know you’ve nailed it.

Okay, well… I had to wait a long time for my glory moment – I’d say about 20 years.  It all goes back to when my sons Leon and Marc were aged 16 and at the point of leaving school.  Neither of them wanted to go to university; in fact all Leon wanted to do was play computer games, and all Marc wanted to do was play his guitar in the garage along with several hirsute, unwashed musos that you’d never want to come across on a dark night.

I informed both boys quite sternly that they would have to do something to earn a living, and reiterated what my own father had said to me: “If you think you’re going to sit on your arse and do nothing, then you can think again.”

Leon carried on playing computer games, and Marc turned up the volume on his Mesa Boogie amp to drown me out.  I asked them how they intended to eventually keep a family and pay a mortgage, but they told me they had no intention of ever getting married and had no desire to move out in the foreseeable future.

However, I was not to be put off.  I knew the boys were not particularly academic, but they were very practical like their father.  I went along to a place in town that advertised apprenticeships for young people aged 16 -19.  I came away with a list of local apprenticeships available, and stuck them in front of Leon’s nose in 1998 and again in front of Marc and his guitar-which-needed-to-be-surgically-removed in 2001.  Both boys reluctantly picked out two each.  Then it was a case of making sure they’d filled in the application forms correctly, which unfortunately neither one was in any hurry to do.  I even posted the bloody forms as well.

About two weeks before they left school, the boys received invitations to attend for apprentice interviews.  Nervous, suited and booted, they turned up. They must have impressed the interview panel, because Leon received offers to become either a car mechanic or an air-con engineer (he chose the latter), and Marc had an offer to become a lathe operator/CNC machinist.  They left school on the Friday and started work on the Monday and were actually quietly delighted, especially when they discovered they would be paid a weekly wage and given a day off to attend college.

Twenty years on,  after many exam passes and a couple of changes of employers (but still not with any university degrees between them), Marc is the general manager of a Cambridge-based precision engineering company, and Leon is a senior manager in a nationwide building/engineering company, ever competitive, and with his sights set on getting the same title as his younger brother .  They’ve both taken time to thank me for my efforts in obtaining them gainful employment when they were 16 and didn’t know any better, which they realise eventually helped them to pay their mortgages and keep the families they said they’d never ever have!

I must admit, when my now 30-something sons thanked me and gave me a hug, I think it was my ‘Drop the mic’ moment.

What was your ‘Drop the mic‘ moment?  Click on the blue button below to discover other blog-hoppers’ moments of glory, or even add your own:

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

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Open Book Blog Hop – February 11th

Here’s this week’s blog topic:

Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and your pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be, and why?

That’s an easy one for me.  No, I wouldn’t save my computer, photos, books or papers.  Having suffered from thyroid cancer and had extensive treatment, I now have no working salivary glands.  So… I would save a lovely cold bottle of water from the fridge!  I have to sip, sip, sip water all the livelong day, otherwise much unpleasantness occurs, of which I’m sure you don’t want to know about.

Cheers!

But hey… it’s been two years now and I’m used to it.

Everywhere I go, my trusty bottle of water is with me.  Try carrying on a conversation with no working salivary glands, or even eating a sandwich.  It just ain’t gonna happen.  However, with a bottle of water in one’s pocket, one can sound and look reasonably human.  I need to take a sip of water about every 10 minutes all the time I’m awake.  This ensures I will never suffer from dehydration, but it also poses another problem…

One has to ensure a ladies’ room is not too far away!

I love music festivals, but surprise surprise, they don’t want you taking in your own water.  I used to jettison mine at the last ever minute before I went through the turnstiles, and then waste time queueing up to buy another one from a stall.  Now I’ve got into the habit of producing an empty water bottle at the security gate. They look at it with suspicion but they can see it’s empty, so I get to keep it.  As soon as I get to the arena I look for the free drinking water tap.

See what other blog-hoppers would save by clicking on the blue button below.  What would you save?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Click here to enter

 

Open Book Blog Hop – 4th February

This week’s topic is:

If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?

I’d like to make many changes, but the Open Book topic only gives me the chance to make one.  Therefore this is the change I’d make if I could…

I’d ban sugar!

Sugar has been added stealthily to virtually everything we eat, and it’s also in many drinks too.  I’m reduced to eating lean meat, fish, vegetables and salads and drinking either water or green tea so as not to be another victim of sugar addiction.  I’m not talking about the natural sugars in fruit, but the unnatural ones…dextrose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, corn syrup and the like. The sugars that manufacturers like to add to their products to make them more appealing and therefore increase their profits.

There are nearly 60 different names for these unnatural sugars, and they’re in most of our foodstuffs, increasing the sugar receptors in our brains and making us crave more of the stuff, which could lead to obesity and heart and joint problems in those not able to control their weight.  Too much sugar in our diets can also cause the pancreas to become exhausted, leading to Type II diabetes and its legacy of poor circulation and foot/leg ulcers or amputation, and eyesight problems.  I see the damage sugar can cause every day at the hospital where I work.

I buy wholemeal bread, and surprise surprise, it’s in there as well as caramelised sugar.  I bought some frozen vegetable chips for my granddaughters who like them, and found they were coated with dextrose.  Arrgh!  The manufacturers get babies addicted as soon as possible, by putting sugar in tins of baby food.

People all over the world would be so much healthier without sugar.  The sugar producers and probably the breweries too would be up in arms of course, but we as a nation would eventually feel the benefit.  However, it will never happen.  The Government enjoy their tax revenue from sales of alcohol too much, and all the sugar addicts would be up in arms too complaining about the mother of all withdrawal headaches and infringes of their human rights.  I guess sugar is here to stay unfortunately…

Click on the blue button below to discover the changes other blog-hoppers would make.  You can also link your own blog to this topic.

Open Book Blog Hop – 28th January

This week’s topic is:  ‘Are humans better at creating or destroying?’

That’s an easy one to answer, because I would say that generally it depends on the individual human and how they have been raised.  Some children have had horrendous childhoods and feel worthless and unloved, or have even been brutalised by childhood abuse. These can become adults who are unhappy, quick to anger, and might go on to destroy the peace of anyone they come into contact with.  Some adults of course recover if they can find a loving partner or receive therapy or counselling to gain the insight to deal with their past, but others might not fare so well.  Of course I’m only speaking generally, but it’s usually a case where a child who does not feel loved or valued would then not care about anybody else and then as an adult might go on to commit serious crimes, or become addicted to drugs or alcohol (as their parents might have been) to try and blot out the past, which are all destructive traits.

On the other hand you have people that are relatively happy with their lot, and have been brought up by a parent or parents who love them and have devoted time to them.  If they had a special talent as a child, such as for playing a musical instrument, woodworking, or for painting or writing,  then they would have been encouraged and praised.  These people then go on to create loving families themselves, and by their example raise happy children with morals and who have been taught right from wrong.  The adults these children become would feel valued because they have received love, and so they can give love back a hundredfold.  Making contented children is the best creativity of all, because it eventually builds a peaceful and happy society.

So when I hear people say “I want a baby”, I think of the hard work they will have to do to mould and shape that little warm, cute bundle, which quickly grows with its own mind and ideas.  Taking external factors into account, a baby’s future adult mental health and whether it turns out creative or destructive depends about 90% on how its parents or a parent/guardian cares for it in the first 18 years of its life. The responsibility is enormous and must not be taken lightly, because society is far happier and more pleasantly disposed to creatives than destructives!

What do other blog-hoppers think?  Click on the blue button below to find out, add your own blog, or just leave a comment here.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Open Book Blog Hop – 21st January

This week the topic is ‘What keeps you up at night?’

I can answer this one straight away, as it’s usually one of two things, or maybe both at the same time.

The first and most frequent cause of sleeplessness is our neighbours’ television.  They are old, both quite deaf, and are often asleep in their armchairs all day. Therefore, like a hamster, they now seem to come alive at night and operate nocturnally.  They go to bed at least 2 hours after we do, but for those two hours have their TV blaring against the party wall.  I’ve sometimes phoned them in desperation about 1am and asked them to turn it down, but to no avail.  The TV is so loud that they cannot hear their phone.  I’ve mentioned it to them over the garden wall, but so far no joy.  I think, just like my mother whose TV could be heard down the street, they do not think it is loud at all as their hearing is impaired.

This has caused us to have to uproot the bedroom that we’ve used for 28 years and move further along the landing to what used to be our eldest son’s bedroom.  I can still hear their TV, but now it isn’t so loud.  The most frustrating thing is that you never hear a peep out of them during the day!

Another cause of nightly wanderings is chronic lymphoedema, which I now suffer from due to having had 30 sessions of radiotherapy to the neck and 4 radioiodine doses.  Sometimes it feels like I’m carrying a bucket of water around my neck and shoulder areas, which when serious enough causes me to not be able to swallow.  This calls for much neck and shoulder exercise to be undertaken, sometimes in the spare room to the tune of whatever’s playing on next door’s TV…

It’s a wonder I get any bloody sleep at all!

What keeps other blog-hoppers up at night?  Click on the blue button below to find out, or just add a comment of your own.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

Open Book Blog Hop – January 14th

This week the topic is:

Have you ever been duped by a so-called service to authors?  And what is the best service you’ve ever used?

Back in 2009 when I wrote my first non-fiction book I was rather naïve regarding predatory author ‘services’, which are there purely to relieve writers of their money.  I’d taken advice from a doctor where I worked, who had also written his first book and had used A*********e for publishing it.  He was, and is, a millionaire, and so looking back with hindsight I expect the cost of publishing was mere peanuts to him.

Anyway, there I was with all these words I’d written, and I thought that if a doctor had recommended this publishing company, then they must be okay (!).  I contacted A*********e, who assured me that yes, they would publish my book.  They assigned me a ‘representative’, who sent me a list of charges.

I was dismayed to discover it would cost about £600 to publish my book, but nevertheless, parted with my hard-earned cash (this did not include editing or proof-reading by the way).

It appeared on Amazon, and I was delighted, but no other marketing was ever undertaken by them.  Soon after this I read about vanity presses, discovered KDP, and kicked myself heartily.  For the next 8 years until I finally managed to rid myself of them, I was hounded by ‘representatives’ to publish more of my books for ever-increasing costs.  They would ring me at all hours of the day and evening, ignoring the fact that I had repeatedly informed them I did not want to do any more business with the company.  Arrgh!

Contrary to this, the best service I’ve ever used is Maria Lazarou’s Obsessed by Books Designs, who is very reasonably priced, replies to my emails very quickly, and who is in the process of formatting some of my books and designing new covers.  Nothing is too much trouble, and she has often gone above and beyond the call of duty for me.

Click on the blue button below to discover the author services other blog-hoppers give a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to.  You can even add your own recommendations!

Open Book Blog Hop – Writing Goals

This week the topic is:  ‘Share your writing goals for 2019.’

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I’ve read many blogs recently where New Year writing resolutions/ goals are made.  However, I wonder if that is a good thing to do?  The majority of us do not earn our living writing novels, and ‘Life’ has a habit of getting in the way and stealing valuable writing time.

Professional authors with one of the big 5 publishers generally receive large advances, which usually go hand-in-hand with needing to meet writing deadlines.  In my humble opinion it would surely be these people who would need to state their writing goals for 2019, and not the average self-published author.

Deadlines to me means … stress. What’s the point of me setting goals and stressing myself out?  That would only take all the fun out of writing, and for me the best bit is NOT having to meet deadlines!  I write when I want to.  Sometimes I don’t write a thing for weeks, and other times I’m tapping away for hours like the clappers.  Being forced to write to meet a deadline kills any creativity as far as I’m concerned.

What do other blog-hoppers think?  Click on the blue button below to find out…

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Open Book Blog Hop – December 24th

This week’s topic is:  ‘What is your fondest holiday memory?’

For me, it’s got to be the East End Christmas parties my family always had on the evening of every Christmas Day. The older generation of EastEnders, unfortunately all gone now, used to be notorious for their parties, and I was lucky enough to be part of a family that celebrated Christmas in style.

We would all gather at one relative or another’s house, probably about 20 -25 of my extended family members.  There would be food, drink, and dancing into the small hours.  We would stay there overnight, all giggling in sleeping bags.  Dad and his cousin would always stay up and play Chess when all the partygoers had gone to bed.   On Boxing Day morning everyone would help to prepare a big fried breakfast before going their separate ways.

Happy days; Mum being tossed over my uncle’s shoulder after one too many sherries, and Dad almost doing a striptease until his mother stopped him!  Ah, there was nothing like it.   That and so many other memories are all here in my memoir ‘Waiting in the Wings’.

I’m the older generation now, but I find the younger members are not interested in the old type EastEnd family parties – all they want to do is stare at their phones.  Not quite the same, is it?

Happy Christmas!

Let’s see what other blog-hoppers’ fondest memories are:

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
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Open Book Blog Hop – 17th December

This week the topic is:

Do you believe in true love?

I think it all depends on what age you are.  When I was a young teenager I saw the world through rose-coloured glasses and fell in love at the drop of a hat.  Sam and I got engaged at the age of 21 after knowing each other for only 3 months!  However, we’re still married and still love each other, but my goodness, we’ve been through some testing times!  We both agreed it was true love at the start and were very starry-eyed, but that starry-eyed-ness faded when reality set in, and now a more steadfast love has emerged out of  troubled times to take us into our old age.

These days I’d be much more cautious about getting engaged to anybody after just 3 months. That’s because I’m older and wiser, more realistic, and less prone to taking risks.  I’d advise my grandchildren to get to know their prospective partners a bit better first, but would they listen?  Would they heck!  They’d make the same rash decisions I made – simply because they’re young and starry-eyed!

Do you believe in true love?  Read other blogs or add your blog via the link below.

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Open Book Blog Hop – December 10th

This week it’s our chance to shine, as we give some excerpts from our work:

All these excerpts and more can be found in the books featured on my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Stevie-Turner/e/B00AV7YOTU/

So here’s a conversation from ‘The Daughter-in-law Syndrome’.  Arla Deane is talking to counsellor Toni Beecher.  Toni begins the conversation:

“For instance you could see this as a chance to welcome your new daughter-in-law into the family, and to make sure the relationship gets off to a better start than it did with yourself and your own mother-in-law.  It looks as though your son has already chosen his life partner; do you think that in time you might be able to get to know her and accept his choice?”

“It’s easier said than done.”  Arla raised the palms of her hands. “We’re worlds apart. We have nothing in common.”

“Yes, you do.”  Toni smiled.

“What?”  Arla replied with some irritation.

“You love your son as much as your daughter-in-law does.  Your son thinks the world of you both, and I expect would love it if the two of you got along, especially now there’s a new baby on the way.”

“The trouble is, I have to take second place again in his life now; it’s so hard getting used to it.”  Arla looked down at the carpet. “I was his whole world once, and now she is.  I don’t feel I’m the most important person in anyone’s life now.  I’ve been cast aside; made redundant.”

“Do you think it’s possible that maybe your mother-in-law could have had those exact same feelings when you married her son all those years ago?”  Toni pressed on, peeped under her fringe, and tried to make eye contact.

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Here’s the opening of ‘No Sex Please, I’m Menopausal!’ – the story of a couple’s mid-life crisis:

“Sorry, but it’s still the same as when I told you the last time and the time before that.  It’s too painful, and I haven’t got a vagina anymore!”  Lyn Fuller sighed as she removed her husband’s wandering hand. “Can’t you just accept it?”

From a clear vantage point between his wife’s legs, Neil Fuller let out an expletive as he risked a quick second glance.

“Yes you have, I can see one!”  His finger pointed directly towards the object of the dispute.

“It’s for exit purposes only.”

“Shit.”

“No, that’s the other end.”

“Well, can’t you stick something up there to help?”  He took another glimpse; his erection deflating rapidly as he spoke.

“Wild yam is supposed to do the trick if you can’t take HRT.”

“Eh?  You’ve got to stick a yam up there?”  Neil looked quizzically at the size of the introitus on display, mentally comparing it to the dimensions of the root vegetable.

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Last but not least here’s the beginning of Chapter 5 from ‘The Pilates Class’:

Edith Lambert sighed and looked in the mirror. It was bad enough being invisible, but now Julian had styled her hair just like a cauliflower again.  She wanted it to look the way it had been when she first met Leonard, when she used to walk into a room and heads would turn.  However, as that had been 54 years ago she was rapidly resigning herself to the fact that it was perhaps rather optimistic to expect Julian to perform miracles, and that she would have to get used to looking not unlike a vegetable from the brassica family.

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To add your own excerpts or read those from other blog-hoppers’ work, please click on the blue button below:

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.