White Envelopes

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification,
no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. Oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the
commercial aspects of it, overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle
Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma, the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of
anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached
for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son, Kevin, who was 12
that year was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended, and shortly before Christmas, there was
a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.
These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them
together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in the spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new
wrestling shoes. As the match began I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without
headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team
obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of
their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride
that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish one of them could
have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."
Mike loved kids, all kids, and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.
That's when the idea of his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought
an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On
Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this
was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition, one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters
to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground
the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was
always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand
with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the
children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story
doesn't end there.
You see we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped
in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the
morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The
tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree
with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the
Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
Author Unknown

Out of the Box Thinking

Here I am spending hours on the computer every day trying to brand my name into everyone's household to get attention for my book. It is being considered by Bantam right now and I am waiting as patiently as humanly possible for an answer. In the meantime, I have gotten a website, blog, Facebook, Myspace and Twitter page. I have uploaded a book trailer that has received over 14,000 views so far and I am uploading that trailer to every author friendly website I can.

I cannot send the book out for reviews while it is under consideration of a publisher. I cannot post any piece for an excerpt or teaser for the same reason. I cannot host a contest to give away my book(for obvious reasons) and it isn't time for radio interviews or tv appearances.

What ideas can anyone come up with that are out of the box but will not cause Bantam to reject my book? I need creative, fresh ideas that will help brand me.


Citizen Out

Tennessee Missing Teen!!

Everyone needs to look at this girl's face and watch for her. Her family is devastated by her disappearence. People we all need to hope, pray, cross your fingers (whatever it is that you do) that this ends well. I cannot imagine the pain her family is going through while they wait for any news.



http://www.newschannel5.com/story/13641631/robertson-co-sheriff-searching-for-missing-16-year-old-girl



Citizen Out

Hale & Salvatore Supernatural Must Reads Supernatural Sundays

Hello Everyone,

I thought you would love to know about this really cool thing Akasha Hale is doing on her blog. Every Sunday is Supernatural Sunday where you get to post and tout your favorite character from your favorite supernatural book. All the details are here at her site. I am about to post mine and will be excited to see all of your favorites there too.

http://halesalvatoresupernaturalmustreads.blogspot.com/



Citizen Out

Read My Book Summary

A man patiently watches a group of young girls walk home from school, waiting for the perfect moment to take the one child he has designated as his next victim. Once in his clutches, she will endure acts of violence and horror that such a young girl should never have to experience. However, what this predator does not know is that he, too, is being stalked. There is someone in the shadows—a trained Citizen—who is ready to make sure that the child under his assigned protection is never harmed. One pedophile, one abuser, one killer at a time . . . this Citizen and others like him will take a stand against those who prey on the weak and the innocent.


Citizen Out

The internet is an amazing place!

I woke up this morning and decided to google my name along with the name of my book and I was amazed at how many times I was mentioned in the first 5 pages. So then I decided to type my name into Yahoo and Bing and the same thing happened. I even had my trailer on worldnews.com at the bottom of their page. I believe they are out of Britain, how the heck did that happen? My trailer has been viewed on Youtube over 8,000 times and I have a serious online presence but this blog is the hardest thing to get off the ground, Go Figure, Right?

I found out this week that a production company in New Mexico is going to shoot a scene out of my book and test the reaction of studios of turning my book into a Tv Series or Movie. I am beside myself in excitement.

Also 90 days has come and gone since Bantam Dell Publishing has had my book and I just hope that since I haven't received a rejection that it's a good sign they will make an offer. What a Christmas present that would be!!

Citizen Out