To Honor Those Who Gave Their Lives in Combat

cj Sez:  “Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”  - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

   Parades and outdoor get-togethers mark Memorial Day, often considered the unofficial start of summer. But the day is about much more than that. 

   Memorial Day is a day set aside as a national remembrance of the men and women of America’s armed forces who died in combat to preserve this country’s freedoms. It is about a demonstration of gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice.

 

   The modern observance of Memorial Day began after the end of the bloody Civil War. More than 622,000 Americans, from the North and the South, died in those four years of battles.

(*See quoted sources below.)

   “Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans —the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)—established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

   “It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.” 

[*Sources:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/memorial-day-history.htm

https://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp ]

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On the home front: 

Son Jeff D. Johnston’s photo of America’s National Symbol.

   The American bald eagle was chosen as the nation's symbol because it represents courage, strength, and freedom.

cj Sez: And I chose this eagle picture for today's post because I love that guy's attitude.  

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Writerly/Readerly quotes: 

   “There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” — Marcel Proust

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And now a few words from my sponsors:

   My newly released thriller/suspense novels are available in eBook and paperback for you to read, enjoy, and (hopefully) review:

 DEATH ON THE YAMPA: Grab the eBook copy of your next new adventure here:   https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP    

  The paperback is available on Amazon here:  Buy Paperback Yampa 

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Buy THE DAWGSTAR paperback 

here:  Amazon Buy Now  and buy the eBook from your favorite E-retailer, including Kindle, here:   https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

P.S.  TO ORDER my books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   If you’d like me to autograph or personalize it for you, be sure to tell them.

   The Haunted Bookshop has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

For readers and writers

cj Sez:  Passing along information . . . 1) How to identify and avoid scams for readers who want to write and writers seeking to get published: 

This is a must-read article:  Anne R. Allen’s publishing scams

2) Interesting info for writers and readers of “coming of age” stories:   Nathan Branford: Differences   

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On the home front: 

Son Jeff D. Johnston’s photo of a Summer Tanager, taken
on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

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Writerly quotes: 

   “I can’t write without a reader. It’s precisely like a kiss—you can’t do it alone.”   ― John Cheever   

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And now a few words from my sponsors:

   Both of my thriller/suspense novels have been re-edited, new info added, re-released and are available in eBook and paperback for you to read, enjoy, and (hopefully) review:

  DEATH ON THE YAMPA, Grab the eBook copy to read your next new homegrown terrorists adventure here:   https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP    

 Click here for the paperback version:

         Buy Death on Yampa Here

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THE DAWGSTAR is a Jane Bond-ish read with a touch of romance.

   The paperback is available here:  Amazon Buy Now

and you can buy the eBook from your favorite E-retailer, including Kindle, here:   https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5

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HOMEROOM HEROES Free on Kindle

  Buy Heroes Now

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   That’s it for today’s post. Let me know if those buy links don't work on Blogger, and I'll send you the link.  You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

P.S. TO ORDER my books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   If you’d like me to autograph or personalize it for you, be sure to tell them.

   The store has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page 

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Citizens police academies

cj Sez: Does your city or town have a “Citizens Police Academy?” If so, I recommend you think about applying for membership…when the world re-opens its doors.

   I applied for Class #21 in Mobile in 2017 and was recently asked to write a column for the alumni association’s newsletter about why I took the class. The text of the column follows:

Stating the obvious, there are many reasons why people take the Mobile Citizens Police Academy course. A desire to support Mobile’s police force? Check. Someone invited you to come along? Check. Curiosity? Check. If we’re truthful, curiosity is second, if not first on everyone’s list. The reason at the top of my list is likely not on yours at any level. Let me explain why.

   First, I moved to Mobile after I retired from the auto industry in Detroit. Why would someone who’d spent almost all of her life in the cool weather of the near North move to the hellacious heat and humidity of the Gulf Coast? The age-old answer: I wanted to live closer to grandkids, my born and bred Mobile all-stars.

   Second, my ex-husband was a cop when I worked in the Violation Bureau of a small city. I later became the court clerk for a municipal judge, so being around law enforcement and first responders was not a new thing for me. Knowing what happens in Mobile was a different matter. The procedures and processes of a police force in another city, another state, and essentially another culture were not only unfamiliar, they seemed alien.

   Which brings me to this: The primary reason I signed up for the MCPA was because I had become a published author. I write thriller/suspense novels under the pen name of cj petterson and was planning a new novel set on the Gulf Coast. Because my cop/law experiences dated back to the 1970s, I needed a refresher on police work. I intended the MCPA to be my primary research source.

   That turned out to be a perfect idea. I met marvelous people, had a wonderful time learning and researching, was inspired to keep working on new stories, and opted to join the Alumni Association because it is such a worthwhile organization. It’s my honor to support their wonderful mission:

Promote and enhance the relationship between the Community and the Mobile Police Department.

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   Since my graduation from the Mobile Citizens Police Academy, I have participated in community outreach programs offered by the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department and by the local Federal Bureau of Investigation office. They were exciting experiences for this Jane-Q citizen and marvelous research opportunities for this writer.

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Writerly quotes: 

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My thriller/suspense novel, DEATH ON THE YAMPA, LAUNCHED on May 30! 

Find out where you can grab the eBook copy of your next new adventure here:

   https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP   

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   THE DAWGSTAR, another thriller/suspense novel, is now available as an eBook and in paperback! 

   The story is a Jane Bond-ish read with a touch of romance. Paperback is available on Amazon. 

 (Amazon Buy Now )

 You can buy the eBook from your favorite E-retailer. Find the buy links here:   https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5

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On the home front: 

   Son Jeff D. Johnston’s photo of an Indigo Bunting on Dauphin Island, Alabama.

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  That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

 

cj

P.S.  TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

The store has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: under re-construction 

Mothers' special day

 cj Sez:  Every day is really mother's day, but today is a special one set aside to remind us how special mothers are. 

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   To my sons who have made me a very happy and proud mom, never forget that I love you.

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   To all those who’ve lost their moms, I share your loss.

   I can’t end this post without honoring and  remembering my Mama, as I do every day. I was blessed that she was the sweet soul who soothed my fears, dried my tears, and patted my rear when I needed it. Who thought I could do anything. Thank you, Mom, for your unconditional love that I did not deserve.

   Yes, Lord, please hold her for a while. She is forever in my heart.

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   That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

The Dawgstar eBook now available: https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5

Death on the Yampa eBook now available: https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP

P.S.  TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   The store has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: under re-construction

 

April novel releases and opening lines

cj Sez: My second thriller/suspense, DEATH ON THE YAMPA, LAUNCHED! 

   Find out where you can grab a copy of your next new adventure here:  https://books2read.com/u/bxe1AP (Also available on Kindle)

 

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Another thriller/suspense story with a touch of romance, THE DAWGSTAR, launched April 15, 2021. 

The Dawgstar is a Jane Bond-ish read. Find your favorite retailer, including Kindle, here:  https://books2read.com/u/3LRRG5 

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Excerpts from one of my archived posts:

   The importance of a good, inviting opening line, opening paragraph, or opening chapter probably can’t be stressed enough.

   There’s a lot of advice that says writers should start a story in the middle of a drama, some captivating situation. This is the hook with which a writer can snag the reader’s or agent’s interest.

   Ken Follet, in The Pillars of the Earth, starts off with “The small boys came early to the hanging.” Wouldn’t you want to find out more?

   This one from Toni Morrison’s Paradise speaks volumes:  “They shoot the white girl first.”

   One of my personal favorites is from Prison Letters, Corrie ten Boom’s memoir of her time in a WWII concentration camp: “From time to time, I wrote short sketches on scraps of paper.”

    Stephen King is quoted as saying: “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story.” He goes on to say, “For me a good opening sentence really begins with voice.” He believes readers are drawn into a story because the voice of the writer appeals to them.

   In each of the opening-line examples above, I believe you get a good sense of the author’s voice and how the rest of the story is going to be told.

   Here’s my first line from The Dawgstar, my thriller/suspense:  “I am not going to die; I am not going to die.”

   And from Death on the Yampa:  "Bryn McKay’s body ricocheted off the passenger door as the pickup, engine roaring, veered from one side of the Colorado mountain road to the other."

   Do you start your stories in an active scene? Or are you in narrative voice? Whichever it is, please make sure the opening is not in backstory.

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 Writerly quotes: 

   The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.” — Ernest Gaines

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 On the home front: 

   Son Jeff D. Johnston’s photo that he titled “The Chase,” because one of those eagles has the fish the other one wants. 

   And this is not a Photoshopped image. It’s a live-action shot he was lucky enough to catch in Homer, Alaska. 

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That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. 

cj

P.S.  TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   The store has re-opened to limited hours (and they have an awesome bookstore kitty, Mr. Bingley), so if you’re in the Mobile area, you can stop and shop, too.

 ➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: under re-construction