30 Days of Etsy--JNH5855

So the holidays are coming up, but so is colder weather, unless you live in California, where you are still sweating out the long, hot summer. I've been stocking up on warm clothes via Etsy and found this awesome shop run by Jamilla Harris, jnh5855. Sweaters? She's got them, in sizes ranging fromextra small to 2X, and men's clothing as well.

She also has a large array of cool accessories and more than 1600 reviews with a 5--star rating. Her prices are excellent. And check out this (so on trend) mustard yellow baby doll coat that's only $20.. I couldn't get my big toe into it, but I have about six items "in the cart" waiting for me.

The shop  also features lots and lots of really cute bathing suits, belts, and purses. She also has hats, both summery and wintry. All in all, she has nearly 3000 items for sale and there's something there you WILL want. I love this adorable cardinal-embellished jacket (just $13). There are also a lot of different shoes, mostly size 6.5. Check out the shop here.

Safety pins--not just for punk rockers!

You may have seen people wearing safety pins in the last few days. Here's what it signifies. It boils down to the golden rule. It means you're an ally. It means you will not stand by as someone else is victimized. It's a solemn pledge that people are taking in hopes of making this post-election world a safer place for those who don't feel safe. It's a symbol, but it's a start.

Coming at the end of the month--A bite-sized psychological thriller

I've been wanting to play around with the psychological thriller genre for a while and even though I'm working on A Woman Presumed, the idea for this one popped into my head and just wouldn't leave. It seems to me that Love Note is going to be short, probably not more than about 12,000 words, so it's yet another not-novel I've written during NaNoWriMo.
Sigh.
The cover was designed by bukovero of the Book Cover Designer, whose website is here. What I like about this cover--other than the great font--is the electric blue of the background. I found it really striking.

GOTV--It's your country, vote for your future

ONE HUNDRED BOOKS for only 99 pennies each!

I’m part of a big Science Fiction & Fantasy promotion this weekend. Offered by Patty Jansen, the queen of such events, this promotion is  a chance to pick up a handful (or more) of digital books for just 99 cents each.  LINK TO ALL RETAILERS HERE.

My collection of urban fantasy tales, The L.A. Nocturne Collection: Tales of the Misbetotten  is available  on Amazon. If you like shape-shifters, djinn, vampires, mermaids, ghosts, or any other kind of paranormal creature, you’ll find a story to like in the collection. And bonus, even if my book doesn’t tempt you, there are lots of other books(100) on offer. For just 99 cents each!!!! It’s like they’re free, only slightly more expensive.

Check out all the goodies here. Have a great weekend.

And don’t forget to vote!

Bryan Cranston as LBJ in ALL THE WAY

Lyndon Baines Johnson once said, "Cast your bread upon the waters and the sharks will eat it." A consummate politician, a born political animal and a deeply flawed man, he makes for an excellent character and in All the Way, Bryan Cranston brings him to vivid life. All the Way is about LBJ
s fight to get the Civil Rights Act passed. And it was a down and dirty dog fight all the way.

A side note about Cranston.  When you live in Los Angeles, you're never more than one step away from practically any actor you see on TV or in the movies. There's David Caruso in the grocery line ahead of you; there's Steve Carell opening the door for you at the Firestone place; there's Kevin Costner banking at the same time. Or you live on a block next to an actor. Or you go to church with an actor.And on and on. And it doesn't take long before you learn which actors are d-bags. And which are the good guys. Bryan Crnaston is a good guy. His kids went to school with a friend of mine's kids and even before he hit it big with the role of a lifetime on Breaking Bad, people said nice things about him. And in L.A., the default option is to say nasty things about people. It's the whole reason TMZ exists.

The Most Important Article You'll Read Today if you didn't read it yesterday

"What can be causing Trumpism? We ask, and seek for an earthquake, or at least a historical oddity or a series of highly specific causal events. The more tragic truth is that the Trumpian view of the world is the default view of mankind. Bigotry, fanaticism, xenophobia are the norms of human life—the question is not what causes them but what uncauses them, what happens in the rare extended moments that allow them to be put aside, when secular values of toleration and pluralism replace them."--Adam Gropnik, "Why Trump is Different--and Must be Repelled" (New Yorker, November 3, 2016)

Gropnik's article is sobering. It's full of facts that counter what's become perceived wisdom. But he

also does something that I think cheapens his article. He uses this phrase, "...so infantile a figure as the orange menace." It's become a standard thing for news stories and blog posts and magazine articles to trot out the metaphors to mock Trump's perennial orange tan. It's often funny. As are the bazillion memes that mockery has generated. (Like the one on the right.)
But as Gropnik says in another part of his article, "there's nothing funny about it." Anything that trivializes Trump makes him seem less dangerous. People were not paying attention when he started his campaign. They enjoyed the spectacle. They laughed and pointed and couldn't get enough of him. And now...he's a heartbeat away from becoming President of the United States. We sowed the wind and we're reaping the whirlwind.

Read the article if you're thinking about voting for Trump. And then go Google "Bill Weld and Trump" to see what the Libertarian candidate has to say about him. (Here's a story from USA Today that includes a link to his appearance on the Rachel Maddow Show.)