Tag Archives: fiction

Off to a great morning here!

September 10, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Wow, gang.

If you saw my quick update from yesterday afternoon — about how all 8 of my self-published books on Amazon got approved for audiobooks at the very same time…

By early evening, I was already getting audition tapes from narrators/producers (are they still “tapes” if it’s all done virtually??)

Anyway.

Wow, were they good!

I got 2 auditions for The Guitar Hero Goes Home, and one for 1954 Powder Blue Pickup. And my jaw kinda dropped open, all 3 guys were just so good.

(And, yes, I have to say that while I was listening to the auditions, I was wondering: Who the heck WROTE this filthy dirty stuff??)

Anyway. Wow. I’m just so happy with how this is developing.

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Okay!

I don’t know about you, but I had great dreams last night. And I woke up feeling like everything had shifted, energy-wise.

I’m in such a positive mood, today.

And THIS was so exciting to wake-up to!!

It appears Warren Ellis is finally satisfied with the shade of blue that the London Council chose for his street sign!

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And it turns out the rumors were true!

Some of the Bad Seeds did indeed have beverages while in Munich recently!!

And it appears that at least 3 of them also play their own instruments!

Colin Greenwood, George Vjestica, and Carly Paradis!

And here, George and Carly are — well, I’m not sure what they’re doing, but at least we now have proof that it happened!

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And here’s proof that both Lou Reed and Mick Rock used to exist.

Thank god.

Lou, taking aim. One of my all-time heroes:

And no, I’m not going to post this song again because I’ve posted it here a million times already… But if I were posting it, it would be my song, “Lou.” Demo produced by Peitor Angell! (1984)

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Oh!

And in case you were thinking I wasn’t busy enough…

Yesterday afternoon, James Tabor sent us 6 pdfs to download and read before the conference in 2 weeks. Along with a couple of books to re-read (did that already!! whew), and some documentaries to watch, and some maps to study…

Yes. Okay. Sounds good… I’m on it.

But wait!!!

When am I supposed to find time to do THIS?? My plane leaves in only 2 weeks!!

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All right.

Meanwhile…

Nick Cave has it figured out.

If there are TWO of him, he can get more done…

Even leaves him time to paint…..

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Anyway!!

All right.

As you can guess, I gotta get started — I’ve got some wrok to do. (And after the “wrok” is done, I have a lot of work to do, too.)

I hope you have a great Thursday underway, wherever you are in the world, gang!

And please don’t forget! TOMORROW, my new novel is officially out!!

If you don’t pre-order it TODAY, then you’ll end up being just like everybody else and having to simply “order” it instead…

So, if you haven’t already, pre-order it HERE!!! Thanks, gang!!

Meanwhile!

Thanks for visiting!

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this today!!

The only song whose lyrics appear in my new novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder!!

The old Kentucky mountain song–

“On Top of Old Smokey”, 1952, Gene Autry’s version, Enjoy, gang.

On Top of Old Smokey (traditional lyrics)

On top of Old Smokey, all covered with snow,
I lost my true lover for courting too slow.

For courting’s a pleasure but parting is grief,
And a false-hearted lover is worse than a thief.

A thief will just rob you and take what you have,
But a false-hearted lover will lead you to your grave.

The grave will decay you and turn you to dust,
Not one boy in a hundred a poor girl can trust.

They’ll hug you and kiss you and tell you more lies
Than crossties on a railroad or stars in the sky.

So come ye young maidens and listen to me:
Never place your affection in a green willow tree.

For the leaves they will wither, the roots they will die,
And you’ll be forsaken and never know why.

What were you doing at 2:43am??

September 9, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

I’ll tell you what I was doing —

I was lying in bed, in the dark, thinking about the new novel coming out in 3 days.

And I was thinking that this will be my 8th published novel.

And I was thinking that it would be my 21st book, until I really started adding everything up. And it was a LOT of math to do in the dark at 2:43AM!!

Not just the novels, but all the many short story collections of mine that have come out, the books I edited of other writers’ and photographers’ works, and then I also added in the various different editions of my books that came out, too.

And I was astounded to discover that The Curse of Our Profound Disorder will my 32nd book.

How did that happen??

Gang, I do not know where the time went. But I do remember every single book I worked on, wrote, or edited, as well as every different edition that came out — in the US, UK, France, Mexico.

And every single one of those events made me so happy. There were just so many publishers back then.

And this doesn’t count the short stories and essays that I’ve had published in other people’s books. I can’t even begin to remember all of those.

There were just so many books over the course of 28 years. And almost all of them are out of print now. So I’d kind of lost track of how many there actually were. (And before the books, my short stories were published in underground zines for 8 years! That whole zine culture was so cool, gang.)

And then next year, The Muse Revisited Volume 4 will come out, along with the M. Christian tribute anthology I’m editing.

I couldn’t wrap my mind around where the time went to, though, you know?

And this doesn’t count the 24 years of songwriting that I did, or the plays, screenplays, TV pilots I wrote or co-wrote. Or the diaries & journals I kept in NYC for 16 years — until I began working online for a film production company in 1997 and then started building publishing-related websites. Which started me writing my journals online and brought my blog into the world!

I’ve continuously kept an online blog now for 29 years.

I don’t know, gang. I felt like I was looking at someone else’s life. Even though I remembered every minute of it.

For instance —

When I was 10 years old (1970), I wrote my first real song. I composed it on the piano. It was a song about air pollution (I was against it!). And it was used in a short film that my art teacher, Mr. Quinn, at my elementary school made. It starred my Girl Scout troop! And we all sang my song in the film. And the film was shown at an exposition in downtown Cleveland.

Wow, was I thrilled!

And then the Synagogue my family attended, printed the lyrics of my song in the members’ newsletter. And my parents and grandparents — and my piano teacher!! — were really proud of me.

It’s like everything I ever wrote came back to me last night while I was trying to go back to sleep. But it took a while.

I don’t really know why I have become so obsessed with TIME. And how fast it’s flying and how little of it I have left, compared to what’s already gone by.

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Okay.

I’m not going to go into the details because it was absolutely traumatizing — it involved a car accident that happened yesterday, right in front of me.

But I had a really bad day yesterday. And then to top it all off, THIS happened when I answered my phone at 5PM!!

Yes! I’ve been called up for fucking JURY DUTY. AGAIN!

Next Tuesday… Jesus Christ.

Here’s hoping it goes pretty much the same way it went last month and then it will just be over for a few years.

But the long and the short of it is — I got NO writing done yesterday!! (But I did get a little writing done over the last 56 years…)

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Anyway.

The Public Theater in NYC announced yesterday that the play I posted about here recently, “How Shakespeare Saved My Life,” has already been extended!

It will now run from Sept 15th through October 25th! The play looks like it will be really great. You can read about it and buy tickets HERE!

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Did you know that Elvis Costello is on a North American Tour??

Including CLEVELAND! Yay!

You can buy tickets HERE!!

And in celebration of the 49th anniversary of his fantastic first record, My Aim Is True, he has a special 5-CD box set coming October 2nd. You can read about it HERE!

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And from Lambda Literary today:

“Lambda Literary has teamed up with Fine Arts Work Center to celebrate the successes of our Retreat Alumni!

“Join us for a free, virtual event Thursday, September 17th at 6pm EST to hear more about how these storytellers found success in their journeys from emerging writer to celebrated author.“

Find out more and register here! Free!

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Oh!

Simon Parkes had a great update yesterday, about upcoming healing centers and MedBeds, and also banking system changes, worldwide. You need to be a member of Connecting Consciousness to hear Simon’s updates, but it is FREE to join. Check it out HERE.

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Okay!!

And here’s this!!

Mick — bored with golfing??? It seems to be affecting the attitudes of the other Rolling Stones…

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A great Polaroid of Keith! Mid-1960s, in front of Olympia Recording Studios in London!

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Keith and the late, great horn player, Bobby Keys! Drinking!! On a plane!!

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Joe Strummer! Leaning!!

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And last but not least, gang!

Nick Cave and some of those Birthday Party boys! Smoking, not smoking!!

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And that is it for now.

I am seriously hoping I will have a much better day than the one I had yesterday, gang.

We will soon find out.

Meanwhile, have a wonder-filled Wednesday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for vistiing.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s entire story in 60 seconds!!

You can’t beat a day at the bowl-o-rama!

September 8, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

No, you can’t.

And I so wish my day was going to be spent bowling with the cats, however…

It is another really beautiful morning here and I am struggling to just be happy and at ease in life!!

We shall see.

I am still up to my eyeballs with doubts about the best way to present the new memoir, but I’m still working on it…

And still up to my eyeballs in doubts about how the new novel will be received — early reviews should start getting posted in 3 days…

But you know, I can’t un-write it, so here’s hoping that at least one advance reviewer liked it!

And if you have not yet pre-ordered The Curse of our Profound Disorder, you can do that HERE!! It gets released on FRIDAY!! (Mature themes, but not erotica.)

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Okay.

Let’s just get to the happy stuff!

Here’s this!!

Not sure what he’s smoking, but here’s Tom! Officially Smoking!!

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And here’s Keith!!

With a towel!!

Keith with no towel, but with Mick!!

And here’s Mick, with tea on Montauk in 1975!

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And this wonderful stuff came up in my feed this morning.

I used to love this Instagram account!! I cannot believe they haven’t posted anything since 2023. Where did the fucking time go??

Anyway.

Old school Nick Cave!! Smoking!!

Nick Cave with old school HAIR!!

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And that is really all I have time for today, gang.

I gotta get down to the hard stuff now (no, not drugs, although, you know, it holds a certain appeal at this point…)

No, I gotta get some brand new words onto the PAGE!! Please wish me luck!

I hope you have a terrific Tuesday, gang, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

This was actually great!

If you do not know much about how different “Christianity” was before the official New Testament was created, about 300 years after Jesus’s time, you will learn a lot from this video. Enjoy, gang.

Myth Vision TV — Bart Ehrman REVEALS the CHAOS of Early Christianity (24 mins):

Letting these guys do the driving today!

September 6, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 3 Comments

Yes!

A lovely day for a drive but I’ve decided to just be the passenger today and let my neighbors do the actual driving since they obviously love it so much!

Yes, I am heading back to town here soon. Groceries, cat food, etc. I guess that Sunday is now my day to do that.

It’s still a holiday weekend here in the US — and it’s that end-of-summer holiday weekend, where folks around here head out for the campsites on the lake, and so the highway will likely be deserted. We shall see!

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Before I forget!

The print edition of A Man in Her Arms & Other Stories did indeed go live last evening on Amazon. $12.95 You can buy it HERE.

Adults Only please!! Thank you!

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I did indeed spend most of yesterday here at my desk, struggling like crazy with the new memoir.

My main challenge with it is that I don’t want the book to be depressing. And while, for the most part, every single thing that happened to me in the 1970s was unbelievably depressing, the thing that got me through, that kept me alive and filled with joy, was the MUSIC and the guys who made the music.

They were like saviors to me. They literally kept me alive. When I say that men like Keith Richards were father-figures to me, I am not kidding. They were guiding lights to me — to somehow stay alive, get to NYC, and make my music there, professionally.

I remember one afternoon in the cafeteria at my high school, probably around the fall of 1977, I was sitting with a girl I knew. We never really socialized, but we knew each other. And she said that Aerosmith would be staying at the local Holiday Inn after their concert on Friday night and she asked if I wanted to go over there with her.

ME: “Why?”

SHE: “You know, to party with them. Have sex! It’ll be fun.”

I was absolutely flabbergasted by this. I wasn’t a virgin, by any stretch of the imagination by that point, and even though I loved Aerosmith and had their records, it would never occur to me in a million years to have sex with any of them!

Anyway. Music was everything to me and I wouldn’t have survived the 1970s without it. But I am struggling with how best to present the memoir — the reality of my life — and somehow capture the joy that bubbled beneath the surface of my mind because of all those incredible musicians back then.

And I don’t want it to be a book that blames my adoptive parents for anything. They were just as bowled over by trying to live in the huge cultural shifts of the 1970s as I was, but in their own ways.

But everything I had to confront on paper yesterday, about my life in the 1970s, was unbelievably depressing. So I am struggling to find my best way in.

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Anyway.

Speaking of music!

This happened yesterday!!

Happy heavenly birthday, Freddie Mercury!! He would have been 80 yesterday.

And speaking of the 1970s!!! Here’s this!! I absolutely loved this song! Especially those lyrics. What a great story they told. From 1974, “Killer Queen” by Queen.

“Killer Queen”

She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
“Let them eat cake,” she says
Just like Marie Antoinette
A built-in remedy
For Khrushchev and Kennedy (Ooh, ooh)
At anytime an invitation
You can’t decline (Ooh, ooh)

Caviar and cigarettes
Well versed in etiquette
Extraordinarily nice

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa) Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications
She never kept the same address
In conversation
She spoke just like a baroness
Met a man from China
Went down to Geisha Minah (Ooh, ooh)
(Killer, killer, she’s a killer queen)
Then again incidentally
If you’re that way inclined

Perfume came naturally from Paris (Naturally)
For cars, she couldn’t care less
Fastidious and precise

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
(Pa-pa-pa-pa)
Anytime

Drop of a hat she’s as willing as
Playful as a pussycat (Ooh)
Then momentarily out of action (Ooh)
Temporarily out of gas (Ta-taaa)
To absolutely drive you wild, wild
She’s out to get you

She’s a killer queen
Gunpowder, gelatin
Dynamite with a laser beam (Pa-pa-pa-ra)
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime
Ooh
Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
You wanna try

c – 1974 Freddie Mercury

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This happened the other day. I forgot to post it yesterday.

Terry Lemerond, the founder of Terry Naturally supplements, passed away. This guy did incredible research on healing the body naturally. His supplements are a little expensive but absolutely worth the extra money. And he also wrote some great, easy to understand books about health. You can find them HERE.

Thanks for everything, Terry. You got a whole lot of people, the world over, off of pharmaceuticals.

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Okay!!

Here’s this!

Joe Strummer in Hollywood in 1989!! (Photo by Bob Gruen)

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And here’s this!!

A couple of great photos of Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard!!

Smoking!!

Not smoking!! (Photo by Bleddyn Butcher)

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And these next 2 photos —

Hmmmm, what to say, gang??

Warren Ellis on movie night! Wearing a Sid Vicious t-shirt?? (Not sure.)

And this one — wow.

Lou Reed singing “Vicious”…. (which is not about Sid, btw)

And Warren Ellis’s bedside night table!! I think it technically qualifies as “not smoking” but that’s an awful lot of nicotine… And then the No. 4711 cologne — is that in place of water, since the water bottle is not within easy reach? Or does he just like to smell nice in a hurry? Not sure!!

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And that is it for today!!

Laundry is done! The day out there is glorious! And so I am off to town to get the groceries!!

Then, this afternoon, I will attempt, yet again, to get the memoir into some sort of higher plane. We shall see.

Meanwhile, have a super Sunday, wherever you are in the world, gang!!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

And, NO! It’s not from the 1970s.

It is however from 1999.

Mikey Rivera (of Freak Parade fame! The character of Eddie Ramirez, in my novel Freak Parade, is based on him) — we used to love listening to this CD in the car back then. We lived for awhile in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, right on the Delaware River, in Easton, Pennsylvania. And we used to love to just go out and take drives…

After 9/11, about 150,000 New Yorkers moved to that area of Pennsylvania at the same time, because rents in NYC had gone into the stratosphere, and this part of PA was reasonably close to Manhattan. You could live out there and still work in the city.

It is safe to say that the life-long residents of that part of Pennsylvania did not appreciate us descending on them like that (driving their own rents higher). They hated New Yorkers… However. It was really, really beautiful there.

Lou Bega!! From his 1999 album, A Little Bit of Mambo — “I Got A Girl”!! Enjoy, gang!!

Another Happy Sunday in the Hinterlands!

August 30, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

I think today the heatwave officially begins creeping in, so the AC is back on, but other than that, it is yet another really gorgeous morning here!

I did indeed complete the book edits yesterday evening, and this afternoon, I’ll chat with the writer and make sure he’s okay with everything. But as of now, it is complete.

And YES! I’m heading back to town here soon to buy more groceries and never-ending food for the cats! But it should be another really lovely drive to town and back.

Me, going to town! The guy driving is A.I.

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Wow, so, yesterday’s Zoom call with James Taber was so exciting!

Basically, all we talked about was our upcoming conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, the last weekend of September. I can’t discuss on the blog what we will be discussing at the conference, but I can at least say: Historical Jesus, John the Baptist, and things concerning ossuaries!! (This is primarily an archeology conference.)

Even though I have never been to Charlotte, I’m planning to just stick around the hotel, even when the lectures are over for the day. I love hotels, and this one sounds like it will be a really nice one to just hang out in– and of course, chat with other conference goers!!

And I recently discovered that going there and back, I have a layover in Detroit!!

I have not been to Detroit in a really long time. I realize I will only be in the airport, but I’m actually kind of looking forward to that, too.

So, the plane ticket is purchased, the hotel room is reserved, the cat sitters are lined up, and my girlfriend is taking me to and from the Columbus airport so that I don’t have to pay for an Uber!!

So, pretty soon, off I go!

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Oh, and before the trip, of course, I have a new novel coming out and a book signing!!

And the minute I come back from the trip, I start editing the tribute anthology for M. Christian!!

(I’m guessing that somewhere in the middle of all that, SANDRA will suddenly call and say, “I need you to come to Rhinebeck ASAP…” (I sure hope I am just kidding about that!!)

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Today is the final day of the Kindle eBook sale for my novel, The Guitar Hero Goes Home (2020). It is 99 cents in Kindle Unlimited. You can purchase it HERE!!

Thanks, everybody!!

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I don’t really have much to post about this morning, because yesterday was booked solid with the Zoom meeting and the book editing.

But I do have this!

A photo of Keith playing a guitar a long time ago and not smoking in black & white!!

And there were a TON of just beautiful videos of the final Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds show in Paris, but no photos that jumped out at me.

So here’s this instead!

Nick Cave & Mick Harvey not smoking in London in 1981!!

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Other than that, I guess that is it for now.

Tomorrow will be FUN! I get to wait around all day for the Visiting Nurse from my Medicare Insurance Company to stop over and give me my annual “how long until you will be dead” checkup!!

Of course, while I’m waiting I can always do this!! Yay!

All right, gang, I’m going to head to town now.

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!!

Late-night-listening-in-the-dark music from last night!

I don’t recall why I was suddenly compelled to listen to Neil Diamond’s album of cover songs, Rainbow (1973), but that’s what I did.

My mother was a huge Neil Diamond fan and had a lot of his records. I liked him, too, and would usually abscond with one of the records and take it up to the record player in my room.

Rainbow was an album that I not only absconded with, but kept!!

All these decades later, though, I stream it on my phone… It’s just as beautiful as ever, although it has some really intense memories attached to it, seeing as how it was a record I listened to a lot in 1974 (the Nadir of My Existence year)…

Anyway.

YOU don’t have those memories!!

Here’s the opening song from the record. Neil’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin'”. Enjoy, gang.

A relaxing Saturday, indeed!

August 29, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Okay, gang. Happy Saturday!

And it’s another truly gorgeous day here in the Hinterlands. (I haven’t even needed to have the AC on for about 5 days!) (However, another heatwave is on its way next week…)

I am almost done editing the writer’s book. I will try to complete the edits this afternoon, after the James Tabor Zoom meeting. But I will most definitely have it done by tomorrow. A day before it’s due!

What a book, gang. I do not know how this man lived through what happened to him.

And I also am curious indeed how his book landed on my desk — of all people to be editing a book like this! (Referring to my 4 recent years of nonstop digital soldiering…)

Anyway. It is definitely a story that needs to be told.

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Okay!

Here’s a happy thing!

Last evening, I got a text from my 93-year-old uncle down in Virginia. I had sent him a review copy of my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder.

He has read everything I ever wrote, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to read the new book, since it is just really raw, with some unhappy things that are always sort of just right in the reader’s face. But he said he would try his best to read it all the way to the end.

His text last evening said, in part:

“Just finished reading your book. It was strangely entertaining and a shift from my usual reading material. You have an unusually creative mind…”

He said some other nice things, but I don’t want to spoil the book for you! But it made me really happy that he had not only finished it, but that he also liked it! (You can pre-order it in print or eBook HERE. It will be released on Sept. 11th by Parisian Phoenix Publishing.)

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Speaking of writing!

This newsletter for writers is the best! Not only is it very informative, but she gives you all the information for FREE. Including all sorts of calls for submissions!

I get so disheartened how, nowadays, writers often need to pay someone to get access to calls for submissions or other paying publishing markets. It was never like that in the old days.

But now it seems there are so many people out there who just want to make money off of writers.

Here is Erica Verrillo’s The Publishing … and Other Forms of Insanity Newsletter

You can read her current newsletter HERE and also sign up for it, for free!

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Okay!

Get ready for THIS today!

It’s Australian musician (and former Bad Seed) Mick Harvey’s birthday!! He turns 68 today!

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And on a similar theme–

It’s the 40th Anniversary of the release of the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds album of cover songs, Kicking Against the Pricks! From August, 1986!

You can listen to the entire remastered album HERE. (Choose your preferred platform.)

I recently posted this one from that album, but here it is again!! Their cover of “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart”!!

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And speaking of Nick Cave!!

The final show of the tour is over!! And here’s what he had to say this morning!

Dear All,

Our tour has come to an end: thirty-two shows across Britain and Europe. Thank you to everyone who came along to make it what was, by any measure, a momentous summer. You were the most amazing, engaged and responsive audience, and it has been a true privilege to play for you.

People often ask how I stay so emotionally engaged night after night. The answer is, The Bad Seeds – the greatest live band a singer could wish for. So powerful, so vulnerable, so nimble, gloriously anarchic, and utterly committed to their own brand of lunacy. They really are the best. And it is you, the audience, who give so much. That connection sweeps us all away. People call it transcendent, even religious. Well, it is exactly that. The audience becomes a vast church into which the band pour their love, and that love, that devotion, comes surging back. For me, this is where the power resides. It’s love, plain and simple.

My manager just sat down with me at breakfast here in Paris and said, “The tour’s over. You did a good job. Now, let’s talk about The Bad Seeds and 2029. I have a very interesting idea.” Weirdest thing, I felt a surge of excitement.

Love, Nick

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And here’s a photo from last night’s show in Paris!

Here’s the set list!

And from Bad Seed Jim Sclavunos in Paris yesterday–

And the tour is officially over!!

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Okay, gang.

That’s it for now.

I’m gonna finish up the laundry. Maybe take a quick walk out there in the glorious sunshine, and then settle in for James Tabor‘s Zoom meeting. (They usually last at least 2 hours.)

Then, editing!!

Enjoy your Saturday, wherever you are in the world, gang!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this!

From up there on Jim Sclavunos’ post from Paris yesterday!!

Perry Como, 1955, “It’s A Good Day”!! It certainly is! Let’s enjoy it, gang.

Holy Cow! What A Beautiful Morning!

August 23, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

I decided to make a quick trip to the Dollar Store as soon as it opened today, get it over with so that I could focus on the editing later — I’m going to need to stop early today because of the live Zoom with Ross K. Nichols and James Tabor later this afternoon.

It was about 8:15AM when I ran to the store. And it was only 67 degrees Fahrenheit outside, a very light breeze, blue skies for miles, birds singing — and also for miles, everything was green! The trees, the hills, everyone’s lawns. And over where the Dollar Store is, the cornfields start. The corn is tall and just so green, too.

It kinda took my breath away, gang. Everything was just so beautiful.

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Okay.

Just a reminder — the week-long sale for my experimental novel, The Guitar Hero Goes Home, (2020) begins this morning at 8AM, Pacific time. The Kindle edition will be 99 cents, in Kindle Unlimited, until next Sunday.

You can buy it HERE. (Suitable for mature readers. This book is not erotica.) Thanks, gang! And if you do buy it and like it, please review it!! Thank you!!

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I think this is awesome!!

The GoFundMe fundraiser for guitarist Richard Lloyd is already almost at it’s goal!!

Since yesterday morning, when it launched, they have raised $31,117 of the $40K goal!!

From bassist Sean Seymour:

“I’ve organized this fundraiser for Richard Lloyd, my friend and bandmate in the Richard Lloyd Group. For those who don’t know him, Richard is a founding member and guitarist of Television, the legendary New York band whose album Marquee Moon became one of the most influential records in rock history. In March 2026, Richard was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a serious form of bile duct cancer. He has tumors in his liver, including one located dangerously close to a major blood vessel. Because of its location, doctors cannot safely operate to remove it at this time. Since his diagnosis, Richard has been through an extraordinary amount. He has been in the ICU seven times, dealing with serious complications including sepsis twice, as well as complications involving his liver and kidneys. And through all of this, he’s fighting….”

Please donate! Any amount will help! (I’ve heard that Richard and his wife actually need way more money then they’re asking for.)

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Okay.

Yesterday, the new Autumn comforter for the bed arrived so I went ahead and put it on the bed.

It is UNBELIEVABLE how much the cats love this comforter, gang!!

This morning, literally one minute after I made the bed:

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Yesterday, this happened!

It was John Lee Hooker’s heavenly birthday!!!

Happy belated heavenly birthday John Lee Hooker!

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And I kinda can’t believe this one, gang.

Tom Petty’s granddaughter turns 13 this weekend. (She was 4 years old when Tom passed away.)

Happy 13th birthday, Everly!

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Speaking of things I can’t believe —

Today marks the 100th anniversary of silent film legend Rudolph Valentino’s tragic death.

Yesterday evening, I sent the above photo to Wayne and told him that it was the 100th anniversary of Rudy’s passing, and then Wayne texted me this!!

“Seems like only yesterday…”

It so totally made me smile!! (And I’m pretty sure he’s wearing a Ramones t-shirt…)

And if you’d like to know a lot more about the amazing and very short life of Rudolph Valentino—

Check out my book Twilight of the Immortal (2011)!!

“As historical fiction, it is rich with detail and imagery, providing a strong ‘you were there’ experience for the reader…For me, the only disappointing part of the reading experience was reaching the end.” – MB Austen, BiWomenBoston.org

You can purchase Twilight of the Immortal in eBook or print HERE. Thank you!! (It is suitable for all readers.)

And, YES!, while we’re at it–

This is the very same novel that my agent said was my masterpiece, as we sat together, having breakfast out on the sunny patio of the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood.

As she held the lofty manuscript that it had taken me ten years to research, she said, “I can only compare this to F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is just that good.”

Then she added, “Unfortunately, no one is buying F. Scott Fitzgerald right now…”

And she was 100% absolutely correct about that!! Every single publishing house turned it down!!

The self-published book is currently ranked at #2,037 in Historical LGBTQ Fiction on Amazon.

Not too shabby for a 16-year-old book that every publishing house turned down…

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OKAY!!!!

Speaking of not too shabby–

Check this out!

Congratulations, Johnny Depp!

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And from Phyllis Stein–

Another lovely photo of Willy DeVille! In Belgium, 1990. (Photo by Gie Knaeps)

And here’s this, while we’re at it!! “Cadillac Walk,” Mink DeVille, from his debut album Cabretta, 1977!

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And here are some more photos from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ show at the Cabaret Vert Festival in France the other night!

And I’m not sure if this was in France or at a different show, but I love this photo– Nick Cave relaxing with a few of the Bad Seeds!

They play Munich, Germany, tonight. You can buy tickets HERE!

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And I guess that is it for now.

I’m going to get back to editing that writer’s amazing book. (And by amazing, I mean an unbelievably intense memoir.)

And then I will get ready for that Zoom meeting, which promises to be so much fun– Ross K. Nichols and James Tabor discussing the various translations of the Bible — both Hebrew and New Testament — over the centuries, and who did it and WHY. (Because once you get into the various ways the Bible was translated, gang, it practically becomes a whole different book…)

Enjoy your Sunday, wherever you are in the world!

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

For some reason, when I awoke this morning at 5AM, this song was going over and over in my head.

So maybe it can get stuck in your head now, too!

“Letting You Go,” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. From their Platinum-selling album, Hard Promises, 1981. Enjoy, gang.

“Letting You Go”

I used to think that when this was all over
You might feel different about me
Yeah, I always knew one day you’d come around
Now I wonder if dreams are just dreams

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go

Baby look out your window, it’s raining on your summer home
You’re by the fire keeping warm and dry
There’s no one as honest as those in pain
Oh honey can’t you see me, will you let me inside?

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go

And it’s a restless world, an uncertain time
You said hope was getting hard to find
But time rolls on, days go by
What about the broken ones?
What about the lonely ones?
Honey, I’m having trouble letting go

It’s off in the distance, somewhere up the road
There’s some easy answers for the tears you’ve cried
And it makes me uneasy, makes me feel different
Do you get scared when you close your eyes?

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
Whoa-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh
I’m having trouble letting you go
I’m having trouble letting you go

1981 – Tom Petty

Another happy Saturday at my desk!

August 22, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis 2 Comments

It’s not really that extreme — I do get outside and take walks. Still get the laundry done and the house vacuumed. Still do yoga, wash my hair, eat meals and take care of 15 cats…

But all that stuff aside, I’m once again spending a whole lot of time at my DESK!!

Yay!

Oh, and speaking of cats — yesterday I lined up Rasha’s mom & her baby boy, Jude, to cat sit for us while I’m in North Carolina next month for James Tabor’s TRG conference! (1st century archeology pertaining to Jerusalem and the historical Jesus and John the Baptist.)

Now I’m just waiting to hear if one of my girlfriend’s in town can take me to & from the airport, or if I need to plan on Uber. But the trip is basically on my horizon for sure now and I can’t wait!

And speaking of James Tabor — tomorrow afternoon, Ross K. Nichol‘s private Yachad is having a Zoom meeting with James Tabor!! We’re all going to be discussing the various English translations of the Bible (Hebrew and New Testament). It should be so much fun, all together like that on Zoom!!

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Okay.

An important message from Phyllis Stein on Instagram.

Guitarist Richard Lloyd (one of the founding members of the seminal NYC band, Television, along with Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine, and Billy Ficca, back in 1974), has cancer.

You can donate to Richard Lloyd’s go fund me account HERE.

They are already closing in on $10K of their $40K goal!! Any amount helps!

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All right.

Look what we forgot yesterday!!

That’s right! It was Joe Strummer’s heavenly birthday!

Happy belated heavenly birthday, Joe Strummer!

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And look at this!

TODAY is Roland Orzabal’s 65th birthday!! Happy birthday, Roland!!

And here’s this, while we’re at it!! Tears For Fears! “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, from their hugely popular album Songs from the Big Chair, 1985!

And here’s a pop quiz for loyal readers of this lofty blog!!

TRUE or FALSE:

Every time I hear the song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, I am instantly reminded of hanging out in the bar next door to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC in 1985, with my co-worker and best friend Valerie from Brooklyn, both of us smoking and drinking and laughing on our work-break! And then that song came on the bar’s radio…

If you replied TRUE, then you know me really, really well! Congratulations!! And– Yay!!

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And here’s something I don’t think we have EVER seen!!

NO!! Not Mick talking on a telephone!

KEITH, stubbing out a cigarette!!

Smoking, not smoking — all in the wink of an eye!

And here’s something I wish we could see ALL THE TIME!!

Keith drinking and smoking in his rented home in Bel Air (Los Angeles) back in 1970!! Yay!!!

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Oh, gang, here’s something that made me SO happy!

I checked in on the Facebook app on my phone last evening, and found this message from my long-time friend in NYC, the poet Iris N. Schwartz!!

(Honestly, it made me so happy. Especially since I have gotten a lot of not so great feedback on that same book, my upcoming novel, The Curse of Our Profound Disorder. Iris has a review copy.)

It kinda made my whole evening.

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Okay!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played the Cabaret Vert Festival in France last night.

Prior to the show, from Bad Seed George Vjestica —

And as of right now, this is my FAVORITE photo of Nick Cave from Cabaret Vert !! (It was the first photo I saw posted last night!)

I’d recognize the bottom of that Gucci shoe anywhere!!

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play Munich, Germany, tomorrow (Sunday, 8/23). Then they play Bonn, Germany, on Tuesday 8/25. Then Paris on August 28th!

And then the tour is OVER!! Buy tickets HERE!!

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And that is it for this sunny, happy Saturday in the Hinterlands.

I’m gonna put that editor’s cap back on now, and get down to editing that local writer’s new book.

Have a superb Saturday, wherever you are in the world, gang.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this.

Another HUGE hit from early 1985.

By this time, my guitar player and his wife (who were both from Buenos Aires, Argentina) had had their first baby, a girl. And one evening, while hanging out in their apartment in Brooklyn, this video came on MTV and he raised a glass to the TV set and dedicated this song to his brand new baby girl.

What a happy evening. I always think of that whenever I hear this song.

“I Want to Know What Love Is”, by Foreigner, 1985. Enjoy, gang.

A pleasant day ahead in the Hinterlands!

August 20, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Although it’s raining here this morning, it’s supposed to get really nice out there by this afternoon.

But I will be at my desk the entire day today.

I am editing that local author’s new book (I’m aiming for 30 pages a day for the best turn-around time). But at 2PM this afternoon, the Alliance of Indie Authors is having a live update on everything that’s new in eBooks, audiobooks, formatting, platforms, etc.

So, as much as I’m thinking that will be an overload of overwhelming information, I still want to attend.

And then yoga. Then prepare dinner. Then reading, reading, and some more reading, then study French! And it should be a good day.

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It feels sort of incredible to look at my schedule for the remainder of the month, gang, and all that’s on there is one more Zoom meeting, a visit from the Medicare Insurance nurse — to make sure I’m not dead yet? — and then nothing else for the rest of the month but editing.

Wow.

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Okay!

Not many “here’s this’s” today. Not sure why.

But here’s this!

Speaking of not being sure why, I have no clue what the facial expressions are all about, but here’s Mick and Keith and producer Jimmy Miller not smoking in the studio in LA, while recording the album “Let It Bleed” in 1969!

Photo by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs, Getty images

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And I know I’ve posted something similar before from Allen Ginsberg’s page, but I just love this because it reminds me of the view out my own back window on E.12th Street in NYC back then — just a few apartments down from Allen Ginsberg’s.

So, here’s this! From August 18, 1984! 42 years ago!! (Of course, the view out my own back window was in living color!! And yes! The courtyards in back, between all the tenements, were FULL of trees!!)

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Okay.

Here’s this!!

The Warren Ellis mostly-hair Odyssey!!

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And THIS awaited me upon opening my wee bonny peepers at 4AM this morning!!

Yay!

And even though the above photo was accompanied by a much more raw -sounding song, I could not help but be reminded of THIS song, too, and eventually, I leaped out of bed this morning, singing it!

“Too Young”

They try to tell us we’re too young
Too young to really be in love
They say that love’s a word, a word we’ve only heard
But can’t begin to know the meaning of

And yet we’re not too young to know
This love will last though years may go
And then some day
They may recall
We were not too young at all

Oh, Oh

And yet we’re not too young to know
Oh, This love will last though years may go
And then some day
They may recall
We were not too young at all

c – 1951 Sylvia Dee / Sidney Lippman

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And speaking of Nick Cave —

He sent out a Red Hand File this morning that was rather riveting. All about a young woman’s mother’s addiction. He begins:

“The problem with your mother’s motto is that it is everyone else around her whose lives she is setting on fire, including yours, it seems, and the people who are fanning the flames are those desperately trying to put them out…”

It’s a quick read, but very powerful. You can read it HERE.

FIRE AT NIGHT BY FRANCISCO GOYA, 1793-94

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ Tour of Europe resumes tomorrow in France. You can buy tickets here!

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And that is it for today, gang.

I’m gonna go down to the kitchen and get another cup o’ joe, then put on my editor’s cap and get the day underway!

Have a great Thursday, wherever you are in the world.

Thanks for visiting.

I love you guys. See ya!

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Let’s close with this today!

Another gem from my wee bonny girlhood!!

INSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON) – Lennon/Ono with The Plastic Ono Band, 1970!! Enjoy, gang.

NSTANT KARMA! (WE ALL SHINE ON)

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together. Pretty soon you’re gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of? Laughing in the face of love
What on Earth you trying to do? It’s up to you. Yeah you!

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darling. Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see? Laughing at fools like me
Who on Earth d’you think you are? A superstar?  Well right you are!

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on. Everyone come on!

Instant Karma’s gonna get you. Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognise your brothers. Everyone you meet
Why in the world are we here? Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there? When you’re everywhere
Come and get your share

Well we all shine on, like the moons and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on, come on and on and on on on

Yeah yeah alright. Uh huh ahh

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on. On and on and on on and on

Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on like the moons and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on

c - 1970 John Lennon

Here’s to things getting better and better!

August 19, 2026 marilyn jaye lewis Leave a comment

Well, if you can believe it, gang, one month ago today, I retired from professional caregiving to go back to my writing fulltime and, wow. What a difference it has made in the quality of my own life.

And yesterday, my new publisher in Pennsylvania did indeed get back to me, saying that she wants to publish The Muse Revisited Volume 4: Selected Taboo Erotica of Marilyn Jaye Lewis. (A completed manuscript from 2021 that I found in a file while looking for something else!)

Yay!

And also yesterday, one of those local ads I placed, offering writing coach/editing services, got me a book editing job!

So, another yay! (I especially like it when I can help other writers, one on one, with no agency taking a fee.)

It seems like every day, something new pops up that I wouldn’t have had time for, wouldn’t have been able to focus on, only a few weeks ago.

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Okay.

Apparently I’m in the Bart Ehrman- MythVision algorithm on YouTube because it keeps popping up in my stream first thing every morning!

I don’t mind, I love both of them, but I’m just saying…

Anyway. This has some interesting stuff about the discoveries of ancient gospel fragments and how they can differ from what we read in the New Testament and why.

From 3 weeks ago. Everything You Know About the New Testament Could Be Wrong | Bart D. Ehrman (51 mins):

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And here’s Keith not smoking!!

Onstage in 1981:

Not smoking with his family in Connecticut in 1986!! (You’ll note that no one in the family seems to be smoking!!)

And Theodora Richards posted the first photos of her newest baby boy, born back in April!!

Here’s both boys, Gus and Tarka, not smoking!!

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And speaking of people not smoking!!!

My heart hit the jackpot this morning!!

And here are a bunch of photos from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ show in Lithuania!

If you can read it, here’s the set list!!

This was cool. I don’t think this is AI or anything — usually the song lyrics on the big screen are in English!

Here’s ~~Jesus~~! Oops, Nick Cave!

And that’s it. There were tons of photos and videos, though, and it looked like everybody had a really great time.

The Bad Seeds play France on Friday the 21st of August. You can buy tickets here! And then there are only 3 more shows left…

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All righty!

I’m gonna head to town here soon and head over to the Rural King to buy a carload of catfood!

Then stop in at my favorite health & wellness store to say hi to my girlfriends and buy some organic goji berries , some nonGMO bathsoap made from roses in Provence, and then the all-important taste-temptingly delicious organic SNACKS!!

And then it’s back here to my desk in the Hinterlands to begin editing the local writer’s new book.

(Oh, and in case you are interested, there are only FOUR things left on my To Do List, and 3 of them are books that still need to be uploaded to the audiobook submission thing on Amazon, and the 4th thing is get that Writers & Artists podcast thing off the ground with Valerie in Brooklyn!!)