Inspiration Plus

Hello. It's been a while, time flies. The fall leaves are quickly reaching their peek and I'm getting ready to pick them for next year. Last year's leaves (left between the pages of old telephone books and weighted down by other books, as I mentioned in a previous blog) are lookin' good on the mantle, under a glass table top . . . wherever I can shove, stuff, glue and otherwise place them. Our two rescued husky dogs, Gabriel and Ginger are adjusting to their new home (with me) and to our two black cats, LillyGirl and LucyLoo. Ginger is a hoot. Huge blue eyes that look like they're lined with tons of mascara and gorgeous white eyelashes. (I wish I had her eyelashes!) She's the most clueless creature I've ever met, but the most cuddly and lovable. She's my husband's self-appointed foot doctor. As soon as he takes off his shoes at night, she grabs his feet with her paws and insists on messaging them--with her tongue. Yuck. On another note, I recently received a royalty check (small but much appreciated!) Mega thanks to those who bought my books! I'm in the process of scheduling school visits, in Vermont and New York. And, I'm almost finished with Johnny Vic book number three, that again has two stories. In one, he and two friends go back to the early 1900's to find hidden pirate's gold in Plymouth, Vermont (Yes! There really is hidden gold in Vermont!) and then, in the second story, he goes back to the 1600's to Plimouth Plantation in Massachusetts, to witness the first Thanksgiving with Governor Bradford and Squanto. Those last few scenes always seem to be the hardest to write. I'm also gearing up for the annual Horace Greeley writers' convention. It's on October 24th & 25th in Poultney, VT. Want to come? It's only $75 for this two-day event. Got some great workshops lined up. (I'm the MC). Now that the third Johnny Vic book is almost finished, I'm debating on the next two adventures for the fourth book. Should he go back with Mr. Pember who collects specimens for the Pember Museum? (animals). Should he meet two more presidents? Hmmmm.

Johnny Vic #3

Hello. I'm excited tonight. Excited because I've been writing up a storm . . . writing the next Johnny Vic adventure! It's all about the first Thanksgiving. Johnny Vic and a classmate travel back to 1621, and meet Governor Bradford and Squanto, and lots of colorful characters. I'm thinking about calling it, "Poetic Thanks." At this rate, maybe this third book in the Johnny Vic historical fantasy series will be out by Thanksgiving! Then I'll be real thankful!

Good Fun

Hey, I've finally returned to Ticonderoga (my home town) and have placed my books there . . . at the town library for its patrons, and they are available for sale at the Hancock House (in the historical society's gift shop) and at the gift shop at Fort Ticonderoga. (Yes, the actual fort where Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured the Brits without firing a single shot.) Wouldn't it be great if we could capture all the world's evil-doers that way? By the way, I just got a phone call from the real Johnny Vic who just returned from a visit to Scotland. He said he's drummed up some Johnny Vic fans way over there! In the meantime, I love to hear from readers. And, I tell you what, the first one I hear from (as of this date) will receive a free miniature treasure chest with an agate in it (an agate that the real Johnny Vic found at his gold mine in Alaska.) Just mention this blog and it's yours. That's it for now.

Congratulations

Belated, but never-the-less sincere thank you's to the sixth grade students at Wells Village School who played my game, "Johnny Vic's Crazy Cargo Game" and especially to the three top winners of the picture contest. As promised, the three winning pictures were on display at the Pember Library & Museum in Granville, NY. The winners are: 1st Place: Kortni Winchell (her picture shows Champ getting ready to "chomp" a boat; 2nd Place went to Harley Perrillo (her picture shows the big schooner with three portholes); and 3rd Place went to Emily Burke, who showed a schooner that is being followed by Champ, the lake monster. The pictures were judged by members of the Horace Greeley Writer's Guild. You can see them on my website: www.AnnRichDuncan.com if you click onto the author bio button. Also shown is a picture of Ardyce Bressette, head of the Pember Library, who is holding a big display created by attendees during my recent author talk. Standing with Ardyce is library patron (and awesome musician) Geoffrey Gee and kids, Jessica, Kyra and Kai.

Christmas in July

July! What a great month, full of things to do. Like tag saling. And summer concerts and annual fairs. A great time to start watching for Christmas presents. And, a great time to make them. I recently got the inspiration to pull out the modgepodge. I decoupaged everything I could think of. Took prints of my paintings and stuck them on decorative wood and china plaques. Took my Johnny Vic logo and decoupaged a small wooden box to hold rocks from Johnny Vic's gold mine (The Moore Creek Gold Mine in Alaska.) I recently decoupaged part of one of my paintings onto the brim of my faded golf cap. Got some family pictures? It's a great, easy way to make personal presents. Hey, maybe Melvin and his girlfriend will do some decoupaging in the next John Victor book . . .

Message to Sarah

I joined teamsarah.org recently and saw a picture of her (Sarah Palin) with her baby Twig. Was a beautiful shot. Beautiful shot of a great woman. A good woman. A woman of great strength. And it reminded me of a quote from Alexis de Tocqueville. (Or at least as close as I can remember.) It said: "America is great because she is good. When America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." Sarah's strength is like a renewable resource that strengthens others. God blessed her with Trig, and he'll bless the U.S. with her.

Tea Party Speech

I recently was invited to be a speaker at a Tea Party Rally in Vermont. This is what I said: "Shakespeare once wrote, 'Go to thy bosom. Knock there and ask thy heart what it doth know.' Well, I knocked, and this heart doth know that the United States of America was a nation blessed by God because we were created under Judeo/Christian principles. We've been able to sing God Bless America for years, but, I believe we're at a dangerous crossroads and perhaps . . . just perhaps, we'll have to start singing, God Once Blessed America. But it's not because the majority of Americans lack faith in God or Country. Far from it. It's because we've been silent. Silent far too long. So, we're here today to wake the sleeping giant (the silent majority) and to honor the original Tea Party-ers and our Founding Fathers. We're here to break that long political silence and to walk in the shoes of those Americans who first rose up against tyranny. And make no mistake about it, tyranny IS in our future if we do not change course. Tyranny in the name of "isms". Those isms like Marxism, Communism, Corporatism, Socialism, Progressivism, and Liberalism. Those isms are the backbone of Tyranny! But there's another "ism" that is the BACKBREAKER of Tyranny . . . it's Capitalizm! I'm here amongst you, peaceably assembled, to celebrate the free market system that has been justified to us by our great document, the Declaration of Independence. Through that document we have been blessed. The Declaration gives us an advantage, recognizing our unalienable rights that are endowed to us by the Creator, not by man nor government as some revisionists would have you believe. The first Tea Party-ers did not have the Declaration. But they did have a great set of principles and beliefs--along with the spirit and guts to act. Do we?
Their efforts made a difference. Brought a people together, and inspired others to create these great documents (what I believe are God-driven documents!) And as a result, they helped to spawn the creation of the greatest nation on earth. And I daresay the most giving nation on earth! Yes, we Capitalists are caring, giving people. Can we follow in the footsteps of those first Tea Party-ers? Can we become inspired by their legacy to make a difference and to save the soverignty of the people (yes, we the people) of the United States of America?
My husband recently told a friend that today's Americans are a bit too comfortable. We've got food in our pantry. A decent roof over our heads. And even a bit of money (at least what the government hasn't yet conspired to steal from us). But, slowly and surely, we are sinking deeper and deeper into debt. Government created debt. We're sinking to a place where we have to work harder and harder for less and less. And the greedy people who are conspiring to take this hard earned money from us are shouting to the rooftops that we are the greedy ones. And well, we are working so hard we don't feel we can AFFORD to take action. Do you hear me? We are working so hard we don't feel we can afford to take action. But right now, my husband and I are asking ourselves, 'What is our silence actually costing us?' And, 'How long will it be before we don't have the right to speak out? After all, even a major television network is afraid of Barack Obama. What?##!!
I took baby steps in recent years with my writing. Baby steps toward speaking out. I've published three books and am working on the fourth, fifth and sixth. Some for adults. Some for kids. All espousing our Judeo/Christian heritage. (how did we fall so far as to have a president who won't do that, but brags about our muslim population???) All my books also praise our Founding Fathers. I even go into the classrooms and talk about how I was Divinely inspired, while openly praising our Founding Fathers. I was a little afraid to do this, but, heck. I should be free to talk about what has inspired me. Don't you think? And you know what? The kids loved it and the teachers, so far, have given me a thumbs up. And today, speaking before you, I am continuing my journey down that path. A path of action. A path that embraces our heritage of freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility.
It means a great deal to me, for many reasons. Basically, it simply makes sense. It's for everyone's benefit. Also, on a personal level, I learned through my mother's geneology research that my ancestors were active during the original struggles for freedom. On both sides of my family. On my dad's side, Captain John Pulling was a friend of Paul Revere's and assisted him the night of his famous ride. On my mother's side, I'm told, Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony is in our family tree. You know, Governor Bradford of the First Thanksgiving? And here's something that pushes my buttons, big time. Why? It's because the whole story has not been taught to us or our children. And it certainly is not in our modern textbooks. That part of the story? It's that Governor Bradford, in his prayer of thanks, was also expressing his thanks for the Divine inspiration to STOP operating under their failing system of what amounted to socialism. Oops, one of those isms! He was inspired, Divinely inspired, to see to it that each family be given a plot of land and that they be held accountable for themselves. I'm talking about personal responsibility. That's when they flourished folks. It's when they became motivated.
And please, don't believe the lies that I'm negating the contribution of the native Americans. Yes, the natives did save the lives of Bradford's people. And they went a step further. They did not just give them food, they taught them how to farm and grow the food in this climate. (Oops! That's a step away from socialism, too!)
Yes, the Plymouth colonists flourished. Not because they were given food for a few days (like today's government wants to dole out). They flourished because they received greater gifts. Divinely inspired gifts. The gifts of freedom. Opportunity. Personal responsibility. Or, if you will, they were given life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as stated in our Declaration of Independence. And, those are intregal parts of Capitalism! That wonderful 'ism' that is so often vilified today. And I find it to be very sad. Very sad! So much good has come from Capitalism. I call it good old American enginuity. And it's what creates prosperity and strength. And allows us to give. It's why we were able to become the most giving nation on this earth. The most giving nation on earth!!! So, why on earth would anyone want to fight against those principles?
To quote that of't quoted philosopher, (and I'm spelling it wrong, I'm sure) DeToqueville ... "America is great because America is good. And when America stops being good, she will stop being great." And, folks, as we spiral downward on that path away from Capitalism and freedom and the legacy of our Founding Fathers, we are speeding away from our goodness and our greatness.
The basis for the struggle to vilify our Founding Fathers? I believe it's greed. And a lust for power. Hmmm. Perhaps that's why Barack Obama is grasping for control of big business? Perhaps that's why he's appointed so many Czars . .. who circumvent the Constitution?
It's time to take action, folks. To exercise our right and our responsibility as spelled out in the Constitution. Time to stop the madness of current political movements. We the People must do it. We The People!!! The Libertarians, the Independents, the Democrats, the Republicans, the Conservatives, the Moral, Upright, Caring, Hard-working, Faith-filled Americans. Please join the Tea Party Patriots. We are not extremists. We are Americans.
It's about you and me. About us. US. We the People.
You know, George Washington said it best in his outgoing address. He said the we must protect the Constitution. And, we must keep morality and religion in our politics. Yes. He said that terrible "R" word: Religion. "In our Politics." You hear that Congress? You hear it, Washington, DC? We the People are waking up and we don't like what we see.

TYG

TYG. Thank you God. On this eve of the Fourth of July, there's a lot to be thankful for. A cozy home. Food in the pantry. Friends. Family. Cuddly pets. The chance to have one's voice heard. I'm even thankful for extra telephone directories! Why? It's because they're perfect for drying flowers! You don't have to purchase expensive racks. Starting about ten pages from the back of the book, just arrange a few flowers or fall leaves--not touching each other--then close about twenty pages over them and arrange a few more, every twenty pages or so, sandwiching them from back to front. Then, hide them under your couch, or at the bottom of a stack of books, and forget them for a month or two. Even ten months later, you'll find them perfectly preserved! Last fall I gathered crimson climbers, golden birch, lemon-yellow ash and incredible bronze and wine-colored oak leaves. Just yesterday (yes, July) I pulled out my telephone books to check them. Yep, they look great. Perfect for that fall arrangement I'll be hankering to create by the end of summer. Hey, perhaps Melvin's girl friend will be a crafter! Like those culinary mysteries with recipes, I could add a few crafting instructions in my John Victor series? Suddenly, I'm in the mood to work on the book.
But, in the meantime, something else I'm thankful for? It's those 50+ founding fathers who put their lives on the line when they signed the declaration of independence. They wrote, "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor." Some of them were tortured and killed. Others lost their homes. Others lost their children. I'll be thinking of them when I give my keynote address this Fourth of July in Rutland. I hope a lot more of us in the US do, too.

Life rolls along

Well, I've finally finished my speech for the Fourth of July. It's exciting, feels like I'm coming full circle; after all, my ancestors were active during the first struggles for freedom. On my mother's side, in the family tree, Governor William Bradford helped to create the first Thanksgiving! And, one of his prayers of thanks was his gratefulness for having the inspiration to give each person a plot of their own land . . . and to have them become responsible for themselves . . . because their system, a form of socialism, was failing. Once they were responsible for themselves and free to do as they wished, they flourished! They were motivated! That's a lesson our current president hasn't learned. Or perhaps he doesn't want us, We The People, to flourish? And on my father's side, Captain John Pulling was a friend of Paul Revere's. He helped him the night of his famous ride. Need I say more?
On a different note, I continue to work on John Victor's latest adventure. It occurs near Tucson, Arizona, in a made-up town called Bonespur. John's got two new foes who'll soon be on his tail--Jacko and Avery--and an old one, too, because, Alexander Graham Rossweild is not dead after all!
In the meantime, if I don't write again before Saturday, happy Fourth!

Melvin gets a facelift

Well, not exactly. Melvin doesn't get a facelift. But he's working hard at self improvement. (Aren't we all?). Actually, if you read my novel, "The Seed," you'd remember Melvin. He's scuzzy. Overweight. Slightly frantic. On the wrong side of the law . . . and yet, he's lovable. Just not too smart. So, I'm bringing him back to life in John Victor's latest adventure. And, he even gets a girlfriend! Why not? He's become enamored with Tony Robbins, the king of motivators--the prince of self improvement--the U-can-do-it Guru of all time. I guess Melvin's just a metaphor for the human condition.
We can all improve one way or another. With a little effort, the right attitude, and most importantly of all, faith. After all, Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Not a bad way to think--Don'tcha think?

Things'r Happening!

Not much to report on the writing front--my first shipment of "Johnny Vic's Nautical Adventures" just arrived. And, I'm proud to announce that I've just been invited to be the keynote speaker at a patriotic Tea Party rally on July 4th! It runs from 10 am to 12 Noon at the Gazebo in Rutland, VT. Anyone who believes in the legacy left to us by our Founding Fathers; anyone who believes in following the Constituion; anyone who believes that we Amerians are the most CARING, COMPASSIONATE, GIVING people on this planet, is invited! Come celebrate our Judeo/Christian heritage! Come support the Constitution! If you truly don't believe in the goodness that sprang from this country; if you don't understand why so many of us feel privileged to sing, "God Bless America," then, well, I invite you to write to me and explain. I'd really like to know.

As promised . . .

Hello. It's day two of my blog. As promised in the first message, I'm posting the ISBN number for my latest Johnny Vic adventure book, entitled, "Johnny Vic's Nautical Adventure." The ISBN #0-7414-5348-7. It contains two stories, "Champlain Gold" and "COLUMBUS!". Good reads for all ages.
I'm in the middle of the next John Victor mystery. I'll be posting the progress of it in upcoming blogs. Hello. Anybody out there?

Hello out there! It's a new world!

Hello out there! After publishing three books and completing eleven paintings, I've decided it's time to join the world and start blogging. I don't know about you, but it's been a strange, unsettling-yet-awesome journey into the world(s) of art and publishing. Most of us know what it's like . . . we swallow our pride and fear and let a friend or relative review our manuscript. And then they yell at us because it was so good they couldn't put it down and didn't get much sleep. And it happens many times, so we think, hey, maybe I can write after all. And then the "professionals" give in to whatever bias is biting their u-no-wuts on that particular day and don't even bother to read it. You know what I'm talking about. That's why a new world has sprung up. POD. Print on Demand. And I'm happy as a pea in a POD to have tried it! Because the people who count . . . the people who might actually read my -- and your -- book(s) can finally have a chance to read them! My latest YA historical fantasy will be "out" thru me by the third week in June and over Amazon, probably some time in July. It's "Johnny Vic's Nautical Adventures". I'll provide the ISBN number in my next posting where I'll start telling a few tales about this journey into the world of art and literature.