A to Z Challenge: G is for Gratitude (and Barbara Graham and Ghost Under Foot by Kenneth W. Harmon)

Just a reminder. The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is all about posting every day in April except Sunday, visiting as many of the participating bloggers as possible during the month and leaving comments. Bloggers make lots of new friends (and it helps to connect on Facebook and Twitter as well, so participants should have easily-seen links to their social media sites of choice).

If you'd like to learn more about this challenge, hop on over to the official A to Z website and blog.


Featured Author:  Barbara Graham

This short introduction is from Barbara's website, so the words are totally hers:

"Barbara was always a daydreamer. Her early literary efforts centered around her saving the world. Thank goodness it didn't all fall on her shoulders. She's a bit of a flake.

Born in the Texas Panhandle and unable to remain still, she has lived in places as diverse as Denver, New Orleans and East Tennessee. A former travel agent, mom, and ballet teacher, she resides in Wyoming with her long suffering husband and two dogs."

I can tell you from first hand experience that Barbara is not a flake. She's a sweet, funny lady with killer talent in both mystery writing and the art of quilting. Her titles in the quilting series include MURDER BY ARTIFACT: The Murder Quilt (2009), MURDER BY MUSIC: The Wedding Quilt (2011), MURDER BY VEGETABLE: The Baby Quilt (2012), and MURDER BY SUNLIGHT: The Charity Quilt (2013).

She lives way up in the northwest corner of Wyoming, so I don't get to see her very often. I bet she gets snowed in a lot. Gets housebound. Probably the reason she kills people (in her books, I mean).


Featured Book:  Ghost Under Foot: The Spirit of Mary Bell by Kenneth W. Harmon

First of all, this guy Kenneth Harmon is in my critique group. Second, he occasionally threatens to bring his resident ghost, Mary Bell, to my house when it's my turn to host a meeting. And finally, I've never seen or felt a ghost and have no desire to do so. I do not want to make Mary Bell's acquaintance. I fear she would not like me as much as she likes Ken.

Last year the Biography Channel included the Mary Bell story in one of their "My Ghost Story" episodes. It was creepy. Doors and drawers opening and closing on their own. Orbs bopping around the house when the camera is turned on. Noises.

Seriously, you need to read Ghost Under Foot and know I truly believe the author's story. Truly.


Word of the Day:  Gratitude

There is a lot written today about the practice of showing gratitude. Back in the old days, we called it "counting our blessings." Even saying the phrase makes me think of Bing Crosby's recording...."When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep...."

One of our special guests at the Northern Colorado Writers Conference this year was the poet, writer and artist Ilan Shamir. When he spoke of gratitude, he reminded us of the times we have had a bad event or a whole bad day and we moan and whine about our misfortune. Things do go wrong sometimes, but on any given day, 1,000 things go right. If we can shift our focus and express gratitude for those things that went right, it can change our lives.

1,000 things went right today, and I'm counting my blessings for each and every one.