Slowly reopening

cj Sez: Businesses around Mobile closed by the 2020 coronavirus pandemic are tentatively re-opening, and the ones I’m most interested in are the restaurants. I am getting so tired of cooking that I've even opted for a McDonald’s spicy chicken sandwich. I know, I know. Don’t judge me, but desperate times require desperate measures.

   Then!  I saw some of my favorite “real” restaurants advertising family meal bundles. That’s five (sometimes six) whole meals…choice of meat (grilled chicken, chicken Parmesan, small steaks, mahi and shrimp), veggie, salad, rolls, and one place even offers chocolate chip cookies.  And it’s drive-through, curbside, or delivery services. With my handy-dandy microwave, I can enjoy full meals for a week without having more than a plate, coffee cup, fork, and knife to wash. Now I can carry on…and probably gain weight.

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   The Christmas charity anthology to which I submitted my short romance story will be titled HOMEROOM HEROES, and, of course, the stories are all about teaching and teachers. It’s too early to expect any reply from the publisher whether they’ve accepted my short story, which, by the way, I tentatively titled “The Substitute.”

  My tale is about an FBI agent working undercover as a substitute adapted physical education teacher for physically and mentally challenged students while he investigates Federal fraud and tax evasion. On day one at Hillger Elementary School, he finds himself attracted to the beautiful, first-grade teacher assigned to help him.

   An author friend of mine always builds an album of inspiration photos of her characters—Carrie Dalby writes a marvelous Southern Gothic historical fiction series. I’ve never thought to do that for anything I write, but she inspired me to do the same for this story.

   The first grade teacher in my story is a Special Olympics volunteer, and there is one student in a wheelchair that I’ve chosen to name. The picture that struck me as the perfect inspiration for a scene described in the story is this photograph of my granddaughter, Maggie Rose, at the 2019 Special Olympics event in Mobile. Her love for those challenged kids shines through, and needless to say, I think she is a beautiful inspiration.

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Passing along writerly info:

   Thinking about trying to make a little extra income by freelancing as a side hustle? Jane Friedman talks about the 3 Ps of freelancing in her latest blog post.

   “When you’re starting out as a freelancer, it can be tempting to say yes to every project that comes your way. This is a trap that full-time writers, as well as those who supplement their income with freelance editing or coaching, can fall into.
    But, as in writing, the key to success is often to go narrow. You can develop a more successful freelance business—and in particular an editing business—by being more focused and strategic with the three Ps: positioning, packaging, and pricing.”   

Read more here: https://www.janefriedman.com/3-keys-to-freelance-editing-position-package-and-price/

 

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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.  (Raising prayers for your health and safety.)

Last little note: Blogger is changing it's format requirements, and so far I hate them...ergo, there may or may not be a blogger Lyrical Pens next week. If not, know that I am working on a new site and will be back as soon as possible which, being a seriously flawed computer geek, may be a while. 

cj

TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from my favorite indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  The store has limited re-opening hours, so you can stop and shop, too.

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