My Bucket List by Michele Ashman Bell

I'm not sure if someone already posted about this or not, but if i can't remember, then hopefully you can't either! Anyway . . . my family and I recently watched the movie, "The Bucket List." It got me thinking about living life to its fullest and leaving this earth without regrets. Not long after I watched this movie Larry Miller passed away. I felt sadness at his passing, for the loss of a man who has shaped this community. He was much too young to leave this earth. I couldn't help think that as much money as he had, when it came to his health it didn't help him. Do you take your health for granted? I know I do. I exercise regularly, but I could do better. Do you eat healthy? I try, but I have a mad sweet tooth and give in to it much too often. Do you get enough sleep? I'm lucky if I get six hours. If you're like me, it's probably time to reassess how well we take care of ourselves and make changes.

Back to the Bucket List. I loved the premise behind this story. Basically two men meet in the hospital, both are battling cancer. They make up a list of things they want to do before they die, then, they go and do them.

What would be on your bucket list?

I read a quote by one of the general authorities (I'm too lazy to research it, but I'm thinking it was President Benson) that was geared to the youth and basically said, "decide now the things you want to make sure happen in your life, don't leave important things up to chance." As a youth, most lists would include an education, mission, marriage and having a family. Since I'm passed that stage of life, and some of you are too, I think we should all write down the things we don't want to leave up to chance. I think we should make up a Bucket List. I also think it should be a list that you don't hold back your greatest wishes and dreams. Shoot for the stars. The sky's the limit. You get the idea.

What's on my list??? Gee, thanks for asking:-)

1) I want to travel through Europe with my family. They all want to go and I want to go back. I want to go to Paris this time, I want to go back to Salzburg and Neuschwanstein, and I want to go to Great Britain too. I want to take my time and really soak in the culture.

2) I want to see one of my books, or a screenplay I write, get made into a movie. I know what you're thinking, but I am shooting for the stars after all.

3) I want to meet Doris Day. She lives in Carmel, California. I was in Monterrey and didn't have time to track her down. Her movies have brought me great joy. She's a wonderful person. I would love to meet her.

4) I want to buy a cul-de-sac and have all my children live in houses around me. (I know, that is seriously so mental, but I do think about it) I want my sisters and their families there too.

5) Speaking of my sisters, I want to take them to New York. We might actually go this summer when I pick up my daughter from her summer intensive.

6) Speaking of my daughter, I want to watch dance a professional ballet (this involves her having the same dream so it takes some coordinating of Bucket/Wish lists. I've checked, this is on her list too.)

7) I want to go on a mission with my sweetheart of a husband. Somewhere warm. I'll die if it's cold. I already did that. Warm is better.

8) I want to visit all the temples in the world. (wipe that smile off your face! Growing up there were only like 15 temples and it was actually possible) Okay, I'd make a top ten list and start with that.

9) I want to be on "Dancing with the Stars." I wish they would make a show called, "Dancing with the Regular People," cuz then I'd have a chance.

10) I want to sit inside the temple with all my children and their spouses. That would totally be heaven on earth.

11) I want to sleep 8 hours.

What's on your Bucket List????

YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ

Okay, I’m trying to get all of the Whitney Finalists read. I had a headstart since I’ve already read all of the finalists except the Young Adult and the Speculative. I’m not sure why they’re considered separate genres, they’re both comprised of speculative fiction only, which I consider kind of sad because there were some great YA novels published in 2008 that don’t fall into the speculative category. Reading speculative fiction is a bit of a challenge for me since I find most of it pointless and I have little time to read anything other than LDS fiction for possible reviews. (To be eligible for a Whitney award, a book doesn’t have to have any connection to LDS standards or beliefs. The only requirement is that the author must be LDS; he or she doesn’t have to be active or even believe the tenants the Church teaches, just have his or her name on the records of the Church and be nominated by at least five people).

To be honest, I found a few of these books to be excellent and I enjoyed reading them. They’re the ones who follow the same guidelines for good story telling that good non-speculative fiction follows. There’s a strong beginning, identifiable characters, choices based on growing moral strength, realistic dialog, and a satisfying ending. Many of the YA finalists also reveal a keen sense of humor that adds to their appeal.

Others are merely a series of sickening incidents, an extreme suspension of belief, and end with little or no resolution. I don’t understand the appeal of watching relentless torture. I don’t understand the suspension of moral values. I don’t understand spending hours poring over evil, unrealistic characters, and their morbid actions. I understand the basic premise behind science fiction/fantasy of creating an alternative world with its own rules and morality; I just find myself too interested and too involved in the problems of this world to find pleasure in a totally imaginary and unrealistic world.

Now before speculative fiction fans unite to lynch me, let me add I also have a strong commitment to choice in reading. There are those who consider historical fiction a waste of time since the past is dead and gone. The romance genre has long been the object of public ridicule though it is the most read and biggest money-maker in the book selling market. Many readers wouldn’t touch a social issues drama with a ten foot pole. Others say spare me anything sports-related. Humor writers get their share of criticism as do action, mystery and suspense writers. There are even those who consider all fiction an immoral waste of time; a subject for another blog.

Growing up, I read anything I could get my hands on. My family didn’t own many books, especially after our house got caught in a flood that destroyed my mother’s collection of children’s books. And our family income wasn’t such that we could buy a lot of books. I also faced the problem many rural children did then; libraries were only available to people who lived within the city or town limits. Consequently, I never worried much about genre. If I could get my hands on a book I read it. As time and circumstances changed I found I gravitated toward certain types of books, but maintained a curiosity and interest in many types. Yes, I went through a fairytale and mythology phase between the third and fourth grades of school and devoured the Martian Chronicles in junior high. My library work led me to read many of the top selling science fiction and fantasy novels, but they rarely captured my interest or left me feeling satisfied. In twenty-one years of buying and checking out fiction to thousands of readers, I noticed a few odd similarities between obsessive romance and obsessive science fiction/fantasy readers. The first was volume. It isn’t unusual for a rabid romance reader to check out forty or more paperback romances a month. The most gung ho sci-fi readers would load up with a stack four feet tall of thick hardbacks. The next thing I noted was that quantity mattered more to each group than quality. Being a smart aleck, I concluded some people need more to do in real life. Even as avid as I am about supporting reading, I believe people need to experience real life in order to appreciate and recognize good fiction.

If you’re wondering if I have a point to all this, I promise I do. Read! Your tastes don’t have to match mine and I don’t have to like or even approve of your choices in reading material, but remember just as “what you eat is what you are,” what you read is who you are. Our American belief, along with that of other countries who value liberty, is strong on exploring new ideas and differing concepts and acknowledging the right of others to ascribe to different tastes and views. That is part of the freedom we revere. Nowhere more than through the printed word do we gain the ability to sift and evaluate, to form our own opinions. As we read, we can ask ourselves if the author is attempting to cram his/her views down our throats. Can I accept the values put forth in this tale? Is this entertainment or indoctrination? Is reading making my life better or is it a mere obsession? Is the hero/heroine of this book someone I can admire? Life is short, is this book worth the chunk of that life I’m giving it? In this country we can be slaves to political correctness, we can be bigots, we can be wishy-washy or we can chart our own course, choose to follow God, or make our own rules as long as they don’t infringe on those same rights of others. Nowhere more than in our choice of leisure reading do we identify who we are and what we stand for.

Writerly Encouragement

Long, long ago, in a mindset far, far away, in the days before I was published, I used to lap up positive writing quotations and stick them on the wall by my computer. Once I'm published, I used to think, I'll be over this insecurity.

Well, guess what. That mindset isn't really far, far away. I still grab onto positive thoughts regarding writing and publication because it's never a sure thing, especially in the market right now. What is a great career now can change on a dime if you're not careful.

One of the best quotes I came across was from Anne Rice. I think I found it in either a Writer's Digest or maybe online somewhere. I didn't write the source down and I wish I had. At any rate, this is it:

"...[People who write have to] a)believe in themselves totally, b)work like demons and c)ignore the rejections. When you mail out a transcript, you are not turning in a paper for a grade. You can mail out a perfectly wonderful and publishable novel and then have it rejected 10 times. And the reason it's rejected is because you hit 10 different people who, for various reasons, don't want to work with this idea. You have to keep going. You have to never interpret rejection as a failing grade. They are not failing grades. they mean almost nothing...I kept writing and kept mailing out. My attitude was, 'I'm going to become a writer.' I was a writer."

And that's Anne Rice! Like her or not, you must admit the woman tells an amazing story and has done really, really well with it. The fact that, for me, this advice came from such a credible source was a real kick of inspiration.

I'm not sure how many writers read this blog, but if you're out there and wondering if your work will ever see the light of day, take heart! It's possible, it's doable, you just cannot, cannot quit. You hone the art, you perfect it, you polish and scrub it, you get objective, kind feedback, you work and work and work.

I love that billboard that has a pic of Edison on it. The quote is, "After the 10,000th try, there was light." Good thing he kept at it, or we'd all still smell like kerosene.

And How Did Your Book Tour Go, My Dear?

As I begin preparing to teach my editing fiction class once again, I’ve been browsing the Internet trying to find all I can on the state of publishing today. This article from Open Salon by Bob Ekstein caught my eye. Any author who’s gone on a book tour and sold approximately one-eighth of a book per day for two weeks will know what this particular author is talking about. I’ve borrowed part of his article, "The Sad State of Publishing; My Disastrous Holiday Book Tour," for your reading pleasure. The full article can be found at http://open.salon.com/blog/bob_eckstein/2008/12/17/the_sad_state_of_publishing_my_disastrous_holiday_book_tour.

First, an introduction to his book, The History of the Snowman (from Amazon’s product description):

Who made the first snowman? Who first came up with the idea of placing snowballs on top of each other, and who decided they would use a carrot for a nose? Most puzzling of all: How can this mystery ever be solved, with all the evidence long since melted? The snowman appears everywhere on practically everything -- from knickknacks to greeting cards to seasonal sweaters we plan to return.

Humorist and writer Bob Eckstein has long been fascinated by this ubiquitous symbol of wintertime fun -- and finally, for the first time, one of the world's most popular icons gets his due. A thoroughly entertaining exploration, The History of the Snowman travels back in time to shed light on the snowman's enigmatic past -- from the present day, in which the snowman reigns as the King of Kitsch, to the Dark Ages, with the creation of the very first snowman.

Eckstein's curiosity began playfully enough but soon snowballed into a (mostly) earnest quest of chasing Frosty around the world, into museums and libraries, and seeking out the advice of leading historians and scholars. The result is a riveting history that reaches back through centuries and across cultures--sweeping from 15th-century Italian snowballs to 18th-century Russian ice sculptures to the regrettable "white-trash years" (1975-2000).

The snowman is not just part of our childhood memories, but is an integral part of our world culture, appearing--much like a frozen Forrest Gump--alongside dignitaries and celebrities during momentous events. Again and again, the snowman pops up in rare prints, paintings, early movies, advertising and, over the past century, in every art form imaginable. And the jolly snowman--ostensibly as pure as the driven snow--also harbors a dark past full of political intrigue, sex, and violence. With more than two hundred illustrations and a special section of the best snowman cartoons, The History of the Snowman is a truly original winter classic -- smart, surprisingly enlightening, and quite simply the coolest book ever.

Bob’s Mishap Index of His Book Tour (abridged)

Total miles traveled for the book tour: 1,435
Total number of History of the Snowman books sold on tour: 41
Number of states visited: 7
Number of ways I could have been more productive: 1,000,000
Rank of reasons the Schenectady event was poorly attended; poster listed wrong location, poster listed wrong time, lack of interest: 1, 2, 3
Amount, in US dollars, lost because the NY Times could not reach me for a job: $1,200
Amount, in US dollars, I made that same evening at an Albany, NY book event: $10
Number of radio interviews I did during the book tour: 8
Number of Open Salon bloggers who asked for a free copy of my book to prepare for an interview or review: 3
Number of them who got back to me or thanked me: 0
Time it would take, at this pace, to break even on the book: approx. 6 yrs.
Number of copies slated for initial print-run: 50,000
Number, in weeks, after book was bought by publishing head that he stepped down: 5
Number of editors the “orphaned” book went through: 5
Actually size of the print-run for book after it changed hands: 20,000
Size of its recent reprint: 15,000
Size of print-run for Jenna Bush’s Ana’s Story: 500,000
Amount, in US dollars, Ana’s Story received as a book advance: $300,000
Amount, in US dollars, my book received as a book advance: $35,000
Number of covers created for The History of the Snowman book: 35
Number of times I suggested to my agent we walk because of the cover the publisher picked: 2
Number of times my agent told me to get over myself: 2
Number of snowmen in my personal collection: 800
Amount, in US dollars, spent buying snowmen on ebay and flea markets: $ 6,500
Amount, in US dollars, spent on photo, quotation rights and cartoon reprints: $40,000
Amount, in US dollars, spent on research & expenses for the book: $15,000
Amount offered to walk away and let someone else write it as a children’s book: $15,000
Amount, in US dollars, spent on advertising the book on MySpace and Facebook: $1,100
Getting a letter from Python Michael Palin telling me my book was funny: priceless

For the love of books

I have a hard time ignoring my husband in the evening to read a book I'm too busy during the day and when I collapse at night, I'd really just like to cuddle up with a book occasionally, instead of with my husband watching TV for an hour. But at 6:00 last night, he announced he was sorry he wouldn't be watching anything - he was going to down a dose of Nyquil and go to bed and see if he could nip his cold in the bud before it took him over. I turned sorrowful, sympathetic eyes to him, bid him good-night, and grabbed the first book my fingers touched in the stack. I hoped he hadn't noticed my eagerness to see him disappear down the hall!

You have to understand, reading has always been a treat to me - something I could only do when my work was finished. (My mother must have had something to do with that, don't you think?) So I don't treat myself nearly as often as I'd like - or as I should! I console myself with the idea that I am getting through ten or fifteen books a year listening on CD in the car. But it really isn't the same, is it?

I immediately turned the furnace down, wrapped in a blanket, put the phone where I could easily reach it, and opened the book. In the first paragraph, I was transported to another time and another place, a different world than my own. What a wonderful blessing we have in books and in the ability to read them. I take that for granted far too often.

Then the ability to write them is another huge blessing. I have always written - created - something: poems, made up stories and songs for my siblings, written Christmas and Easter presentations for sacrament meet, road shows (wasn't that fun, traveling from church to church at night when you were a teenager!) And I've always been an avid reader, but when my favorite authors began filling their books with offensive material, I decided there must be others like me who liked a good mystery with all the garbage that you had to skip over. Thus was born a new career - at age 55!

I loved Anna's thoughts on writing. It is very hard work. But the creative process, the ideas pouring forth when you're on a roll, the scenes that play in your head as you write as fast as your fingers can type - that is pure joy! Then to hold that finished product with its shiny beautiful cover is almost - well - akin to holding a new baby in your arms. Unfortunately, sometimes the birthing of that book is almost as painful as the birthing of a child. I'm certainly glad I didn't have to carry any of my babies in the womb as long as this last book has taken to see the light of day! (I'm being optomistic and thinking it may actually be published this year!)

I actually stayed up last night and finished the book - a real treat to be able to read a book cover to cover in one sitting. Of course, I didn't get up at 4:00 this morning, therefore many of you may have to checked in to read the blog and found it wasn't posted yet. My apologies. But I know that I will be forgiven - especially knowing that every one of you feel the same about getting lost in another world in a book. That is one of the truly great pleasures of life.

So keep writing, you wonderful ladies. I would hope one of my last acts, just before I die in my sleep, is to finish one of your books and lay it aside with satisfaction at having entered, just for a brief time, a new and wonderful and different world from my own. Thank you for contributing to my well-being and enjoyment of life!

Love the Library!

by Gale Sears

My love of books began before I could read. My older sisters had a set of bedtime story books with bright red, yellow, and blue covers. When I was three I remember often sitting on the floor with the books surrounding me. I would run my hands over the shiny covers, then open the books, look at the pictures, and smell the pages. The pages smelled really good, like the garden after a rain, or fresh clothes from the dryer.

In Kindergarten I learned my letters and began reading Dick and Jane books. In fourth grade I hit the literary jackpot with a teacher who read stories to us every day. Mrs. Pannatoni opened up the world of reading with books like: Penrod and Sam, The Middle Moffett, Mr. Poppers Penguins, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. My love of language expanded, and I journeyed to the most delightful places. I was so enamored with the promise of writing that I began creating little tomes of my own, and when people responded with appreciation and encouragement, I was hooked.

In my college years I was torn between creative writing courses and Theater. I choose Theater, and for many years devoted myself to playwriting, acting, and directing. It was a rewarding adventure--the only problem was the stories that kept bumping around in my head. After both my kids were raised, I decided to wrestle the characters out of my head and onto the page. And so it began with my first book of historical fiction, Autumn Sky.

I have just completed my fourth novel which is now in the hands of my editor. I feel very grateful and amazed. The story is set in 1917 Russia during the Bolshevik revolution. My husband and I were extremely lucky to be able to travel to Russia for research. I share with you pictures from that exciting trip!

Each Life That Touches Ours for Good

As I sit at the computer this morning to write a blog, there are two things rolling around in my mind. One is the hymn, “Each Life That Touches Ours for Good” and the other is my experience at work last night.

We all know I work at the Jordan River Temple. I am finishing my eleventh year as an employee but I worked as a receptionist for roughly two years before that. The Temple has been my home away from home, the people, my Temple family.

With our beautiful new Draper Temple opening up at the beginning of March, we are losing well over 1,000 workers. As volunteers and workers prepare for their work to begin, there are tearful goodbyes to be said. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be.

While at work last night, many long time friends, came to give me a hug and say their goodbyes and though they assured me they would come back for a piece of pie and to say hello, I had to wonder how many of them I would actually see again.

There is the sweet couple that every week came down for a cup of soup, a roll, and a bowl of pudding. She would hug me and he would wave his cane and smile and say, “It’s
good to be seen and not viewed. Now at my age, that’s really saying somethin’!” He’s in his 90’s now. I love that couple and looked forward to visiting with them each time they came.

There is the lovely worker who made sure that every Mother’s Day every woman in the cafeteria had a bundle of fresh cut flowers to take home from the flower shop she worked at so that we wouldn’t go with out. She wanted us to be sure we knew we were not forgotten and that we were loved.

There is the kind brother who every week, twice a week, for as long as I can remember bought us a treat to thank us for our hard work and efforts.

There is the trainer that made sure that with every new group he brought around, would be told to love and appreciate our staff, because,” Until you go behind the doors of the kitchen you have no idea of the hard work they put forth to serve each of us.”

One brother that really started my tears flowing came and thanked me for caring about his health. He said, “No one else really would have given two hoots and a holler, but you always asked if I was okay. That meant more to me than you know. I won’t ever forget that.”
Truth was, he reminded me of my dad. He lost his wife to cancer several years ago and he had heart problems. I worried about him so I made him report in twice a week. Everyone loves that brother including all the workers on his shift. They looked out for this kind, elderly, man.

The list goes on and on. I could tell you about so many incredible people who have served at the Jordan River Temple over the years, both as workers and as staff. Each have made my job worthwhile. They are the reason my job means so much to me.

It has been a privilege and a tremendous blessing in my life to serve with such wonderful people. I have laughed with them, talked with them, some I have even cried and celebrated with them. I look forward to seeing them. I can’t possibly say goodbye to them. I love them.

So I sit here with tears overflowing once more, because I know that once again when I go to work today, there are more friends that will be leaving. I hope with all my heart that our paths really will cross again; that the busy-ness of life won’t take over and that we won’t lose contact.

It is with a grateful heart that I can sit here this morning and think to myself that I have so many people that have touched my life for good. What a very blessed girl I am.

Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy Lord;
Thou sendest blessings from above
Thru words and deeds of those who love.

What greater gift dost thou bestow,
What greater goodness can we know
Than Christ like friends, whose gentle ways
Strengthen our faith, enrich our days.