tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190023762024-03-13T06:56:27.762-07:00The Squeaky WheelsJanelle Meraz Hooper,
A writer's blog about life in America...Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-5597158831599656302014-08-05T11:47:00.000-07:002014-08-06T11:37:03.120-07:00Lightning in a Bottle, Henry Darrow biography<br />
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Henry was the heart throb on the TV series High Chaparral. Many of you ladies will remember him! He's had many other memorable roles. Check out his book!</div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Darrow-Lightning-Jan-Pippins/dp/1593936885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407263979&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+darrow">http://www.amazon.com/Henry-Darrow-Lightning-Jan-Pippins/dp/1593936885/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407263979&sr=1-1&keywords=henry+darrow</a><br />
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Henry Darrow (born EnriqueTomás Delgado) overcame life-threatening illness, crippling anxiety and prejudice to become internationally famous as sexy, complex "Manolito Montoya" in the western The High Chaparral (1967-1971). He was the first actor of Puerto Rican heritage to star in a television series. "Henry survived and had a career when if you were Latino, you couldn't be just good, you had to be beyond great and that's Henry," says noted writer/entertainer Rick Najera. At the height of his fame Darrow put his hard-won career on the line to open doors for other Hispanics. He has continued to break ground for over fifty years as a working actor. He was the first Latino to portray Zorro, the first Latino to win a Daytime Emmy for Best Supporting Actor and in 2012 he received the prestigious ALMA award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). "Henry Darrow: Lightning in the Bottle" is the must-read portrait of this inspirational, fiercely determined, endearing and enduring performer. This is a great read, don't miss it!<br />
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Dear readers, I met Henry Darrow at the 2014 High Chaparral Reunion in Tucson when I was there for the premiere of <i>Geronimo, Life on the Reservation*</i>.. What a charming, likable man!<br />
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*Note: Some of you may not of heard of my one-man Geronimo show starring Rudy Ramos. It's traveling around the Southwest United States. If it comes to a theater near you, don't miss it!<br />
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www.JanelleMerazHooper.com </div>
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Women's fiction in paperback and eBook</div>
Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-72506054892236778722014-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:002014-05-28T12:28:45.210-07:00Booking information for Geronimo, Life on the Reservation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rCT3e7rPu40/U4Ydl6qogzI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/U2ZnUVOzeg8/s1600/Geronimo+at+Winnsboro+for+Twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rCT3e7rPu40/U4Ydl6qogzI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/U2ZnUVOzeg8/s1600/Geronimo+at+Winnsboro+for+Twitter.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.geronimolifeonthereservation.com/">www.GeronimoLifeontheReservation.com</a> </div>
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Booking information:</div>
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<strong>Contact:</strong></div>
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Penny McQueen</div>
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email: <a href="mailto:Penny.McQueen@penny-4-thoughts.com">Penny.McQueen@penny-4-thoughts.com</a> </div>
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ph: (812) 214-5044</div>
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Rudy Ramos is bringing Geronimo back to life with his one-man, traveling show. shows across the Southwest have earned standing ovations. </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><strong><em><a href="http://beholdatinyhum.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/nearly-105-years-after-geronimos-death-rudy-ramos-gives-a-voice-to-the-great-apache-warrior/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">http://beholdatinyhum.wordpress.com/2014/05/20/nearly-105-years-after-geronimos-death-rudy-ramos-gives-a-voice-to-the-great-apache-warrior/</span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pineywoodslive.com/news/2014/apr/04/geronimo-life-reservation-exhibit-winnsboro/?refscroll=0" target="_self"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><strong>Geronimo, Life on the Reservation, Winnsboro, Texas, article</strong></span></a> </div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-54764495813175068672014-02-14T14:35:00.003-08:002014-02-17T07:42:42.396-08:00A Valentine story: It All Started With That Darn Shoebox!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc7YjWJUidg"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A Valentine Story by Janelle Meraz Hooper. Cookies by Microsoft...</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Not all of us are good at romance. This is a story about one of those women...</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"></span> <span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope you enjoy the story, originally printed in my short story book: Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories. Paperback and Kindle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Georgia;">See my books:</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/"><span style="color: #351c75;">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</span></a> </span></div>
Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-7309730949508319332014-01-28T10:12:00.000-08:002014-02-17T07:44:16.995-08:00Announcing a new project: videos!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9Vf-MDc_lQ/UufkiMW9PXI/AAAAAAAAAvE/NvQLDcw_4Cc/s1600/1-24-14+Zoie+video+frames+late+bloomer+logo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V9Vf-MDc_lQ/UufkiMW9PXI/AAAAAAAAAvE/NvQLDcw_4Cc/s1600/1-24-14+Zoie+video+frames+late+bloomer+logo+2.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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copyright 2014 Late Bloomer Video</div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><strong>See my books: </strong></span><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</strong></span></a><strong> </strong></div>
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This is the logo I designed for my new projects: videos! What fun I'm having! It all started when I began making frame-based book trailers that I posted on <span style="color: blue;">YouTube </span>(search: Janelle Meraz Hooper). I love my YouTube! Now, I'm branching out into using more film that I'm taking with a little Cannon camera that has a video function. I <em>am</em> a late bloomer, so all of my equipment is small and easy to work with. I hand-picked it at Glazer's Camera (430 8th Ave. North, Seattle- Ph: 206-624-1100). My husband and I have relied upon them for years. Now that I am in my senior years and not as strong as I once was, they are still providing all of my camera needs. </div>
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For this stage of my photography life, I've purchased two lightweight tripods and two battery-operated video lights. I think it will be a while before I advance to more complicated equipment. But I'm not positive. I have a friend who is also a senior, Dorothy Wilhelm, who has just acquired a Logitech 920! What is she going to do with that?! I can't wait to find out! Brad Pitt, look out!</div>
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So, are we having fun yet? I think so! Of course, I am still writing my books and short stories...and more: I have a one-man show opening in Tucson this spring titled <span style="color: blue;">Geronimo, Life on the Reservation</span>. It stars Rudy Ramos, a star of The High Chaparral TV show. It premieres on March 22nd, 2014 and will travel to a town near you. Don't miss it! I'll be writing more about it as we go along. </div>
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I'll also be blogging more again. I got a little wrapped up in the Geronimo show, but I've missed you. I have another blog (<span style="color: blue;">JanelleMerazHooperAuthor.com</span>) but it's format doesn't leave room for me to just chat with you. Am I am a big talker! All of the women in my family were talkers. How I miss them. My grandmother, mother, and her sisters were the inspiration for my Turtle Trilogy ( <span style="color: blue;">Amazon </span>and others). </div>
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<strong>What's new:</strong></div>
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In music: <span style="color: blue;">Daryl's House</span>, on <span style="color: blue;">YouTube</span>. Check it out. The music and concept of visiting musicians getting together to play in a relaxed setting blows me away. Check it out!</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Dan Mangan</span>, <em>Nice, Nice, Very Nice-</em>also on YouTube but I also purchased the CD.</div>
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<span style="color: blue;">Bread</span>, <em>The Best of Bread</em> on YouTube, but I also purchased the Cd.</div>
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On my Kindle: I have been researching historical romances and they have become a passion. The settings, clothing, and vocabulary have enchanted me. My new favorite word is besotted--as in, "He was besotted with the woman". What a great word! Has a man ever been <em>besotted </em>with<em> me? </em>I'm sure not! DRAT! I guess, at almost 70, it's too late now! Ha!</div>
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There are too many titles to mention, but if you want to try one out, look for novelists like Sherry Thomas (Start with <em>Delicious</em>!), Tessa Dare (you might try <em>Goddess of the Hunt</em>), Carole Mortimer (the <em>St. Claire</em> series)...</div>
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Pinterest: This site confounds me. Just when I think I understand it, I get lost again. I have been building my site--off and on--for weeks now. I'm sure you'll do better than I. I am a certified, card-carrying tech-idiot. </div>
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WorldReader: this organization loads up Kindles with books and distributes them to children in third world countries. I am pleased and honored to have three of my books chosen. More are on their way, I hope! I wish I knew what children think of my books about Native American Indians! Oklahoma! and my Hispanic family!</div>
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Oh! I am out of time. This blog is over 5 times longer than my normal blogs. I would like to thank my readers for sticking with me. I really have missed you! Please come back soon!</div>
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See my books:</div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/"><span style="color: blue;">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> </span></div>
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<br />Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-32401043406223099652013-12-18T12:59:00.002-08:002014-02-17T07:44:53.419-08:00Tales From Homer, Conley Stone McAnally, the new Mark Twain<div align="center">
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I want to share with you an excerpt from Conley Stone McAnally's new book. What a fun read! </div>
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He has that Midwest style reminiscent of Mark Twain. I think you'll enjoy it; suitable for the whole family!</div>
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<i><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The Doodenville
Men’s Club” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">An excerpt<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conley Stone McAnally<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They
don’t talk about who has the best dog in town anymore. No sir, not
since last December.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
was the middle of December and cold, gosh it was cold, and snow, I mean you
couldn’t see from the window of Jessie Miller’s General Store to the street
side of the wooden planks that make up our sidewalks here in
Doodenville. Everybody’s always said that it was the worse snow
storm ever to have hit these parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even
though it was plumb miserable out, we all showed up about the same time we
always showed up at Jessie’s place. We had what you might consider a
men’s club. We didn’t call it that, but every Saturday about
sundown, or perhaps a little later, Steve Branson, Digger Johnson, Judge Johns
and myself would get together and play checkers, tell stories, and more or less
just brag to one another - which some might say was stretching the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
one December evening, the bragging turned to our dogs. No man in
Doodenville went anywhere without his dog. A man is judged somewhat
on what kind of dog he has and how he treats it and it him. Now
everyone cannot see how one is treating his dog all the time nor he him so we
felt like it was our duty that night to tell one another. That is
where the others always get into trouble because they exaggerate a mite and
this night they exaggerated a lot. Not me, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
checkers match had gotten over and we began to sip a little of the stuff behind
the counter that Jessie kept for snake bite. Jessie was always there
but he seldom joined in because he was too busy keeping track of how much we
were sipping and eating from the cracker barrel. Anyway, we were
doing what we always did when Steve Branson popped up and said during a lull in
the conversation, “Now we have been talking about our dogs for nigh onto three
hours and Lord knows how many nights we have been doing the
same. Let’s settle who has the best dog once and for all”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everybody
seemed to think it was a pretty good idea because each man thought he had the
best dog and would win any type of such a contest. We all thought a
little and tried to come up with some sort of criteria that could determine who
had the best dog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Steven
Branson suggested that we could have them run a race but that idea was scuttled
because there was too much snow on the ground and too cold. “And
besides,” Digger Johnson said, “being fast don’t mean nothing anyway”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
was right, of course. We all knew that Crazy Jimmy Twofoot’s oldest
boy, Jimmy J., was the fastest thing on two legs in three counties and the boy
couldn’t find his way to the outhouse without someone helping
him. At least that is what Crazy Jimmy always said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then
Steve came up with another idea (he was always coming up with ideas, being an
engineer and all.) He suggested that we have the dogs bark real loud
and whose ever dog barked the longest and loudest would be declared the winner.
(I didn’t say all his ideas were good, though.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
idea was ignored because everyone knew that Jessie’s wife was sick with the
virus and noise would wake her and cause some discomfort. Steve must
have gotten the point also because he snapped his fingers like something had
just occurred to him and mumbled, “oh, yeah!” and sat back down. It
seemed as though in all the years that I had known Steve he was always snapping
is finger about something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
all sat around the stove and thought some more. Then Judge Johns
cleared his throat. Now when a man clears his throat, those in
hearing distance don’t pay much attention, but when Judge Johns cleared his
throat you knew he had something important to say. He was also real
smart so naturally we all started paying close attention.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It
seems to me,” he began, “that we want to find out which one of us has the
smartest dog. The smartest dog, gents, not the fastest nor the
loudest, but the smartest. Intelligence, friends, is the true test
of greatness”. Judge Johns could always be counted on to get right
to the heart of the matter. “So it seems to me,” he continued after
grasping his lapels and clearing his throat again, “that each dog ought to be
judged on his reaction to a single command and whose dog reacts in the most
intelligent manner will be considered the best dog in Doodenville”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
all thought about that for a while and by and by it seemed fair
enough. But then Digger said, “You know each man here might think
that his dog done the best no matter what the other three dogs
did. If that happened, we would all be in a stalemate and be right
back where we were.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That
sounded kind of correct. We knew we were all men of integrity, but
we also knew each other and understood how sometimes a man’s judgment could get
clouded in important matter like this one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Well,”
Judge Johns said after he cleared his throat, “it seems to me we need an
unbiased judge”. You know, to this day, I get plumb amazed on how
the Judge could always grasp things and have a solution so quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
natural judge, of course, was Jessie. I say ‘of course’ because
Jessie didn’t have a dog. At least not since last spring when Old
Clem Thurman’s horses kicked Jessie’s dog Cracker in the head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jessie
agreed to act as the judge and took charge right away. “Since there
are four of you,” while grasping his suspenders, “one of you will have to go
first and one will have to go last, and two of you will have to go in the
middle, one ahead of the other”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
sat there and blinked because he had lost me at first. I did not
think that was possible because we always thought Jessie was a mite
slow. He continued: “So it seems to me we ought to go by age,
starting with the youngest man. I will give you all five minutes to
decide what you want your dogs to do”. He fixed his one good eye on
the clock that hung over the Buster Brown sign that hung behind the counter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The contest would
soon begin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Conley is on Facebook & Twitter (<a href="mailto:Stone@639">Stone@639</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Presented by:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Check out my books!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<o:p> </o:p></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-68859780766944040912013-12-18T12:46:00.000-08:002014-02-17T07:46:12.171-08:00Got Kindle (et al) for Christmas? Get Custer! Paperback too!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jUrlLeiHERk/UrIHQs0vF6I/AAAAAAAAAuc/pRDCeWaNMz4/s1600/custercoverkindletues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jUrlLeiHERk/UrIHQs0vF6I/AAAAAAAAAuc/pRDCeWaNMz4/s320/custercoverkindletues.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
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Here's a good read for readers who need a break from Christmas. Paperback and Kindle (et al).</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><em>Custer and His Naked Ladies, </em>an excerpt<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Janelle Meraz
Hooper</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><em>Newly divorced, Glory’s biological clock is pounding like a powwow drum. She heads back home to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:place></st1:state>, where she meets Soap, a sexy Comanche lawyer who wants to do something about that powwow drum pounding in her head…</em></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span> </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Dumped</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Glory
was on her way to join her husband on a NOAA research vessel when she tried to
call him to say she was running late. That was when she discovered he wasn’t on
the ship; without telling her, he’d pulled out of the offshore project days
before. With that failed phone call, all of her recent, uncomfortable inklings
fell into place. Her marriage was over. He just hadn’t gotten around to telling
her yet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">That was how she ended up at
<st1:placename w:st="on">Sea-Tac</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Airport</st1:placetype>,
halfway between <st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Tacoma</st1:city></st1:place>, with her hair in braids, wearing a
pink <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Where’s the Powwow?</i> sweatshirt.
She carried only her wallet, a camera, and a faded blue gym bag. The bag was
filled with the same kinds of clothes she was wearing, a few books, and a photo
of her husband. The photo—frame and all—she chucked into a trash barrel outside
the airport. She would have liked to toss it out of the airplane, but she was
pretty sure it would make the stewards cranky if she opened the emergency exit
at 35,000 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Her
original destination, the research vessel, was scheduled to drop anchor over
the undersea volcanoes off the coast of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state>
State. The scientists on the ship were to study the marine life that thrived in
the hot water that spewed out of the craters. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After the research trip, she and her
husband, Rick, were to take a much-needed vacation to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Mexico</st1:place></st1:country-region> and
reconnect. They hadn’t had any identifiable problems, but her husband had been
moody and refused to talk about it. Glory had hoped he would open up after a
few days rest on a hot sandy beach with a Margarita in his hand. Rick hadn’t
been in favor of the vacation, but Glory had insisted. Finally, he had thrown
up his hands and given up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Before the research trip, he had convinced her to put all of their
things in storage because they didn’t know if they’d be back in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> when the project
was over. There was no use, he’d said, in paying rent while they were gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It made sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But why hadn’t she been suspicious when he’d insisted on putting all of
his things into separate marked boxes? How dumb was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">she</i>? The dirty rat! And what would she have done on the research
ship without him for three weeks? Her specialty was in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">freshwater </i>turtles; there would be no real work for her there. No
paycheck. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He</i> was the specialist in
coastal underwater volcanoes. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He </i>belonged
there. She would have been nothing more than a guest with no way off the boat.
Her cheeks burned at the embarrassment she felt. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What was he thinking?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her new
destination was her mother’s in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:state></st1:place>.
Getting a last minute ticket was expensive, and Glory was thankful for her
credit cards. No one ever went to <st1:state w:st="on">Oklahoma</st1:state>
unless they had to, and airline tickets to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Sooner</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype></st1:place>
were never a bargain. Glory handed the woman at the check-in counter her credit
card and mumbled a quote from a rich friend, “All it takes is money.” The woman
briefly looked up, then, expressionless, continued adding up the full fare
charges on her keyboard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">On her way to the airplane
boarding area, over and over, Glory thought, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this isn’t the way normal, educated people get divorced.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve been dumped!<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">With no explanation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">No discussion.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: large;">Facebook, Twitter (@JanelleMHooper) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-32119204666191240872013-12-16T09:56:00.000-08:002013-12-18T13:07:44.320-08:00Wilson Bay by Conley Stone McAnally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVFqjVNojHE/Uq87gJBtQUI/AAAAAAAAAuM/k6DaQbaeU-8/s1600/12-9-13+Wilson+Bay+Conley.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pVFqjVNojHE/Uq87gJBtQUI/AAAAAAAAAuM/k6DaQbaeU-8/s320/12-9-13+Wilson+Bay+Conley.jpeg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Are you still Christmas shopping? This will help!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">An excerpt from <em>Wilson Bay</em>, Conley Stone McAnally's new book on his experiences in Alaska. This is such a good read. I treasure books like this because they remind me of an epigram in one of my books: "Sometimes we forget that everyone else is living their moments while we're busy living ours." The world is a big place. Don't miss a bit of it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>Wilson Bay</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">...The meat is divided
among the hunters in proportion to the help each provided during the hunt. It
is cheaper than buying beef at the village store. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The intestines will be
sold to a craftsman that will produce a water proof rain coat to sell to the
tourists that want to show people after they return home how ingenious Eskimos
can be. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The skin is used for
ceremonial clothing and repairing of artifacts that the Eskimos keep around
more to impress the tourists than anything else. The best part of the
skin, however is taken to the eldest of the Elders. He or she makes the
selection as to who will be given the task, and then the village waits.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A three foot diameter
circle is made by the selected craftsman by carving, bending, heating, and
pressing driftwood together. It is held in place by a stone vice while a
handle made from ivory or still more driftwood is attached by sinew. The
length of the handle depends on the size of the beater. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The skin, after
being cured, cleaned, and scraped to a shinny surface is stretched tightly
across the circular frame. The instrument is left to dry and harden in
the sun, thus further stretching the skin tighter, thereby giving it it’s
haunting melodious sound. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The eldest of the Elders
directs how the product is to be decorated. A different craftsman
provides the ceremonial decorations. The item is then presented to the
eldest of the Elders for approval. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> After an ancient
blessing, that no one now alive knows how long it has been chanted, a crafted
willow stick strikes the middle of the drum and it resonates though out the
tundra as all previous drums on the tundra have done for ten thousand years...</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: Conley's first book is <em>Tales From Homer</em>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Visit my website:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a> </span></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-22543812574420834562013-10-15T08:04:00.000-07:002013-10-15T08:08:06.988-07:00...sometimes, Naked Ladies are just old women in capri pants...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mK0fZHY43jk/Ul1X5oCMBCI/AAAAAAAAAt0/PII0IqZqF78/s1600/front+cover,+Custer+and+His+Naked+Ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mK0fZHY43jk/Ul1X5oCMBCI/AAAAAAAAAt0/PII0IqZqF78/s200/front+cover,+Custer+and+His+Naked+Ladies.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FYI: Naked Ladies! <br />Dear readers, it came to my attention yesterday that there has been concern about the content of some eBooks. I want to assure you that my novel, <em>Custer and His Naked Ladies</em>, is not an erotic book. I agree the title is unfortunate, but where I come from in Oklahoma, Naked Ladies are a type of flower that suffers--and even dies--if it is moved. I used it for a metaphor about old women being hesitant to leave their homes to go far away to live with their grown children. Of course, there's a little romance in the story--I am a romance writer, after all--but I would put this book firmly in the literary field. Please email me with questions. My email in some places is wrong. Please write to me here: </span><a href="mailto:JanelleMHooper@comcast.net"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">JanelleMHooper@comcast.net</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</span></a> </div>
Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-12974484500816540302013-10-14T09:32:00.000-07:002013-10-17T11:33:50.570-07:00Kickstarter fully funded! Geronimo, Life on the Reservation <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EY0mp0nTuwI/UlwYDDJtwAI/AAAAAAAAAtk/0fDyoPKk3aU/s1600/6-12-12+Tues+night+Friending+Geronimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EY0mp0nTuwI/UlwYDDJtwAI/AAAAAAAAAtk/0fDyoPKk3aU/s320/6-12-12+Tues+night+Friending+Geronimo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> Copyright 2011 art by Sherri Bails</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I promised Rudy I'd thank you all for your Kickstarter pledges. I'll keep you posted here about his latest news. You did hear that Steve Railsback will be directing, didn't you? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rudy is mapping out theatres all over the Southwest for his show. Of course, March 22nd, 2014, will be the premiere at the High Chaparral Reunion in Tucson! Rudy's website for his Geronimo show is: <a href="http://www.geronimolifeonthereservation.com/">http://www.geronimolifeonthereservation.com/</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">Years ago, John Wayne told my husband that he was tired but if he retired, all of his film family would be out of work. I think of that conversation when I see how much work this show is generating even though it is billed as a one-man show. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The next time you watch a movie, try to count how many worked on the production on the end credits. Read the jobs. Everything from actors to caterers. Whatever you paid for that movie, whether it is on cable, Netflix, or in a theatre, the economy got a big bang for your buck! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Well, I got sidetracked. I can do that. I'm a writer. but I'll quit now because you may have your own work to do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Thanks again for helping Rudy! Janelle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.Amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-25435503224698250722013-10-02T09:07:00.000-07:002013-10-17T11:34:28.763-07:00Invest now in Kickstarter for Geronimo, Life on the Reservation (A Historical Fantasy)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 days to go! Act now!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial;">(Ends October 8th, 2013)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Dear friends, I have written a one-man show for Rudy Ramos</span><span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt;">* </span><span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">that is
very special to me. It is about Geronimo’s life on the reservation and I
consider it to be my valentine to the Apache people. So far, Rudy has had a
reading of the first scene at the 2013 High Chaparral Reunion and the 2013
Memphis Film Festival. It was rewarded with standing ovations! The whole show
premieres March 22, 2014, at the High Chaparral Reunion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This is the last week of the Kickstarter project. Please
consider pledging any amount from a dollar up and visit the site to see
available prizes. With Kickstarter, no money will change hands—and no prizes
will be awarded—if the goal isn’t met. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Janelle</span><span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt;">*</span><span style="color: #0066cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18pt;">* </span><b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Rudy Ramos, bio:<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The acting career of Rudy Ramos has covered six decades and
started with an appearance on the television show, “<strong>Ironside</strong>” in 1969. Six
months later he was cast as a series regular, playing the part of Wind the
volatile half-breed Indian boy in the legendary television western “<strong>High
Chaparral</strong>.” Since then he has done over sixty guest shots on episodic
television including recurring roles on the hit TV show, “<strong>Hunter</strong>” in 1987-88
and “<strong>Resurrection Boulevard</strong>” in 2002-2003.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Mr. Ramos has done numerous movies for television including the
ground breaking <strong>Helter Skelter </strong>(100 million viewers over two nights) playing
the part of Danny DeCarlo, <strong>Everybody’s Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure and
Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman: The Movie</strong> as the villainous Captain Ruiz.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Feature film credits include <strong>The Enforcer</strong> with Clint Eastwood,
Walter Hill’s cult classic <strong>The Driver</strong> with Ryan Oneal and Academy Award nominee
French actress Isabelle Adjani, <strong>Defiance</strong> with Jan-Michael Vincent and Art
Carney, <strong>Quicksilver</strong> with Kevin Bacon and Laurence Fishburne, <strong>Colors</strong> with Sean
Penn and Robert Duvall and the 2001 sleeper <strong>Road Dogz </strong>directed by the up and
coming talent Alfredo Ramos to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The stage has been a big part of Mr. Ramos’ life with
appearances in the Los Angeles area at the Mark Taper Forum, Taper Too, The
Met, Matrix Theater, Los Angeles Theatre Center, and Nosotros Theatre. He also
was a member of the Los Angeles Actors Theatre and performed in the award
winning hit show <strong>Shorteyes</strong> by Miguel Pinero playing the part of Cupcakes. The
ensemble won the 1977 Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Ensemble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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by Janelle Meraz Hooper:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A Three-Turtle Summer </span></i></b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(</span></i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> novel,
1<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>st</sup> in my Turtle Trilogy, one award)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As Brown As I Want: The
Indianhead Diaries </span></i></b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(</span></i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> novel, 2<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>nd</sup> in my
Turtle Trilogy, two awards)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Custer and His Naked Ladies </span></i></b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(</span></i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> novel,
3<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>rd</sup> in my Turtle Trilogy)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The Slum Resort </span></i></b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(</span></i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">novella,
2013 honorable mention in the Great Northwest Book Festival)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bears in the Hibiscus</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(novel,
romance)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Boogie, Boots & Cherry Pie</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(novel,
romance)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There’s a Mouse in the House!</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(Title
poem voted one of the best poems by iPad for children 2-6 on YouTube)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Free Pecan Pies and Other Chick
Stories</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></b><span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(mixed genre)</span><br />
<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <strong><em>Old Joe and His Pink Cadillac</em></strong> (Kindle Short)</span><br />
<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <strong>Surviving Arthritis, How to Live on a Rocky Beach</strong> (Kindle Article)</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All of these books and articles have at least one YouTube trailer.</span></div>
<span style="color: #0066ff; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper">www.Amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper</a> </div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-32254598909504945542013-09-27T10:12:00.002-07:002013-09-27T15:23:40.201-07:00Announcing a new Kickstarter prize for Geronimo, Life on the Reservation (A Historical Fantasy)!<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Eleven days to go in the Kickstarter campaign for </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Geronimo, Life on the Reservation </em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong><em>(A Historical Fantasy)!</em></strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Rudy's one-man show premieres in Tucson, Arizona at the </span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Casino Del Sol </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">in March 2014. </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Just for kicks, I'm throwing in a new prize for anyone pledging $25.00! It's an autographed book of the third book in my Turtle Trilogy, <em>Custer and His Naked Ladies. </em></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Pledge now! Limited offer!</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://t.co/UYk5cMKd7d" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>http://t.co/UYk5cMKd7d</strong></span></a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Sometimes, Custer is just an ole yeller dog, and Naked Ladies are just old women in Capri pants...</em></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-currency-font-family: Arial; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Arial; mso-default-font-family: Arial; mso-greek-font-family: Arial; mso-hebrew-font-family: Arial; mso-latin-font-family: Arial; mso-latinext-font-family: Arial; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; language: en-US; line-height: 93%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-currency-font-family: Arial; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Arial; mso-default-font-family: Arial; mso-greek-font-family: Arial; mso-hebrew-font-family: Arial; mso-latin-font-family: Arial; mso-latinext-font-family: Arial; mso-ligatures: none;">When her husband unexpectedly dumps her, Glory boards an Oklahoma-bound plane at the Sea-Tac Airport. She has wasted too many years on the wrong man, and her biological clock is beginning to pound like a powwow drum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; language: en-US; line-height: 93%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-currency-font-family: Arial; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Arial; mso-default-font-family: Arial; mso-greek-font-family: Arial; mso-hebrew-font-family: Arial; mso-latin-font-family: Arial; mso-latinext-font-family: Arial; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprinkled with Spanish phrases and Comanche words, </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; language: en-US; line-height: 93%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-currency-font-family: Arial; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Arial; mso-default-font-family: Arial; mso-greek-font-family: Arial; mso-hebrew-font-family: Arial; mso-latin-font-family: Arial; mso-latinext-font-family: Arial; mso-ligatures: none;">Custer and His Naked Ladies</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; language: en-US; line-height: 93%; mso-ansi-language: en-US; mso-arabic-font-family: Arial; mso-armenian-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-currency-font-family: Arial; mso-cyrillic-font-family: Arial; mso-default-font-family: Arial; mso-greek-font-family: Arial; mso-hebrew-font-family: Arial; mso-latin-font-family: Arial; mso-latinext-font-family: Arial; mso-ligatures: none;"> is full of Southwest flavor. iUniverse, 206 pages, paperback. $15.95 USD, Kindle, $2.99 USD. Set in Oklahoma.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="language: en-US; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.Amazon.com/author/JanelleHooper</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong>note: prizes will only be awarded if the show is fully funded. No money will change hands if the show's funding doesn't meet its goal.</strong></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-26123606172726574522013-09-23T08:54:00.000-07:002013-10-17T11:35:04.546-07:00Kickstarter! Geronimo, Life on the Reservation (A Historical Fantasy)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D96327bTzpA/UkBiw0QzDkI/AAAAAAAAAsw/DD7ZraD4FfY/s1600/9-23-13+Wind,+rudy+ramos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D96327bTzpA/UkBiw0QzDkI/AAAAAAAAAsw/DD7ZraD4FfY/s320/9-23-13+Wind,+rudy+ramos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Rudy Ramos as Wind</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Kickstarter! </span><a href="http://t.co/ZaqsBBZygU" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">http://t.co/ZaqsBBZygU</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">15 days to go!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Who:</strong> Rudy Ramos, who played Wind in the High Chaparral televisions series, and other movie and television roles. Written by Janelle Meraz Hooper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>What:</strong> Kickstarter pledge drive for a one-man traveling show about Geronimo's life on the reservation at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>When:</strong> Pledge drive runs September 7, 2013-October 8, 2013. The show premieres at the High Chaparral Reunion on March 22, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. Afterwards, it goes on tour across the Southwest...eventually traveling to other parts of the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Why:</strong> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <em>"I want to share Geronimo's story as a one-man show, from his final surrender through his 20 years as a POW at Fort Sill, Oklahoma," Rudy Ramos</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;"><strong>What's a Kickstarter?</strong> Kickstarters fund artistic projects in all forms. Pledges from a dollar up are welcome. If the funding goal isn't met, no money changes hands. <strong>Click on the above</strong> <strong>link</strong> for more information.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;">Note from the blogger: Dear readers, this show is my valentine to the Apache people. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It treats the historical perspective with respect and humor (without being nonsensical). Please consider supporting this creative effort. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Janelle</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper/</span></a></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-56002427315401673872013-09-10T20:58:00.000-07:002013-09-27T15:24:41.984-07:00Kickstarter! Geronimo, Life on the Reservation (A Historical Fantasy), Rudy Ramos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/IDLEC3FwnA8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Rudy Ramos</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/686171151/geronimo-life-on-the-reservation">Geronimo, Life on the Reservation KickStarter link</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Funding period: September 7, 2013-October 8, 2013</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.geronimolifeonthereservation.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.geronimolifeonthereservation.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Geronimo, Life on the Reservation (A Historical Fantasy)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starring Rudy Ramos</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">written by Janelle Meraz Hooper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">About the show...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A historical fantasy of Geronimo’s life on the reservation after his surrender that focuses on the resiliency and humor of the great Apache Indian leader. <br /><br />Geronimo chats with his visitors using a stolen laptop to introduce humor and lighten the emotional load on his audience. Recalling a history of strife, betrayal, and battle, he says, “…I had to steal the laptop because the white men will never tell the whole story about the Apaches. They control everything that's said about us in newspapers and books. Even the maps are slanted toward the whites. Look and you'll see they're dotted with each place we fought the white soldiers. Look closely. You'll see that if the <i>soldiers</i> won, it was a battle. If <i>we</i> won, it was a massacre…” <br /><br />In this presentation, Geronimo cleverly evolves from a surrendered Indian leader into a successful entrepreneur. He participates in wild west shows, the Chicago World Fair, and others. Keenly aware of how to work the political system, he joins the same church that Teddy Roosevelt belongs to and rides in his Inaugural Parade. Although he isn’t successful in getting everything he wants, he certainly succeeds in making the best of his situation. <br /><br />Beaten? Geronimo was never beaten. He simply adapted to his present circumstances and met the white man on a new battleground. <br /><br /></span></div>
Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-34774760335459357102013-08-25T11:29:00.001-07:002013-09-28T08:00:46.939-07:00Jacob and his Fender<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, I spent the day with my grandson. He is teaching himself to play guitar by watching the guitarists on YouTube. Who knew? Click the screen above to see the video...</span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwjXYB-5NQWtbvRGBaNa5DNdQCxwXOnMNOtqjXibHYH-gD5aHyQ4WIBBxVKpRIPptRO_jA-uFsxLBw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, I'm not working very hard this summer. From the time Jacob was a toddler I told him to come on over whenever he wanted to. "Gramma's writing a novel, not world peace," I'd tell him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Other news around here:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>On my CD Player-</strong> Dan Mangan's CD <em>Nice, Very Nice.</em> Love this guy. he's a real poet. and Bread's CD, The Best of Bread. He has some music I'm craving that was recorded in Brazil, too, but I haven't ordered it yet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>On my TV- </strong>As usual, I'm the last to know about a good TV show because I don't watch much TV. I am crazy about <strong><em>The Big Bang Theory</em></strong>. Can't get enough of it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>On my bed table- <em>Gifts of the Crow </em></strong>by John Marzluff and Tony Angell (How perception, emotion, and thought allow smart birds to behave like humans.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>On my Kindle- <em>Mary, Queen of France,</em></strong> by Jean Plaidy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>In my kitchen-</strong> homemade salsa with homegrown tomatoes and cilantro (made by our daughter), fresh caught salmon from the river just three miles away (I'm hoping it isn't full of radiation), yellow squash (homegrown) soup with onions, garlic and cubed chicken, and more...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Favorite quote- </strong>"Be so good they can't ignore you." Steve Martin </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper">www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooperauthor.com/">www.janellemerazhooperauthor.com</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.janellemerazhooper.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<br />Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-57691636840741658442013-08-21T10:58:00.000-07:002013-08-29T13:20:20.631-07:00Free is a good thing! Thanks, Amazon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWq7QK-0Gl8/Uh-sHLroMHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/ffh4sQgBMgg/s1600/8-29-13+amazon+prime+bks+for+WP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NWq7QK-0Gl8/Uh-sHLroMHI/AAAAAAAAAsI/ffh4sQgBMgg/s320/8-29-13+amazon+prime+bks+for+WP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hello!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every once in a while, I like to remind my readers that, if they are an <strong><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: orange;">Amazon Prime</span> <span style="color: orange;">member</span></span></strong>, they can borrow some of my Kindle books and my Kindle article for free! Here's the list of items available for a free loan:</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>A Three-Turtle Summer (novel, #1 in my Turtle Trilogy)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories (mixed genre)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>As Brown As I Want: The Indianhead Diaries (novel, #2 in my Turtle Trilogy)</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Surviving
Arthritis, How to live on a Rocky Beach (article)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you're not familiar with Amazon Prime, it's a feature that allows you to pay a yearly fee and get free shipping on your books and music. They lose money on me. Amazon Prime members can also stream a lot of TV shows for free. But wait! There's more! I just don't know for sure what it is...I am not really a technical person. I'm still looking for the coffee button on my keyboard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope you're having a wonderful summer. Happy reading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Janelle</span></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-10931860695267605012013-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:002013-08-14T11:39:49.957-07:00How to live happily ever after in Snowbanks...er...Fairbanks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EoXh-gVu8uM/UgvMNE6PiNI/AAAAAAAAArg/t8us3cLRz8A/s1600/dickandjanellewith+fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EoXh-gVu8uM/UgvMNE6PiNI/AAAAAAAAArg/t8us3cLRz8A/s320/dickandjanellewith+fish.jpg" width="230" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p>The author with her husband at an Alaskan fish camp</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Janelle Meraz Hooper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">A variation of this story was published in my short
story book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Free Pecan Pie and Other
Chick Storie</i>s…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard
about a great Jewish guy from Alaska who went to New York City to look for a Jewish
wife, and all of those big city gals turned him down. Seems they all got cold
feet...before they ever left the Big Apple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be
fair, part of the problem may be the way Hollywood portrays life in Alaska as a
kind of a frozen Dogpatch. Truth is, the big cities in Alaska are just like any
other big cities in the United States, only with snow. Maybe this guy should
have had as many references for Alaska as he had for himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, maybe, he was looking in the wrong
city. Why didn’t he come to Tacoma?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There must be lots of beautiful Jewish girls here who aren’t afraid of a
little snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any of
you ladies happen to meet a nice Jewish (or other) man who asks you to marry
him and live in Alaska, here’s some advice from someone who did just that...and
had a great time:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alaskans
like to say there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear...and it’s
true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t buy any winter outdoor
clothing until you get there. It’s expensive stuff and you don’t want to have
to buy outerwear twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then listen to
the locals, they’ll tell you what you really need. One hint: don’t expect to be
warm and toasty in a snow bank if you’re wearing jeans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take your
sunscreen and your bikini. Summers in Fairbanks look a lot like summers in
Washington. Temperatures are often in the nineties, and people sail their boats
on the lakes, hike and fish just like other real people. In winter, travel
agencies have great deals on trips to exotic places that grow pineapples and
palm trees. You may see more tropical paradises living in Alaska than you’ll
ever see if you live “outside” (Alaskan for outside of Alaska).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leave your
creature-phobias behind: there are no snakes, spiders or other obnoxious creepy
creatures in Alaska. It’s too damn cold. This alone could be a good selling
point to any woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be
prepared to entertain yourself. Days are short in the winter. If you’re not
working, plan to keep busy to avoid the winter blues. This won’t be difficult.
Alaska is rich in culture. Art and history museums abound...the opera houses so
important to the gold miners have evolved into elaborate facilities that
attract all of the Broadway road shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Believe me; you won’t be starved for the arts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be social.
Alaskans are very friendly. You will be invited to a constant stream of
parties. Accept all of them. You’ll have a great time; Alaskans are the
brightest, most creative, and adventurous people I’ve ever met.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Learn to
love the great outdoors...there’s a lot of it. Thanks to a great infusion of
oil money, Alaska is rich in multi-purpose trails that are used for walking,
biking, and cross-country skiing...although, in some cases, you may have to
share these amenities with a moose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">7.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
underestimate your female competition. Contrary to popular belief, Alaskan
women are beautiful. They’re just as stylish as Northwest women and what the
local Nordstrom doesn’t have they order from expensive mail order catalogs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">8. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have a big
refrigerator. You’ll find out why soon enough: Alaskans describe their weather
as nine months of winter and three months of company. The only people who get
more company have addresses right outside Disneyland. Everyone wants to see
Alaska...make a big bowl of pasta and gas up the car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">9.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have
money. There’s only one down side to Alaska: it’s a long way from home. You can
fly someplace glamorous for what it’ll cost you to fly to Sea-Tac between
Seattle and Tacoma (go figure).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t
even talk to me about earthquakes. We’ve got those here, remember?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Besides, they’re going to make your e-mails<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> real</i> interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if
some nice guy asks you to marry him and move to Alaska, my advice is to go for
it. Chances are, you’ll have a great adventure, and when you revisit your old
neighborhood, it’s going to look a lot smaller...in more ways than one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper">www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooperauthor.com/">www.janellemerazhooperauthor.com</a> </div>
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Facebook, YouTube</div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-58470823208700935412013-08-10T09:42:00.001-07:002013-08-10T09:46:38.006-07:00A loving memory of Pearlie Baskin, a Tacoma leader in supporting the arts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTgP7qu_0a8/UgZpqBNi09I/AAAAAAAAArM/Ou2Q6eGrqqc/s1600/8-10-13+Pearlies+Pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lTgP7qu_0a8/UgZpqBNi09I/AAAAAAAAArM/Ou2Q6eGrqqc/s320/8-10-13+Pearlies+Pot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pearlie's latest Pot by dstanderwick.blogspot.com</div>
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(Laughing Loon)</div>
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<strong>Pearlie’s Pots</strong> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>Janelle Meraz Hooper<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span> Pearlie’s pots are
under my stairs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My linen drawers are
stuffed with her potholders. Her books by independent authors fill my
bookshelves. Some of her plants fill my flowerbeds. I have plenty of wall
space, so her paintings hang on the walls of our home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span>No one else in the family knows who Pearlie is. Who is
this woman? Why does she have so much of her stuff in our home? I know who she
is, and whenever I open a closet and see a hand-thrown<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pot <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or
an original watercolor, I smile.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I first met
Pearlie about 1984 at an art show on the third floor of the Frank Russell building where
we exchanged a few pleasant words when I was on the Pierce County Arts
Commission. At the end of the show,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was on my way out the door when I looked behind me and heard an elderly woman
carrying out a painting she’d purchased that was so big I couldn’t see anything
but her shoes. I only knew it was Pearlie because she was chatting with a
friend in line and I recognized her voice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Pearlie,” I
asked, “where are you going with that painting?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m going to my
car,” she said. Then she added, “I hope this thing will fit in the trunk!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Where are you
parked?” I asked.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> Sh</span>e indicated that
she was parked on the street outside the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“That’s a long way to go. Let me carry the
painting for you.”</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I had no idea who
Pearlie Baskin was or the precautions that were made for her security. She
turned to a board member of the art commission and asked, “Is she good people?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> "</span>The best,” the
person answered. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Still, Pearlie was
confident she didn’t need my help. I was so worried that she might take a fall
that I followed along behind. When we got to the elevators we discovered they
were turned off. The security man said we could use the stairs. I saw Pearlie
look at the long, steep stairs with trepidation. “Oh, no!” I argued. “Do you
want to take the chance of this woman walking down three flights of stairs?”
The man took one look at Pearlie and turned the elevator back on. By then, I
was rattled and through taking chances. When the elevator doors opened on the
first floor, I took the painting from Pearlie and said, “Lead the way.” I think
she only relented because she was getting tired.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At her car, she
and her friend safely loaded the painting into her car’s trunk and she asked me
to follow them to her house for tea. While we were waiting for her friend to boil
the water, she gave me a tour of her beautifully decorated home that was filled
with wonderful pieces of artwork in every medium. <o:p></o:p></div>
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</span>I was well aware of how special my presence in Pearlie’s home was. It
was clear that not many outsiders were ever guests there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a treat! I followed her down the hall
while she put her newest acquisition in a large closet because she had no more
room left on her walls. She opened the closet door wide and pointed out her
stash of art—possibly enough to fill a small gallery. When she saw my
puzzlement, she cheerfully explained that she and her late husband were art enthusiasts
and they regularly purchased <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>artwork to
support artists.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span>And that’s how the pots—Pearlie’s Pots—got under my stairs. I was so
inspired by Pearlie that, through the years, I’ve tried to support the arts
whenever I could.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span>Pearlie is no longer with us. I wish there was a way for her to know that
she has now branched out into supporting musicians: last weekend, my husband
stopped at a street fair to toss some bills into the instrument cases of two very
young musicians. I was all in favor of supporting local musicians (My mantra is: Always tip the musicians!"). I was also relieved
he hadn’t stopped to buy a pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything
but a pot! Our closet under the basement stairs is full! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper">www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper</a> </o:p></div>
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<o:p><a href="http://www.janellemerazhooperauthor.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooperAuthor.com</a> </o:p></div>
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<o:p> <a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.JanelleMerazHooper.com</a></o:p></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-68623937287292146722013-08-07T08:19:00.003-07:002013-08-16T15:00:25.506-07:00Surviving Arthritis, How to Live on a Rocky Beach, Kindle article<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y8HTGawjk1o?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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This is the trailer for my Kindle article on surviving arthritis.<br />
<strong>If you're an Amazon Prime Member, you can borrow this article for free!</strong></div>
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About the time I was coming down with a chronic illness, teenagers were wearing tee-shirts that said, <strong>"Life's a Beach!"</strong> I wanted to stop one of them and scribble underneath, <strong>"Yeah, but some beaches have rocks!"</strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: #0b5394;">Surviving Arthritis, How to Live on a Rocky Beach</span></em> </strong>is a non-medical, motivational article for those who have arthritis and other autoimmune issues. Most people get light to moderate discomfort upon getting arthritis, but some of us get severe cases of it. I wrote this article for them. As I have firsthand experience with this condition (I was first diagnosed in 1984). I can honestly say, "Been there. Done that." Article, Kindle, $2.99 USD<br />
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.blogspot.com/">www.janellemerazhooper.blogspot.com</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/">www.janellemerazhooper.com</a></div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-42743744858650253942013-08-01T09:09:00.001-07:002013-08-01T09:17:39.701-07:00Jamaica and Jupiter, book trailer on YouTube<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-KfA5rasUbQ" width="459"></iframe><br />
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Also from the book There's a Mouse in the House! Written by Janelle Meraz Hooper and Jacob Nicholas Studebaker. Illustrated by Sherri Bails.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper">www.amazon.com/author/janellehooper</a> </div>
Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-38308871657436135642013-08-01T09:08:00.001-07:002013-08-01T09:16:15.247-07:00Ribbons at Christmas, a YouTube video<br />
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Also from the book There's a Mouse in the House! Written by Janelle Meraz Hooper and Jacob Nicholas Studebaker. Illustrated by Sherri Bails.<br />
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-39909828023862674982013-08-01T09:02:00.001-07:002013-08-01T09:17:56.784-07:00There's a Mouse in the House! Children's poems and stories book trailer ...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7dGl_3psKuo" width="459"></iframe><br />
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This is the video that is listed as one of the best for kids on iPad in the post below. The title poem is written by Janelle Meraz Hooper and Jacob Nicholas Studebaker. Illustrations are by Sherri Bails. <br />
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I've posted several other stories from this little book on YouTube: look for Jamaica and Jupiter and Ribbons at Christmas...oh, wait! I think I can post them on this site! Is Google great or what?!Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-91934207719083731972013-08-01T08:56:00.001-07:002013-08-01T09:21:48.275-07:00Best iPad Apps For Kids: Funny Kids Poems 2<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PU0LJ_yblZg" width="480"></iframe><br />
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One of my books has made the list for being one of the best iPad apps for kids!<br />
The title poem, There's a Mouse in the House! was written by me and my grandson, Jacob Nicholas Studebaker. Illustrated by Sherri Bails.<br />
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-53777075592792856652013-07-29T07:08:00.000-07:002013-07-29T07:10:23.916-07:00Not Matryoshka, but mine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My Russian dolls</div>
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These are the little Russian dolls I told you about in a previous post. Unlike the Matryoshka (nesting ) dolls, they're carved from a solid piece of wood. Check out the piece of watermelon the little guy on the left has. How cute is that?!</div>
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The Matryoshka dolls that nest were first introduced at an exhibition in Paris in 1900, so they're not as old of an idea as one might think. I read somewhere that the original idea came from a Japanese toy. I've seen a wonderful version that depicts Russian leaders but my favorite has to be the set I saw based on Russian fairy tales. </div>
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I rarely buy souvenirs of any kind when I travel. Not only are they expensive, but they're hard to carry around. Luckily, I can now order them over the Internet and they'll be delivered to my door. I do take a lot of photos though. My blogs (this one and my WordPress) have a lot of them. </div>
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What does all this mean? Absolutely nothing! It's just that I'm used to talking to someone when I have my morning coffee but I've lost most of the talkative members of my family. What I've got left is family members who are waaay too busy to sit down and chat. That's okay. I've written a lot of my stories down so they can read them someday when they have time!</div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-57274466275739917912013-07-27T09:07:00.001-07:002013-07-28T14:47:53.430-07:00The Crossroads of Continents Exhibit and Russian dolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I found the above photo in my files recently. I took it at a Russian Expo that I think was in Seattle. It was so long ago, I'm not sure! Isn't she gorgeous? Sadly, the doll is the closest I ever got to the land of Dr. Zhivago. I had high hopes of going on an archaeological dig in eastern Russia once in the nineties while I was a docent at the Anchorage Museum of Art and History, but I didn't pass the physical and I think they thought I might be more trouble than I'd be worth, ha. <br />
Anyway, while I was at the Anchorage Museum of Art and History, I got to serve as a docent during the Crossroad of Continents Exhibit that was over ten years in the making. Moscow sent a wonderful curator from the Hermitage Museum (I think--I've lost my notes) to train the docents. The Russian contribution to the collection was enormous. Stunning. Amazing.<br />
One of my fondest memories is leading a parade of women from my apartment building down the hill to the museum so I could practice on them before the exhibit opened. I could go on for hours about that exhibit. The catalog for it is huge; I spent my last few dollars on it and wouldn't let it go for anything. Maybe, I should insure it, like Betty Grable did her legs!<br />
I could never afford a doll like the one in the photo, but before I left Alaska, I purchased three little wooden Russian dolls in a local hotel gift shop for $7.95 each. I was so embarrassed because I was in a fancy hotel and I had to dig clear to the bottom of my purse to get enough money to pay for them. Afterwards, I didn't even have enough change left for a cup of plain coffee, but I was so thrilled! I'll take a photo and show them to you soon. They sit above my fireplace year around except at Christmas, when I hang them on my tree. One of them always makes me laugh: he's eating a slice of watermelon. Watermelon in Russia? Who knew? I grew up in Oklahoma, which is watermelon country in the United States. That doll is very dear to me.<br />
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<br />Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002376.post-91227290989429249342013-07-16T08:05:00.002-07:002013-07-16T08:05:50.194-07:00A Seattle Romance With a Jamaican Twist!<div align="center">
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A Seattle Romance With a Jamaican Twist!</div>
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This is the link to the book trailer for my new romance novel. I make all of my own trailers. What fun! This trailer is short...give it a look!</div>
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My Amazon Author Page:</div>
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Janelle Meraz Hooperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16422527534364326052noreply@blogger.com0