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Blue Skies, Palm Trees, West Coast Air And Lizard Tails

8/31/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
by Patti Liszkay

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Blue Skies, Palm Trees, West Coast Air And Lizard Tails

...Continued from yesterday:

Although it took a couple of visits to Los Angeles for the place to grow on me after my first trip to L. A. close to decade-and-a-half ago,

...in truth I've always been, and continue to be, enchanted by the palm trees and bright blue skies that grace that part of the country,

...and can make even a supermarket parking lot or strip mall look rather idyllic.

And I never tire of that first moment of stepping outside of the Los Angeles airport,

...and catching my first glimpse of the palms off in the distance,

...and realizing that the enchantment has not yet worn off.

And I still swear that West Coast air smells differently from East Coast air - in a good way - though I can't exactly describe how.
After our arrival at LAX we Ubered - Los Angeles having caved to the might of the Uber behemoth and now allows Ubers, along with taxis, to ply their service at the airport, which is fine by moi - to my daughter and son-in-law's house.

Their house also smells to me like the West Coast,

...mayhaps because here one can keep the doors open all day without any bugs flying in,

...though they do get an occasional visit from a small lizard, or an occasional still-moving lizard's tail - when a predator grabs one of these L.A. lizards by the tail the tail detaches and continues wriggling for some time, probably to convince the predator that it has the critter, rather than just the critter's tail, in its mouth - brought in by their cat Yajou,

..here showing her excitement at her human family's arrival back home.

My little grand dog Pinky Poo, on the other hand, his tail wagging at the speed of light, rather wore himself out with excitement upon seeing us again.

In truth we were all a little tired-out from the trip,

...but after a little rest,

...and a brief once around the back yard to take in some sunshine, good-smelling fresh air,

...and the view,

Their nectarine tree

...Tom and I set out for our most frequented L.A. destination,

....from which we brought home, among other items, corn on the cob,

...mainly because our grand daughters like to peel it,

...and which I included in my stab at preparing an L.A.-style healthy dinner ,

...after our previous week of chowing down, Ohio-style (See posts from 8/18/2018 - 8/29/2018).

After dinner my grand daughters put on a show,

...while I provided the musical accompaniment.

The show was much enjoyed by all,

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Going To Claire's With Claire

8/29/2018

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Check out my open mic book talk on "Equal and Opposite Reactions" and the writing life at the Authors at the Loft event in Columbus, Ohio

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2110468309210724/

Equal and Opposite Reactions is available at Amazon
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and barnesandnoble.com

Going To Claire's With Claire

...Continued from yesterday:
My two grand daughters, having discovered during a visit to Easton a few days earlier the wonders of that girly, sparkly-pink-doodad emporium called Claire's (See post from 8/23/2018),

...somehow came up with the notion that their Tia Claire (as they call this particular auntie),

...was going to take them to Claire's. Because her name was Claire.

However, Tia Claire was game, and so Friday morning, a few hours before she had to catch her flight home to for Chicago,

..Claire (and I) took the girls on their second shopping trip to Claire's.

...which they greatly enjoyed.

The girls requested a little time to play with their new purchases,

...before leaving the mall,

...to meet their mom, dad, and grandpa for lunch at First Watch in Gahanna,

...where the Chicago and Los Angeles out-of-towners had so enjoyed their lunches there two days previously (see post from 8/24/2018) that they requested a repeat performance of the yummy First Watch food.

Blueberry Pancakes

The Veggie Burger

Avocado Toast, my favorite

After lunch we took Claire to the airport and saw her off to her flight home.
Later that evening when dinner time rolled around we drove downtown to meet Tommy and Emily at their apartment in the Brewery District, from whence we walked several blocks to German village,

...to a popular deli called Katzinger's.

...where, along with the yummy deli food,

...including potato latkes,

...there were also barrels of beautiful pickles, free for the taking.

After dinner we walked back Emily and Tommy's apartment,

...where we had a sing-along,

...and dance-along,

...and Uncle Tommy gave the girls a little guitar lesson.

We left as the sun was setting beautifully over downtown Columbus.

On Sunday, the last day of Maria, Justin, and the girls' visit, Tommy came over for some artwork,

...and Anusha and Randy came over to say hello. I invited them to come out for dinner with us,

...but they could only stay long enough to watch the talent show.

On Sunday evening we went out for dinner at Chuy's a Mexican Restaurant across from Easton Town Center (see post from 8/23/2018),

...with a whimsical interior,

...and great food.

After dinner we returned home for dessert and a picture.

Very early in the wee hours of the following morning the kids and grand kids were back at the Columbus airport,

...and Tom and I with them, as, happily, we were returning with them to Los Angeles for a week's visit.

The flight was crowded but no worries,

...we had our gummy bears.

...and each other.

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Where To Take The Kids? The Columbus Museum Of Art

8/28/2018

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...Continued from 8/24/2018:
As the weather forecast for Thursday during my children's and grand children's visit was rain all day, we decided to visit the Columbus Museum of Art for the afternoon,

...or as much of the afternoon as the children would abide.

However a visit to the art museum turned out to be a more splendid idea than I'd imagined, as, unbeknownst to me, (and unlike during the era when my children were very young) the museum now offers a variety of fun and interesting children's exhibits and activities designed to keep even young children engaged, as were ours, for hours.
We decided to start with lunch at the Schokko Cafe, the museum restaurant,

...named after the painting "Shokko With Red Hat," by Alexej von Jawlensky, one of the museum's permanent holdings.

The restaurant was beautiful on the inside - Maria said she felt like she was back in a California restaurant -

...the food was delicious edible art,

Avocado toast with edible flowers

Mushroom quiche

Grilled cheese

...and the staff was super-friendly.

     After lunch I went to the ticket counter to buy tickets. I asked, as Tom and I always do at every cultural or entertainment venue we patronize, if there was a discounted price for retired military.
     Turned out that there was, not only for Tom and me but for our whole family - admission was free for us all. And, because we'd eaten at the museum restaurant, we were entitled to free parking as well.
      We entered the museum and immediately found ourselves in a hallway lined with children's activities,

...including bendable sculpture-making materials,

...supplies and instructions for making a moving picture,

...and a zoetrope in which one could place one's drawings to make them "move."

There was a mobile-building station,

...and one for making Post-it Note art,

...where there were some pretty impressive Post-it Note creations on display.

There was also a station for drawing whatever one felt like drawing.

There was a neat Star Wars exhibit,

...with some interesting displays,

...and a table at which one could make an alien mask.

But the best of the children's exhibits was a textiles display with an amazing yarn environment,

....where we made some pipe cleaner critters,

...to add to the critter display.

We spent a some time strolling around the museum looking at the other art.

Then we headed back home,

...where the girls were in the mood to do some more art.

...until it was time for dinner, which included mini-raviolis, tomatoes from our garden,

...and my Cherry Almond Streusel Pie (See post from 12/12/2016),

...and for which we were joined by Tommy, Emily and Randy.

Then after dinner we all took a rest.

Check out my open mic book talk on "Equal and Opposite Reactions" and the writing life at the Authors at the Loft event in Columbus, Ohio

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2110468309210724/

Equal and Opposite Reactions is available at Amazon
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and barnesandnoble.com

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The Sacrificing Of Courtney Smith, Or The Rest Of The Shameful Story

8/26/2018

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...Continued from posts from 8/6, 8/8, and 8/9/2018:

For the first week of August, 2018, the legions of Ohio State University football fans known as Buckeye Nation were in a state of shock, devastation, disbelief and confusion over the suspension of Buckeyes football coach Urban Meyer,

....Ohio State's winningest football coach in forty years, architect of a national championship team whose winning streak brought glory to to Columbus, Ohio and $7 million per game to the university, a man who was loved and respected by team members and fans alike, a man held up as a paragon of morality, honesty and sportsmanship, a man considered ethically beyond reproach,

....a man who wrote a book about his personal philosophy that he entitled "Above the Line."

Coach Meyer was suspended - with pay - over his possible mishandling of allegations of domestic violence against his wide receivers coach,

...Zach Smith, whom Meyer fired this past July (see posts from 8/6, 8/8, and 8/9).

For days after the story broke the suspension of Urban Meyer dominated the news, talk radio shows and conversation in Central Ohio. The main points of discussion and argument among the citizenry of Buckeye Nation were whether it was fair to hold Coach Meyer responsible for the behavior of a subordinate and, amidst rumors, speculation, and Zach Smith's denial of any wrongdoing, whether both Urban Meyer and Zach Smith might not in fact be the innocent victims of false accusations by Courtney Smith, who, it was speculated, could well be nothing more than a jealous, scheming, emotionally unhinged woman posing as a victim of domestic abuse.
    The Ohio State University administration subsequently hired an independent panel of investigators to determine the truth of Courtney Smith's allegations against her ex-husband as well as what Urban Meyer knew and did about the allegations.
        And so the local media coverage of and public preoccupation with the fate of Urban Meyer calmed while Buckeye Nation waited patiently for the findings of the panel's investigation.
        Two days ago those findings were published and revealed that during his time as Urban Meyer's assistant coach 34-year-old Zach Smith had a history of gross misuse of university funds, including maxing out credit cards and spending $600 one night with a high school coach in a Florida strip club; of missing meetings, blowing off recruiting trips, and arriving late to practices; of drug use, of having a sexual relationship with a secretary on the football staff and having sex toys delivered to his Ohio State office; of erratic behavior and inappropriate sexual behavior, of unreliability and overall poor job performance.
         And, according to Courtney Smith and a number of police reports, of violence, harassment, and threats against Ms. Smith,

...which both Urban Meyer and his wife Shelley knew about.

     The Meyers, as well as Zach Smith's family and Courtney Smith's own mother, continually pressed Courtney not to bring charges against her abusive husband. And so, for as long as they were married, she didn't.
      Urban Meyer's consistent response to Zach Smith's crimes and transgressions was to cover up for or turn a blind eye to his young assistant's misdeeds and to continually arrange for whopping pay raises for Zach Smith - sometimes not long after Smith had committed some offense that would be more than grounds for firing if committed by anyone else - until Smith's yearly salary reached $340,000. It was only last month, when Urban Meyer's hand was finally forced, that he fired Zach Smith.
       All this Urban did for Zach Smith because Smith was the grandson of another legendary Ohio State football coach,

...Earle Bruce, here with his grandson.

     It was Earle Bruce who gave Urban Meyer his first assistant coaching job and who mentored Meyer throughout his career. Urban Meyer has referred to Earle Bruce as a second father.
      And so it was out of devotion to this second father that Urban Meyer protected a wayward grandson.
        The investigators also discovered that when Urban Meyer learned that Courtney Smith took out an order of protection against her ex-husband last July Meyer immediately consulted with a university administrator over how to delete old texts on his cellphone. Upon examination of Meyer's cellphone the investigators found that a number of texts from over a year ago were missing.
       Urban Meyer has not been fired for his cover-up of Zach Smith's violence against Courtney Smith and offenses against the Ohio State University.

Rather, Meyer has received a light reprimand in the form of a three-game suspension without pay, after which he will return to his job and his $7.9 million annual salary.

   As for Courtney Smith, a young single mother and survivor of domestic abuse whose well-being was sacrificed by high-ranking members of a wealthy and powerful organization in order to protect their own and the organization's interests, she'll likely continue to be vilified by Zach Smith's family, Urban Meyer's adoring fans and supporters, and both men's lawyers.
      Neither Urban Meyer nor Ohio State University has given Courtney Smith a meaningful apology.
      But then Courtney Smith doesn't bring Ohio State $7 million a weekend.

References:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/sports/urban-meyer-zach-smith-ohio-state.html

http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180824/ohio-state-investigation-urban-meyer-apologizes-to-courtney-smith-in-statement

http://www.buckeyextra.com/news/20180823/ohio-state-investigation-gene-smiths-lawyer-says-client-urban-meyer-were-sacrificed

https://sports.yahoo.com/urban-meyer-misses-mark-buckeye-nation-apology-declining-address-courtney-smith-033236516.html

https://sports.yahoo.com/urban-meyer-misses-mark-buckeye-nation-apology-declining-address-courtney-smith-033236516.html

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/08/22/urban-meyer-suspension-apology-ohio-state-courtney-smith

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-mother-zach-courtney-smith-claim-ex-ohio-state-assistant-victim-retaliatory-plot-ex-wife-223132593.html

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The Family That Eats And Karaoke's Together

8/24/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
by Patti Liszkay

Buy it on Amazon
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
or Barnes & Noble.com

"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy." - Amazon Review

The Family That Eats And Karaoke's Together

...Continued from yesterday:
With all of my children living in different cities across three time zones it's rare that we're ever all together. But over the course of Maria and Justin's week-long visit from Los Angeles we came close.

On Wednesday morning Claire flew in from Chicago and Theresa had surprised us late the night before when she arrived from Cincinnati for a quick half-day visit.

Maria and the girls were at a play date that morning with the children of one of Maria's grade school friends,

...and I suggested that, for those of us who were available, lunch at First Watch would be the very thing,

...not the least reason being that I, for one, was craving the First Watch Avocado Toast: "thick-cut whole grain toast topped with fresh smashed avocado, EVOO, lemon and Maldon sea salt. Served with two basted eggs." First Watch Avocado Toast is one of my favorite edibles on the planet,

...though Justin gave his veggie sandwich high grades,

...and the custard-filled pancakes that Theresa ordered were so good - she generously offered me a taste - that I'm sure could easily develop an addiction to those pancakes, too.

Later that afternoon Maria - who'd hauled along her family's karaoke machine from Los Angeles, such aficionados of karaoke is her family - suggested a session,

...which we all took turns joining in.

'cause when it's right it's right,

......and somehow karaoke in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon,

...just felt right,

...until Theresa had to leave for her drive back to Cincinnati,

...and I had to start dinner

It had been requested that I make the family favorite that everyone just calls "Linguine" - as in "Mom, can you make Linguine?" - even though the dish is actually made from fettuccini.

Linguine.

   Here's the recipe:

   LINGUINE
   2 packages Knorr Vegetable Soup
   3 tablespoons flour
   1/2 cup butter or margarine
   3 cups milk
   1 bunch cooked broccoli
   1 lb cooked fettuccine

     Mix the soup and flour. Whisk the milk into the soup and flour mix.
     Melt the butter in a large pot over the stove. Stir the soup, flour and milk mix into the butter and, over low to medium heat, stir the mixture constantly until it just boils. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked broccoli. Pour over the cooked fettuccine.
     Enjoy!

For dessert I made an angle food cake,

...topped with ice cream, strawberries and cool whip.

...which everyone pronounced very good,

...even when eaten with stickers stuck on one's face.

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All Around The Town

8/23/2018

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All Around The Town

As my grand children live over 2,200 miles away it's a sad fact of life that I normally see them fewer than half-a-dozen times a year.

But the bright side is that our visits, though infrequent, are always special occasions, happy, memorable times that we fill with as much fun and activity as we can.

To this end, after we returned from our trip to the Berlin Resort in Amish Country (see previous post) we spent the next six days searching out interesting and fun things to do in Columbus, Ohio, of which there are a plethora,

...not the least of which can be found at Easton Town Center,

...an upscale shopping mall that is like a little city within the city, a miniature New York or Paris;

...that is to say, a miniature New York or Paris where they took out everything except the stores, restaurants, and a movie theater.
We ended up taking a couple of trips to Easton, as even if one cannot afford to patronize the upscale establishments,

...one can always grab a bite to eat at one of the many available less expensive food options,

...and, of course, it doesn't cost a cent to spend time strolling around the streets of Easton, window shopping,

...enjoying the pretty scenery,

...and playing in the fountain,

...all of which we did on Tuesday, the day after we returned from Amish Country.
However before heading to Easton we first did our serious shopping,

...at Walmart, of course (See post from 7/28/2018),

...where he girls shopped for school clothes.

We picked up a few groceries as well, one-stop-shopping being one of the perks of patronizing Walmart.

Next we swung by Old Navy, where the girls also had luck finding a few nice pieces.

Then, the school clothes shopping done, we headed to Easton,

...for lunch at Bibibop,

...and then out to play in the fountain.

Afterwards we returned to the indoor area of the mall where the girls discovered, among other wonders,

...the joys of Claire's.

They also discovered the mall's little free library,

...and so we stopped for a reading break before heading home.

Now, I had invited Tommy and Emily over for dinner that evening, but we'd ended up spending so much time out on the town that by the time we arrived home it was 6:30 pm, too late to make dinner,

...so we all went out to Olive Garden instead.

Afterwards when we arrived home Tommy and the girls put on a little show,

...which rounded out the day nicely.

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Off To Amish Country, Part 2

8/19/2018

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"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
by Patti Liszkay

Available on Amazon
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
or Barnes & Noble.com

"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy." - Amazon Review

Off To Amish Country, Part 2

...Continued from yesterday:

Berlin, Ohio

The following morning, Monday morning, we started the day with breakfast in the dining room,

...where, among the other standard offerings of a well-stocked breakfast buffet, which this one was,

...can always be found my favorite Berlin Resort breakfast goodie, the iced cinnamon rolls.

After breakfast we packed up and checked out, by which time the girls decided they were hungry for some of the East of Chicago pizza we'd brought home the night before (see yesterday's post), our friendly waitress having offered to pack us a box of pizza from the pizza bar to take with us,

...and so we relaxed while the girls ate their pizza,

...played a game of chess with their dad,

...then played for a while in the buggy in front of the hotel.

We then headed down the path,

...to the koi pond,

...to feed the fish,

...after which we headed back to the Children's Village,

...for one more round of make-believe.

Then we left the Berlin Resort,

...and drove to nearby Hershberger's Farm and Bakery,

...to visit the farm's petting barn,

...to ride the ponies,

...and the big horses,

...and to play in the rock box,

...and snap some nice shots of the scenery.

After our visit to the farm we drove to Charm, the next town over from Berlin,

...to have lunch at the Charm Family Restaurant,

...outside of which was a rather fascinating fountain,

...and inside of which the ambiance was uplifting,

...and the food down-home and yummy.

The Perch Din-ner

The Prime Rib Wrap.

Buttered Noodles.

Macaroni and Cheese with Glazed Carrots.

Pecan Pie

Ice Cream Sundae

After lunch, it being well with our bodies and souls,

...we left charming Charm, Ohio,

...and headed back to Columbus.

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Off To Amish Country, Part 1

8/18/2018

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Like my blog?

Read my book.
"Equal and Opposite Reactions"
by Patti Liszkay

Buy it on Amazon
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
or Barnes & Noble.com

Off To Amish Country, Part 1

Last Saturday when I left for for the Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo (see previous post),

...my living room looked like this.

When I returned home several hours later,

...it looked like this:

...and my family room looked like this,

...which was a good thing; because it meant that my daughter, son-in-law, and two grand children had arrived from Los Angeles, and that for the next week my house would be a beautiful mess full of beautiful noise.

However the house and my kitty Lucy, here hiding outside safe among the plants,

...received a brief respite from all the fun when we left the following day for an over-night visit to Amish Country,

...where we spent the night at the beautiful Berlin Resort in Berlin Ohio,

...the main attraction for the children being the resort's Children's Village, a miniature town with play shops and a wonderful playground.

And so on Sunday morning we picked up U.S. Route 62 and drove northeast, where we were soon out in farm country, Columbus, Ohio being in essence a provincial capital surrounded by rural country side,

...small towns,

...and farmland.

We stopped along way for lunch in Utica, Ohio,

...at a place called The River's Edge Grill.

In truth the food there wasn't great - my grilled cheese, for example, was constructed of one slice of orange cheesesque product between slices of white bread - however it sufficed to fuel us through the afternoon,

...until we reached Holmes County,

...the heart of Ohio Amish Country,

...and the Berlin Resort.

As always, the rooms were pretty and spotless.

Views from our balcony.

We settled into our rooms, then, the children being divided on what they wanted to do first, half of us headed for the pool, while the rest of us headed for the Children's Village.

The grocery store.

The school house.

After a while we walked back across the grounds,

...to the hotel

Then everyone except me met up at the pool,

...as I preferred rather to stroll around the building snapping pictures,

...of the building's maze of twisting hallways,

...and landings,

...which, for some reason really appeal to me - I think mayhaps it's because they're all painted in soothing shades of yellow, as are most of the hotel's other charming nooks, crannies, and spaces,

...such as the gym,

...manicurist and massage room,

...conference room,

...lounge areas,

...breakfast room,

...and snack-and-gift shop,

...the main exception to the color scheme being the hotel theater, which shows free movies. (One o the hotel staff told us that the Berlin Resort is the only hotel in Ohio that

has a movie theater in the building).
After the swim we headed into downtown Berlin to seek out some dinner only to learn that the town is closed on Sunday night, including all the restaurants except for East of Chicago Pizza,

.which was fine by us,

...the deep-dish pizza being fresh, hot, tasty, and having a really nice crust.

After dinner we walked for a bit through the town,

...until we came to the giant chick-en next to the flower maze.

Then since it was getting dark we headed back through town to the Berlin Resort,

...to the Children's Village,

...where we played in the classroom,

...the grocery,

...the pet shop,

...the dance studio,

...and the movie theater.

Then our day was done, and so we headed back to the hotel and to bed.

To be continued...

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The 2018 Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo

8/13/2018

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THIS IS THE MOMENT!
NOW $3.99 ON AMAZON KINDLE
http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa

"It's Hallmark meets the Sopranos in this fun and engaging read."
"Lots of sass, drama and wicked humor."
"The characters were hilariously and perfectly flawed."
"Cleverly plotted and exceptionally well written... part drama and part slapstick comedy."
"Funny and thought provoking and entertaining!"
"A rollicking good yarn."
-Amazon reviews

The 2018 Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo

...Continued from yesterday:
Just as last year's Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo was my first book event (see yesterday's post), so it was also the maiden voyage of the event itself.

The Expo is the brainchild and labor of love of Columbus author Alicia Wiggins,

....who wanted to give independent and small press Midwestern authors a venue for showcasing their work as well as provide an opportunity for local readers to meet the authors and discover their work.

Last year the Expo was a rather small affair with about fifteen authors participating,

...though there was a pretty good visitor turnout all the same.

This year the Expo returned to the Vaughn E. Hairston YMCA in Urbancrest, Ohio,

...with double the number of authors,

...representing a variety of genres.

There were also hot dogs and chips available for the hungry,

...and some beautiful pieces of edible art for sale, courtesy of Carmy's Cakes.

Among the authors present was Mary Wineberg, 2008 Olympic gold medalist,

...and author of her memoir, "Unwavering Perseverance: an Olympic Gold Medalist Finds Peace."

Mary was among the half-dozen Expo authors I interviewed for yourbookmybook.com (see yesterday's post).

In her interview Mary spoke eloquently about her struggle to gain confidence in herself, her years of hard work and perseverance to become an Olympian, her post-Olympic career as a second-grade teacher, and her book, in which she chronicles her search for peace and resolution of inner conflicts that rose up in her adulthood from painful events in her childhood.
Here is the link to Mary's yourbookmybook.com interview:
https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147520085505546/

I also interviewed Daniel Miles, co-author of a series of graphic novels dealing with Japanese historical themes;

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147556682168553/

...murder mystery writer Linda Lee Greene,

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147577378833150/

...children's writer Angela Newman,

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147598022164419/

...poet Leo Jones,

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147612428829645/

...and delightful fantasy writer Brian K. Morris.

https://www.facebook.com/yourbookmybook/videos/2147627965494758/

After I'd finished all the interviews,

I joined the book-browsers,

...and ended up buying Dan's historical Japanese graphic novel,

...Mary's memoir,

...and some of Carmy's yummy cookies.

I hope to soon immerse myself in the books. I've already immersed myself in the cookies.

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Return To The Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo

8/12/2018

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Exactly one year from yesterday I, with a pile of copies of my newly published book in tow, attended my first author event, the Mid-Ohio Indie Author Book Expo, which took place in the Columbus Suburb of Urbancrest,

...at the Vaughn E. Hairston YMCA.

Since this was my first event as a real, bonafide published author (that is to say, published book author - up until now I'd been a mere published short-story author,

...the book, in fact,

...being the expansion of one of my short stories published years ago in "First for Women"),

...I was soaring with enthusiasm.

I really put on the dog, as the saying goes, for the event,

...with balloons, pictures, sample pages,

...free bookmarks and cards,

...donuts in honor of chapter 5, and in honor of chapter 18 chocolate cupcakes,

...which I managed to drop on my white blouse and grey pants, but which I tried to be philosophical about, figuring it made me more like one of the characters in my book to whom embarrassing things are always happening.

(However I have since foregone offering messy foods at book-selling events, though I continue to offer the rest of the swag items, and have even added free refrigerator magnets and candies to the giveaways).
It was also at my first book event a year ago that I was interviewed for the first time,

...on the book podcast yourbookmybook.com,
which was at the event doing author interviews.