Blog Archives

How "Bad" Is "Too Bad?"

2/27/2018

I’d like to follow up on yesterday’s entry with a question: do any of us qualify as “good Christians?” I mentioned that we all fall short and need grace, but I wonder what the Pope’s distinction is between a “good” Christian and a “bad” Christian?

Somehow, I feel that we’d all be bad Christians. The real question is, how "bad" is "too bad?"

Let’s be brutally honest. Nobody’s perfect, and the more you know a person, the more of their flaws you see. It’s been my experience that whenever the more sweet, meek, and mild a person is on the outside, the darker, more sinister, and meaner they are on the inside. I’m not saying that’s always the case, but it’s been true for me 100% of the time in my life so far.

We’ll never be perfect while we live in this world. It’s impossible. So how ‘good’ do you have to be to qualify as ‘good?’ What point it is worth it to keep walking the walk?

I told you yesterday about the person I knew who wouldn’t take a stand for anything, and how we didn’t get along. That person’s flakiness was certainly a factor, but I played my part. I was in my 20’s and early 30’s at the time, and I thought I had to fight for everything to get respect. I was a know-it-all and had to learn my lessons in discernment and wisdom the hard way. Unfortunately, it did a lot of damage that couldn’t be undone in this relationship and many others. I burned several bridges I wish I hadn’t burned. And while I did make progress while I knew this person, their judgment of me was already made and they weren’t changing it. There was no opportunity for redemption. Why? Because both of us were ‘bad’ Christians, which left no room for reconciliation. We both learned our lessons the hard way, too. I saw life kick her in the butt, and it kicked me in the butt in my late 30’s when our paths diverged. I’m a different person now than I was then. Perhaps they are, too.

Would I have been better off being an atheist during those early years? I meant well, but I missed the mark for a long time. I came out of a rough middle and high school that taught me to fight for everything, and it took me from college through my late 30’s to learn otherwise. Some lessons do come hard. And who’s to say that I’m still not missing it? I’m better now than I was then, but there’s still room for improvement. Am I still a ‘bad’ Christian that would be better off without my faith, or does effort count?

The Bible says it does, and to never give up. Disturbingly, I feel I hear an undertone in the Pope’s message that if you can’t win the fight, then why try? Wait – doesn’t Jesus tell us that we will have trials, but He has overcome the world and our victory is in Him? What kind of idiot would I be to give up the free gift of grace, just because the fight against the devil and this world is hard? Of course it is – that’s the point! Christians are the biggest resistance the devil has.

Now I’m getting into an entirely different set of issues than I intended. So I’ll step back and say, I wonder if one is better off an atheist than a bad Christian. At least a bad Christian hears the message, and there’s chance of it taking root. Somebody who isn’t there at all has no chance. The bad Christian has a chance – in fact, they have as much of a chance as everybody.

So the bottom line: I don’t agree with the Pope. The only case where he’s right is in cases of blatant disregard, where the person in the pew is only there to hold up a fake image that doesn’t reflect true belief. But there again, I wonder how right it is. If God disgusts you so much, then why would you go to His house every week, hang out with His people, and listen to things you don’t believe? Nobody can force themselves to do something they hate indefinitely. Eventually, they’ll break – and eventually, the fake Christians will be exposed, or give up. They’ll wear out and want to spend that energy on other things and places that they do believe in.

What do you think? I’m interested to hear your perspective. Are you an atheists or a member of another faith? Even better! This really is a fascinating thing to ponder, and I think it’s a good thing for all of us to consider. Share your feedback here, or on Twitter or Facebook. Your soul is the most valuable thing you have, so pondering it is worthwhile.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.

Bye!

Atheists vs. Bad Christians?

2/26/2018

Today, let’s turn from guns to grace, shall we? Shocking, I know, but that’s how we roll here.

Actually, this entry is inspired by something I saw on Facebook regarding a homily by the Pope last week, where he said that it’s better to be an atheist than a bad Christian. My initial reaction was that I understand the point he’s making, but it’s not stated in the best way. After reading the article and reposting it for comments through Twitter and Facebook, it seems my initial assessment is correct: he’s right, but he’s also wrong. Let me explain.

We’ve all known fake Christians. The people who are in church every Sunday, wear cross jewelry and have the platitudes on the tip of their tongue, while they lie, cheat, steal, and engage in dirty politics to get their way. Here, we can certainly see the Pope’s point: these people abuse grace, and are in bondage to worldly systems. Their faith is a mask to make people believe something is in their hearts that isn’t. Essentially, they are atheists who aren’t admitting it, perhaps to conform to the norms of a society that’s still predominantly Christian. But here’s the thing: everybody sees the truth in their actions. As one person said on Twitter, we aren’t stupid and can tell that nobody’s perfect, but we can also see who’s fake and who’s real. This statement seems to imply that we’re all sinning on purpose, and we’re all abusing grace and therefore don’t deserve it. So is anybody smart enough to be a proper Christian?

The answer is no, because my friend is right: we do all fall short. I’m Lutheran, and a cornerstone of our belief is salvation by grace alone. And honestly, I think extreme examples like the one above are just that: extreme, and rare. Anybody that far gone is obvious. But here’s the problem: the devil works on everybody in varying degrees. Is there a point at which we’re hopeless, and better off an atheists than a bad Christian?

Let me give you a real life example. I knew a devout Catholic who’s favorite saying was “don’t rock the boat.” I was constantly at odds with this person because they pegged me a troublemaker because of my bold, feisty nature. In fact, I aggravated this person so much that they made that song the ring tone on their cell phone. Of course, I thought it was not only silly, but that they were a weak, foolish hypocrite. How can you claim such tremendous faith if you don’t stand up for anything, and let people doing things you know is wrong go because you don’t want to deal with it? Better off an atheist, right? Well, consider this: the person I’m talking about also had many personal problems to deal with at home. Personal problems significant enough that the plans they had for their future were completely derailed, and they found themselves having to come up with a different life plan because they found themselves in a season of life they didn’t expect to be in. This person was overwhelmed with their personal life, and as a result they rolled over, played dead, and hoped things would pass them by to avoid any more problems.

What say you? The Pope’s message seems to imply that this person would have been better off shedding their faith and being worldly. And yet, The Bible says that the Lord never gives up on us, and offers us grace because of it. Is it right to say a person should cast off that faith if they struggle? I think not. And this is where the Pope’s statement is wrong. God never gives up on us, and it’s never best to give up on God. I say weak faith is better than none at all.

But is it better than fake faith? No. Jesus says “let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ be ‘no.’” In other words, say what you mean and mean what you say. If you live by worldly systems and have your faith in that, then please don’t waste your time. If the church, the jewelry, and the platitudes are meaningless, then don’t waste your time. We all know the truth. Now be honest with yourself and how you portray yourself to the world.

As for that Catholic I knew: we parted ways about a decade ago, but I heard they did get back on track and were able to move forward on their plan, albeit much later in life than they thought. I pray they found the happiness they wanted sooner, and that they gained wisdom and a stronger faith through the trials testing them while we were on a road of life together.

What do you think? Is the Pope right? Is he wrong? Is it both, as I believe? Keep those comments coming! I think this is a good thing for us to ponder. And if you aren’t Christian, I’d be interested in hearing your take on this as well.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

School Shootings: Many Problems But No Solutions

2/20/2018

It’s been nearly a week since the Florida school shooting, and blame is flying all over the place. As usual, the first complaints came for gun control. Somebody on Facebook asked late last week: “if an NRA member were present, would they expect us to protect them, or stand down?” I responded, “they’d expect us to defend them, and then accuse us of being part of the problem two hours later.”

Sad but true, the gun lobby is large, which makes it an easy target for all that ails society. At least, until the news broke on Friday that the FBI got a tip on the shooter a month ago, and failed to follow up. Official response: oops. So there was another fail. But nobody screamed about that, because the poor FBI is overwhelmed with tips and can’t investigate them all. It’s a shame, but cut them a break.

The argument then quietly turned toward the lack of mental health help. It turns out the shooter was on mind-altering drugs. He should have never been sold a gun or ammo in the first place (agreed), but what safeguards are there in place? The answer: none. I have my bachelor’s degree in psychology, but abandoned grad school and working in the field after spending six months volunteering in a mental health hospital and discovering that the field is still reactive. It has to be proven that a person is a threat to themselves or others before anything can be done. Unfortunately, most of them have just enough self awareness to not turn themselves in or hurt themselves. So others get hurt and killed, and we scream about guns again. A few have pointed out the correlation of increasing mass shootings and the closure of mental health facilities, but not many. And when I tried to open a dialogue on this on Facebook over the weekend, it was largely ignored, and somehow turned back to how assault weapons are to blame.

Ok.

Yesterday, I saw posts s that teachers need to be armed. Then coincidentally (or not) Rick “stumbled upon” the movie Fist Fight, and I thought hell no. Schools, like every other work place, have problems that just make that a bad idea. Plus, that logic flies in the face of the “guns are bad and nobody should have one” argument. I agree that schools are targeted because everybody knows they’re a “gun free” zone, so nobody is armed to shoot back. But then you get into the problem of where to draw the line, especially in high schools where students start to get old enough to carry. You can’t tell teachers “yes” and students “no” if they meet the letter of the law, and the government says it’s ok.

Before I went to bed last night, I saw yet another Facebook post, but this one was about the increase in bullying at my high school. I graduated in 1993, and was surprised when I went to college and found out that the school has a reputation as a “tough, inner city” school, and that I was a basa** to not only graduate with honors, but to graduate unharmed, mentally stable, and prepared for college. I had great teachers, but I’ll agree that it was tough. I thought all high schools were. And frankly, my middle school was so awful with drugs and gangs (that it took them another 20 years to admit existed) that high school was a relief. I had good classes, good teachers, and good friends in the band. Sure, there were the “jocks” who thought they were better than everybody else (despite the fact that we had losing seasons in major sports the whole time I was there). But it was just four years. Reading that post, it’s obviously become worse, and I’m surprised they haven’t had a mass shooting yet! Bullying is still ignored, and viewed as “a personal problem” and “an opportunity to learn how to deal with people who don’t like you,” Yes, a teacher actually told me that, in front of my mother. She informed him that she didn’t like him, and told everybody. He left at the end of the year. Unfortunately, that’s still the prevailing attitude not only there, but in all public schools. I know a lot of people who work in a variety of schools and districts, and three things prevail: emphasize athletics, teach to the test, and get them out of there as quickly and quietly as possible. Nobody deals with bullying. Nobody really deals with anything unless it’s so “in your face” that there’s a threat that the media will turn up. Then they scramble to cover it up instead of deal with it effectively.

The truth is that we have a problem on multiple levels, and it’s been brewing for a long time. School shootings started back in the early 90’s when I was in high school, and have only grown worse. The gun debate has been a debate for a long time, and will remain one for the present time. I think the prevailing things we can deal with are the mental health and bullying issues. Teenagers don’t have the experience, wisdom, and maturity to see the “big picture” without guidance from others. Remember, the same old crap for us is brand new to them. Yet we’re always “too busy” and think they’ll learn on their own, or worse yet hope that if we ignore it, then it will go away. That doesn’t happen, folks. And I think we see that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. We need to do something different.

We need better mental health care and research. There’s no excuse for why that field has stagnated the way that it has.

We need to find a balance between letting kids be kids, and implementing proper discipline to make sure they learn not only right from wrong, but appropriate coping mechanisms for when life starts to kick them in the a**. That will happen. It’s certain. If you’re human, then life will suck at times. The key to “living through this” is in coping with the crap to find hope through trials and better days on the other side. Often, kids don’t even know anything about hope or joy. All they see is what’s in front of them. We need to give them vision beyond today.

We need to re-institute personal accountability all across the board. No more excuses or whining about how we could have done better but – NO! Wisdom comes from admitting your mistakes, correcting them or making proper restitution, learning, and moving on. We give too many things too many chances. Time is linear, folks. Some things can’t be undone. We need to learn that in little things before the big things knock us in a hole that we don’t know how to crawl out of before life buries us.

We need to do better. For all of our progress, we sure do have a lot more problems. That’s just sad. If this keeps happening, the aliens are going to obliterate us when they arrive – and the way things look, we certainly aren’t evolving to seek them, so they will find us first, and they’ll be the smarter one. Unless that Elon Musk dummy drives by a spaceship.

But now, I wonder who the real dummy is. Right now, it looks like that could have been an accurate representation of us all at times.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

And So It Goes

2/18/2018

I realize I've been cranky on social media lately, so it's time to come clean. Something has happened to cause my malcontent, and I'm finally ready to tell you about it.

I said goodbye to a friend recently. This friend was frustrated with life, and decided it would be best to start over in a new city. They had been lied to, mistreated, had watched other significant relationships move on, and they were sick of always coming out on the short end of the stick. There were also personal factors, which caused them to become overwhelmed, angry, confused, and in the end, they said to hell with it all and left. They felt stuck in a life that no longer fit. Before leaving, they said they were surprised I could put up with so much crap. I told them that I've seen much worse, and that while I completely understood their situation and was sorry for it, I'm experiencing a different reality that's actually pretty good. Some things that were "deal breakers" to them were minor frustrations to me. Funny how two people can be in the same place, but experience it differently. But that's how it is. The situation went beyond redemption for them, and now it's over. They're gone, and life goes on.

I don't begrudge this friend the pursuit of their happiness, and I don't blame them. People were jerks to this person, and some of the things they dealt with were inexcusable. I'm sure an argument could be made about whether they adequately stood up for themself - that, I don't know. I've sensed their discontentment for several months, but by then it was already at a point where I'm not sure if there was much that could be done - there was certainly nothing I could do to help, except listen. People have to do what's right for them, and what's right wasn't here anymore. It's a shame, and I'll miss them. But I understand and pray their new life is all that one they left behind didn't live up to.

One of my greatest griefs when my job moved me in 2010 was leaving behind two good friends. I don't connect with people easily, so to have two people who I "clicked" with so well was a blessing (even if not much else there was, except sub sandwich days on Tuesdays and Fridays). I was excited for the opportunity the move provided and it really was best overall, but to this day I still miss those two friends. One I have reconnected with on Facebook. The other isn't into social media, and sadly we've drifted apart. But I still see and hear things that remind me of them. Of course, I know more people and have made other friends, but they aren't like these two special people, and I haven't bonded with anybody else the way I did with them. You can't replace people by making new friends, because each person is unique. I know that while I'll meet other people in the future, it won't be the same. You can't quantify relationships.

It's also kind of soon for this to happen after Chloe passed away a couple of months ago. No, it isn't as deeply painful, but it's a disappointment and another empty space to deal with. But this is life. People come, and people go. I've seen it countless times, and I'll see it again, through death or divergent life circumstances, until the day I pass from this world. And so it goes.

I did have some notice on this, but not much. I didn't realize how it would hit me until all was said and done and I saw their reasons justified in the lackluster "goodbyes" offered. I felt sorry for them, because people clearly had more important things to do than bid this person farewell. Simply stated, people being jerks drove a good person away, and now my patience for this kind of thing is pretty much sitting at zero. I'm not going to be very gracious in dealing with people popping attitude or being asinine these days. My "granting grace" mechanism was definitely broken by this, and is in need of repair.

So that's why I've been snippy of late. I realize some of my blog and social media posts have been confrontational, and now you know why. I've been addressing issues that were rubbing me the wrong way and I felt needing addressing, but perhaps there were better ways to put things. Or not. But now you know.

And now, I'm going to give you a chance that was denied to some a couple of weeks ago when I released The Earthside Trilogy. I ran several sales, but they were "secret sales" to specific audiences before the general announcement went out. Well, I'm doing another one tomorrow. It's actually a KDP Select free day. Monday only, you can get the full volume set of The Earthside Trilogy for free. That's right, free. I've scheduled some Hootsuite posts for Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to remind you. So this is it. No shame, but no excuses either. If you don't have time to read it fine, you can get it in your library and read it later. And if you don't have a Kindle, you can swing by the Apple Store (for Mac) or Google Play (for Andriod) and get it for free on your phone or tablet. Seriously, you should get that app. It's how I got hooked on ebooks, and you might find you like it. So go get it now.

I also made The Tanger Falls Mystery Set and Joy on the Journey Amazon exclusives, mostly because that's the only place they're selling. This allows me to enroll them in KDP Select, and to offer free days and other exclusive sales and specials on those titles. So watch for more on these books in the future.

That's all today. Take care. Have a great rest of the weekend and a wonderful week.

Bye!

The Power of Suggestion

2/15/2018

This course on How Ideas Spread through The Great Courses has me thinking: how many ideas are really our own? If we’re so susceptible to influence from those around us, then how much of what we think is us? And how much is influenced by others?

I mentioned in my last blog entry that I feel that if everybody’s doing it, then I need to think about whether it really fits with my wants/needs. This is easy for big things, but how much rises that high on the radar for smaller things? So much of our lives are habits we’ve developed so we don’t have to expend a lot of mental energy thinking about things that aren’t worth it. Think about this: do you want to spend hours deciding where to go for lunch, or are you going to ask your lunch buddies for suggestions, and wind out at one of the same old places you always go, or going to a place suggested by the “cool kids?” Breaking our habits takes effort, and we don’t always feel like going to that trouble.

But sometimes we are tipped on to things that become favorites. I can think of a lot of things I might not have known about unless somebody told me about it. Books, TV series, movies, and restaurants come to mind. Those are good and easy, because if you don’t like it then you can quit, without having invested much in it. The bigger things usually fall into that sphere of influence where you have to hear it from several sources, or have some experience with it or other things like it. Things like vacations, cars, and technology fall in this category. It took a combination of experience and suggestions to sell me on the phone and laptop I have, and I’m not a big fan of tablets because I haven’t had good experiences with them. But I know plenty of people who ran out and bought things because everybody else had one, so they wanted it too.

Why are some people more susceptible to the power of suggestion than others? And why are some things more open to suggestion than others? I’ll check books, websites, or TV series if you mention them and they sound interesting, but the bigger the investment, the more I research and determine to make up my mind, regardless of what others think. I remember an advertisement that was running when I bought my car. It was a security camera in a store. An announcement came on saying “the Camry in the parking lot left its lights on,” and everybody left the store. It was followed by an announcement that the Camry was the most popular car in America. I immediately dismissed it as a possibility, because I didn’t want to drive the same car that everybody else was driving. Maybe that commercial sold more Camry’s in 2006, but it lost me. Why? I frustrate people by being different, but sometimes they piss me off by being so normal. If we value individuality and uniqueness, then why do so many blindly conform to the masses?

We all say we want to be unique, but some of us mean it more than others. Does wanting to be able to find my car in a parking lot make me socially divergent? And how influential do you need to be to inspire change? Studies say five percent divergence can inspire the remaining 95% to change their ways, but people have to be paying attention to that five percent to notice. What’s the tipping factor? And what determines what reaches whom? Why did everybody have to buy a new car when I bought one, but nobody notices when I get a drastic haircut (or rather, they act like they don’t notice)?

It’s a good question. So I challenge you to take a look around. Are you doing the same things as others, or not? Why? Are you ok with that? And what do you notice in the people and things around you? Do you know why some things stand out, and others don’t?

Deep questions, and I suppose the answers are different for each of us. But one thing’s for certain: those answers reveal a lot about our personality, values, and character.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

More Things That Make Me Go Hmm - The Social Divergence Issue

2/13/2018

Today, I present to you another list of things that make me go “hmm.” We’ll start with the most obvious: Valentine’s Day. I learned long ago that it’s a commercial racket leveraging our relationships to drive up sales in a slow season. I also learned that resistance is futile. People say it’s manufactured and we should celebrate our relationships every day, but they still cave to the social pressure to conform. Just take a look around tomorrow. All it will take is one woman getting a flower delivery to send the entire office in a “my man better have something good for me when I get home!” funk. I resisted and not only lost, but looked like a fool. When everybody’s acting like a bunch of girls, you can’t win. Best to keep your head down, do what you’ve got to do, and move on. It’s just one day.

That leads me to my next thing: I’m taking an online course on how ideas spread, and a major theme is how people pride themselves on individuality, but act based on social conformity. Again, take a look around tomorrow to watch this in action. Better yet, I recommend the Dark Mirrors episode titled “Nosedive” (Season 3). That’s the one where people have software installed in their eyes that allows them to rank people based on a 5 star scale, and society is built on high your social ranking is. It resonated with me because we’re doing that already. People are addicted to social media, and have turned it into a game of who has the most unicorns and rainbows in their life. I was nodding while I listened to today’s lecture on what goes viral, when the professor talked about how the popularity of cars depends on what the people around you are driving, because I have personal experience with this. The last time I bought a new car, everybody I knew bought a new car within six months. The only person who didn’t was somebody who happened to buy their car at the same time I did. Rick and I were dumbfounded by it. Then again, I’m the type of person who believes that if everybody else is doing it, then I need to consider if it’s really best for me. I guess everybody decided that if I finally caved and got a new car, then they were behind. But there you have the same principle at work, because I also learned that it only takes 5% divergence to propel the remaining 95% of a group to do something different. My point: for people not to care, they certainly do. Just look at the fact that Fifty Shades Freed was number 1 at the box office, despite the fact that it got terrible reviews, and everybody I heard talking about it said it was an awful book. And yet, they followed the herd straight to the theater, when there are plenty of other books and movies out there that don’t suck.

That brings me to my final issue: we go to great lengths to put on airs that we’re better than everybody else, but we don’t respond to other peoples’ achievements. Why are people faster to respond to tragedy than to triumph? When Chloe died, I was overwhelmed with responses. When I published The Earthside Trilogy last week, I didn't even hear crickets chirping. Yes Facebook, I’m talking to you. I did run pre-release sales and even a free day last Wednesday, but it was only offered here and on Twitter. The Earthside Trilogy hit #20 in scifi Metaphysical & Visionary fiction last Wednesday, so thank you to the readers who took advantage of that offer! So ignoring it didn't make it go away, but it did make the readers rise to the top of the bunch, and show me where to direct my efforts to reach those readers. I tell my author friends not to waste their time on Facebook, because it’s a good place to be ignored. Unless something bad happens, of course. Oh, you poor thing. Let me comfort you while I’m above you and it makes me look good (or rather, not look like an a**), but once you rise, I’m “too busy.” True friends want to share joys as much as (or even more than) their pain. But I guess feeling like you’re better than others is more important than relationships. I'm busy too, you know, and I know who's worth a response now (hello, Twitter).

That “Nosedive” episode of Dark Mirrors was an accurate and uncomfortable reflection of reality. All of the episodes are, but this one in particular hit me. Aren’t we ranking who and what deserves our attention all the time? Aren’t we evaluating thoughts, things, and actions on how good it makes us look or how much better it makes us than everybody else (online and offline)? The more electronically connected we get, the less personally connected we are. I have a general rule that I don’t follow people I see on a regular basis on Facebook, because they quit talking to me once they started following me. Now they have to have a conversation with me to get the gossip!

Oh well. As one character said in “Nosedive,” a lot of people don’t like honesty." Yet truth is freedom, and without that, it's all fake and we can’t really have relationships. Our inner circles are shrinking, and the outer circles are becoming more superficial and fake. Where’s it going? I don’t know. But if it keeps going this way, then Valentines Day will only exist online, and not in reality anymore. Then what happens to the retail industry? Hmm. There’s a dark mirror for you.

It's all so silly. I think I'll go be that "radical non-conformist" that I've accused of being again. Don't worry, I won't buy a car. I like having money in the bank more than new wheels in the parking lot right now. Not that anybody cares. We're all too busy being unique - just like everybody else ;)

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Shh! It's A Secret (Until Thursday)

2/5/2018

The Earthside Trilogy is complete! Emergence, Book Three of The Earthside Trilogy is now available at https://www.amazon.com/Emergence-Book-Three-Earthside-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B079KVSVQ7 . As a special thank you, I’m offering it on a surprise sale for $0.99 through Wednesday, but here’s the catch: this sale is only available to people who read this blog and Twitter. Why? Because you’ve been there for me, and supported me not only in my writing, but through all other things in life, and I want to reward you with this special sale just for you. So go grab your copy by Wednesday night on sale as my way of celebrating with a “private release party” to thank you for being great people and awesome friends!

Shh! Don’t tell! The Emergence sale is just between us, and it’s for a limited time. I’m raising it to the normal $1.99 price and blasting the announcements on all social media outlets Thursday morning.

Don’t have the rest of the trilogy? No shaming from me. I know how life is, so I also released a full trilogy box set. You can get all three books of The Earthside Trilogy for $4.99 at https://www.amazon.com/Earthside-Trilogy-Sherri-Moorer-ebook/dp/B079KWWQM6 .

As a reminder, you can get the Kindle app for free at the App Store (for Apple users) or Google Play (for Android users), so you can read it on your phone or tablet, if you don’t have an ereader. You know me: I’m a tree hugger and love ebooks. (Plus, I haven’t sold a paperback since 2012, so why bother?)

Thank you for being great friends. I’m happy to celebrate this release and achievement of another life goal of writing and publishing a scifi trilogy with you! You guys are the best. Much love to you all!

That’s all today. Take care, and have an awesome week.

Bye!