I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of my writing and to extend my wishes to you and your loved ones for happiness in the coming year.
    The above photograph was taken last week when I visited my son in Tampa. As many of you know, he is a photojournalist who covers the news from a helicopter. I had the privilege of flying along as he covered a story. That's Captain Jimmy, the pilot, a very personable and interesting guy.  We had a great time, but I have to admit sitting in that helicopter flying over Tampa watching my son work the photographic equipment was a thrill. I'll never look at aerial reports in the news the same way again!

Yes, it's that time of year. Families get together; there's lots of sharing and even more eating. What does that have to do with a writer's blog? Let me explain.
     First  a disclaimer (and pardon me for a bit of bragging): I am the proud mom of an entrepreneur. My son, Ben, a former and now part-time TV news cameraman recently opened a business he named, "Shared Kitchens of Tampa". I'm sure you wonder what type of restaurant it is. Well, it's not a restaurant. A deli? No. How about a food truck? Nope, not that either. Shared Kitchens is a commissary, also known as a certified kitchen or culinary incubator.  
      No matter what you call it, it's actually a space containing commercial equipment for use by food businesses, whether caterers, food trucks or even creators of special food products. Ben provides a clean commercial kitchen for use by Tampa, Florida-area food businesses or hobbies.
     If you or someone you know near or in Tampa, Florida caters parties or has a product they want to produce that doesn't fall under cottage food laws, or you have a party coming up and need a larger oven or work space, Shared Kitchens is the place for you. Or perhaps you or your friend need commissary services for a food truck or cart.  He also has a space to host parties, teach classes or conduct demonstrations. Perhaps a friend wants to start a co-packer business. All of that can be done at Shared Kitchens of Tampa. You are only limited by your culinary imagination.
     Whether you or your friends want to start or grow a food business or just do some large-scale baking, stay legal and food safe with a state of Florida licensed and approved commercial kitchen. Here's a list of some of Ben's current or past clients:

• Caribbean Hands Catering      Jr.'s Catering Solutions           
• Latino's Cuisine                      Oktoberfest Tampa 2015 and 2016
• Best Thai Food Tampa           Saucy Dogs
• Soup4Later                             Bloom Chocolate
• Seacoast Foodery                   The Serious Foodie
• Livy O's Catering                   Ice Shavers, L.L.C. 
• Blue Note Dogs                     Trinity Services Group
• Pirate Pops

   
     So, if you know someone who is or wants to get involved in some aspect of the food business and requires a professional kitchen, take a look at Ben's website at: www.sharedkitchensoftampa.com. I think you'll be impressed.
     Thanks for indulging me and Happy Holidays - or as Ben would say, "Let's get cooking!" 

It may sound odd to be celebrating an obscure holiday like that, but if you're a southpaw like I am, it's heartening to know there's one day a year that celebrates the 12-15 percent of us that are "different". Yes, we're a minority that's discriminated against in ways most never consider. When I was little, my mom and teachers did everything they could to correct the "problem," thinking I was simply obstinate. Eventually they gave up and left me to deal with a right-handed world as best I could. School desks were designed for right-handed people as were scissors, ice cream scoops, spiral notebooks and even golf clubs. 
   Left-handers are forced to adapt all day, every day. After becoming an author and doing book signings, I struggle to avoid the binding, twisting my hand in an awkward position.
   But the news isn't all bad. I recently discovered that I’m in good company. Five of the last seven presidents are left-handed including: Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
   Some famous—and infamous—lefties include: Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Jack the Ripper, Napoleon Bonaparte, Joan of Arc, the Queen Mother, Prince William, Winston Churchill, Morgan Freeman, Judy Garland, Jimi Hendrix and Sir Paul McCartney.
   Today as we celebrate International Left-Handers Day, you right-handers are encouraged to try out left-handed objects to see just how awkward using the wrong equipment really is.
   Several years ago, my son brought me a wall-hanging from California that contained an anonymous, but well-known quote. It read, "If the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body then only left-handed people are in their right mind." I rest my case.

A number of my loyal readers have been asking when my next novel will be published. I realize it's been six months since I posted anything. But rest assured I haven't been whiling away my time at my son's swimming pool, as the photo taken on the Fourth of July in Tampa, seems to suggest. I've actually been working on my next two novels.
      The first one, Escape from Ambergris, a thriller set in Tampa  and Ambergris Caye, an island off the coast of Belize, is nearly finished and will be published in the spring. The second - Stands Strong Alone is a biography of Art Norris, Waterkeeper of the Upper Mississippi. It is in the process of being written and critiqued. No, I haven't been idle, but thank you for asking and I promise to keep you posted. In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

...libraries are definitely not on the road to extinction - at least not judging by what happened Sunday in Aurora, Ill.  Due to participation in the upcoming local authors' day, I was invited to attend the opening of Aurora's new $28-million dollar public library.
    Now, you might think the opening of a new library would be nothing special, particularly in today's digital environment, but you would be wrong.
    Sunday's event attracted a crowd of around fifteen hundred people that cut across every line from young to old, whites to minorities and judging by the way people were dressed, every economic status.
  Presentations were made by noted dignitaries including U.S. Cong. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner, John Savage, president of the Aurora Library Board and Gina Santori, who along with her husband, Richard, donated a $3-million dollar endowment to the library. The event concluded with a performance by the Ides of March founder Jim Peterek performing their signature composition, "Eye of the Tiger".
   What struck me most forcefully was the attentiveness of the crowd that stood respectfully in eighty-plus degree heat for the hour-long presentation after which they streamed inside the impressive structure to get a look.
    If I was ever in despair over the futility of continuing to write in this age of what some assert is impending illiteracy, Sunday's wonderful event more than restored my faith in the printed word and how much people from all walks of life value it. I look forward to returning Sept. 12 to participate in "Bunches of Authors". If you happen to be in the Aurora area this fall, be sure to stop in. A link to the complete story and more photographs is: www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/aurora-beacon-news/news/ct-abn-aurora-library-st-0615-20150614-story.html"