Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the Corn Palace, an entertainment extravaganza with Cornelius the Cob as a mascot. At least that's what we called him.

Driving past the sign for Dick's 24 hour TOE service (no joking!), we supped at the elegant Pizza Ranch. Good pizza. Also served is down home fried chicken and the salad bar. Hmmm. Salad means something a little different here than it does back home - jello salad, chocolate pudding, marshmallow jello salad. Hmmm. Need something green.…

Sometimes, when we desperately need a refuge, the best place to hide is a dream. The daytime sort. They can be great spots to ride out a storm. Let’s face it, boys and girls, a whole lot of the crap we have to face every day wasn’t revealed to us when we began the process of “growing up”. Had I only known, I’d've tried like crazy to stunt my growth. Would’ve denied it whenever someone…

I took a cruise to Alaska a few years ago, and when we docked in Ketchikan, I signed up for a trip to Metlakatla, an island about fifteen miles off the coast.

If you have the opportunity to spend any vacation time exploring the panhandle of Alaska, plan to take an excursion from Ketchikan to Metlakatla, also known as Annette Island. As it is only accessible by boat or by seaplane, getting there becomes part of the adventure.

Seeking religious freedom in the…

What opportunities have you missed today?

Fellow authors, Far too often, it is the "opportunity missed," not the action taken, that dramatically affects the outcome of our pursuits. I do not wish to overstate this but there is one opportunity I will focus upon…

That’s a well known expression in the MLB, (Major League Baseball). It’s one of the big secrets to success, and holds a great deal of truth. Willie Keeler, thought to be the smallest man to ever play baseball for an extended period, (not gimmick players or one-hit wonders), set some records over 100 years…

Depends on who’s buying it. When I bought gas about a week ago the regular 87 octane was $3.92 per gallon. (This post was written June 23rd). I had to stop and look a moment at what I just keyboarded in order to believe it’s true. On the 6^th of November, 1970, the day before I married the first time, I was p.o.’d because I had to go all the way across town in…

Still, I had to live with him. No choice on that part.

It hasn’t been short term, either. I first met him way the heck back in 1948. Those were the days where we had to watch TV in the dark because they hadn’t yet invented electricity. It was tough at times, on many occasions more work than I wanted to take on.…

… into what I call a ‘betes nap when my cell phone rang. If my blood sugar, (I’m diabetic now), “crashes”, (too high or too low), I need a nap. They range from 10-75 minutes, then I’m okay. I stuck the earpiece in and pushed the button without looking, so I answered “hello” instead of “Bill Cady”, as I would if it was someone I knew.

Could be a…

A good idea, or a bad one?

Recent news articles say the majority of women using the #1 implanted item, breast enhancers-enlargers, are experiencing trouble down the road. Pain, infections, slippage in many cases. (Pretty much guaranteed, with or without implants, much past age 60). What was initially installed to make a woman sexier can now make her very…

… because I politely point out something you did wrong to me? How many times has this happened to you?

I suppose the motive to say something on this topic arose during the 1,592 days and nights I was homeless, sleeping in my car and being hassled by every imaginable figure of authority. Their number also included countless self-appointed bosses.…

Girls were able to fool me for many years. Fool me badly, not just a little. No kinda-sorta to it. We’re talking “big-time baffle” and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My bam was boozled until I brought in a valued assistant known as “Diabetes”. I call my new buddy “‘Betes” and we get along just great. One of the first things Betes did for me was blow off any and all members of a…

It was across the mighty Mississippi that we had our first taste (pun intended) of the differences in culture between the United States and Canada in the form of iced McDonalds beverages. When we departed from home, we planned to take advantage of the $1 drinks at the golden arches for treats across the continent. However, at the Mickey D's bordering the river, we found that although pop - sorry, soda - wait, was it still called pop there? Anyway, rather than the lovely iced coffee of home,…

On the waterfront: A holiday tradition … You can camp here … if you have a home and don’t need to camp. If you don’t have a home and you need to be there, you get ticketed. Deal with it.…

Gene Cartwright posted a full length blog about overlooked marketing tips. One tip I would like to repeat again...and I quote:

"Every Author knows, or should know, that writing a book is only the beginning. Your marketing efforts should begin before your book is published, and continue everyday thereafter."

I hope all authors new and seasoned take this to heart. The hardest part of your book is probably the marketing and increasing sales. If your book is…

Can’t say I coined the term. First I heard of it was circa 1994 when, as an internet newbie and lifelong freak about Irish wolfhounds, I found a group connected with the breed. They had a very bizarre “chat circle” set up by a guy named Mardon Erbland, (I am not making this up!), known as “Mardon’s…

Take a peek at the link with the definition. You’ll see sarcasm has a couple meanings, one nasty, the other “less than pleasant”. It can apply to someone’s normal wit, (see…

The simplicity of modern man somehow seems to retain some extremely strong roots to those cave man days and it’s sad. Sad as can be.

There was an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune titled: Boy, 4, mauled to death by dog…

The first rung on your marketing ladder is to create a quality product, in the case of an author, that would be a book. You need to create an engaging story, be part of a critique group, make sure the manuscript gets edited, and have a knock-out cover.

Creating the book might be considered Research and Development under the Marketing umbrella, and the foundation of a marketing strategy.

The second step or rung on the marketing ladder is the actual book…