Thursday, November 29, 2012

Spirit Of The Hollidays (Carroll's Plea To The Goodreads Bullies)

This message goes out to all the Goodreads people of whom I have identified as "Goodreads Bullies". To those who go around and leave horrible and negative comments to authors in their reviews and to all the members of the Badly Behaving Authors Group on Goodreads.

Can't we all just get along? Can't we even try? Hasn't this nonsense gone on for far too long? I mean, when is it going to stop? When are you going to stop? Can't we just lay down our swords and just simply walk away? If not, why? Why do you insist on continuing to scorn authors? Why is there so much hate in your hearts? Why can't there be peace? Why can't we find a middle ground of reason where we all can just move on with our lives and stop this adolescent fighting? I know I want to. I would love to see it end. There's too much pain already in this world, why do we add to it? What is there to gain? Nobody wins. Nobody will win. What is there to win?

Why is it so important to you to try and hurt people's career? Their dreams? Could one of you at least come onto this blog (with your real name) and leave a comment explaining why it is so important for you to "tell the world" how much you hate other people? Why you feel the need to try and destory what others work so hard to build? Please? Could you just answer that question for us?

In the spirit of Christmas and the hollidays, I wish to propose an end to this nasty crap. I want to see this end. Not just for me, but for everyone. I see no reason why we all have to fight like we do. It serves no purpose.

Here is my proposal:

You go to all the people (authors) that you have attacked and delete your nasty comments and I will delete all of my posts and do my very best to get others to delete theirs regarding you as well. Let's rid the internet of all this horrible junk and lead by example to all the young people out there who look to us to show them a better way. Let's show the world that people can resolve their differences in a reasonable and intelligent manner.

Let's get rid of the hate!

If you people truely are not the bullies that I and others have claimed, if you really want to show the world you're not the bullies - then you will take me up on this offer and get with me to work this thing out.

This is your chance to show once and for all that you are not the bullies.

Why would you not want to jump on this opportunity to bring peace? Maybe we could start - you guys and myself then once we work it out, we can show others that things don't have to be this way. Work with me here. I'm just sick of all this fighting and hate. I don't understand why you feel the need to keep on fighting and hating and attacking. I would really love to see it all end. For everybody.

Talk about it in your group then let me know. But know this - everyone will see this post and my efforts to resolve this issue. If you fail to respond, to even try and work things out reasonably, think of how it will reflect on you. It doesn't matter who said what or who did what first - the point is - I am standing here willing to end this senseless battle once and for all.

I know if anyone ever offered me a chance for peace over war, I would jump on it big time. Peace and love and friendship is always better than war and hate. Wouldn't you agree?

Please, let's try and work together to take down all of our hateful and nasty posts and comments and try our best like adults to get along. To be nice. I'm not saying we have to be friends, just not enemies.

What do you say? Can we give it a try? Can we at least have a peaceful discussion and attempt a truce once and for all?

If not, then at least nobody can ever say that I didn't at least try to call for an end to this fighting. I'm reaching out to you - the chance is there for you to accept or to refuse. HJ Leonard - I am talking to you. You're the one who started the "BBA" group, here's a chance to show that you and your members are not "bullies". Here's an opportunity to resolve our differences and work to keeping the peace.

What say you? (The world is watching)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

American Outlaw: Doc Holliday

John Henry “Doc“ Holliday, born August 14th, 1851 and died November 8th, 1887. He was an American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

As a young man, Holliday earned a D.D.S. degree in dentistry and set up a practice in Atlanta, Georgia. However, in 1873 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, the same disease that had claimed his mother when he was 15. He moved to the American southwest in hopes that the climate would prolong his life. Taking up gambling as a profession, he acquired a reputation as a deadly gunman.

During his travels, he met and became good friends with Wyatt Earp and Earp's brothers. In 1880, he moved to Tombstone, Arizona, and participated alongside the Earps in the famous gunfight. This did not settle matters between the two sides, and Holliday was embroiled in ensuing shootouts and killings. He successfully fought being extradited for murder, and died in bed at a Colorado hotel / sanatorium at the age of 36.

The legend and mystique of his life is so great that he has been mentioned in countless books, and portrayed by various actors in numerous movies and television series. For the 100-plus years since his death, debate has continued about the exact crimes he may have committed during his life.

Holliday was born in Griffin, Georgia, to Henry Burroughs Holliday and Alice Jane Holliday. His father served in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. His family baptized him at the First Presbyterian Church in 1852. In 1864 his family moved to Valdosta, Georgia. Holliday's mother died of tuberculosis on September 16, 1866, when he was 15 years old. Three months later his father married Rachel Martin. While in Valdosta, he attended the Valdosta Institute, where he received a strong classical secondary education in rhetoric, grammar, mathematics, history, and languages - principally Latin, but also French and some Ancient Greek.

In 1870, the 19-year-old Holliday left home to begin dental school in Philadelphia. On March 1st, 1872, at the age of 20, he met the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. He graduated 5 months before his 21st birthday, which would have been problematic since this age was needed both to hold a D.D.S. degree or to practice dentistry as anything other than a student under a preceptor, in Georgia.

After graduation, Holliday did not go home, but worked as an assistant with a classmate, A. Jameson Fuches, Jr., in St. Louis, Missouri. By the end of July he had moved to Atlanta, where he lived with his uncle and his family while beginning his career as a dentist. A few weeks before his birthday the Atlanta papers carried an announcement by noted dentist Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta that Holliday would fill his place in the office while he was attending dental meetings. This was the beginning of Holliday's career in private practice as a dentist, but it lasted only a short time, until December. Holliday's cousin by marriage was Margaret Mitchell, who wrote the novel “Gone With The Wind”.

In September 1873, Holliday moved to Dallas, Texas, where he opened a dental office with fellow dentist and Georgian John A. Seegar. Their office was located between Market and Austin Streets along Elm Street, about three blocks east of the site of today's Dealey Plaza. He soon began gambling and realized this was a more profitable source of income, since patients feared going to his office because of his ongoing cough. On May 12th, 1874, Holliday and 12 others were indicted in Dallas for illegal gambling. He was arrested in Dallas in January 1875 after trading gunfire with a saloon-keeper, but no one was injured and he was found not guilty. He moved his offices to Denison, Texas, and after being found guilty of, and fined for, “gaming” in Dallas, he decided to leave the state.

Holliday made his way to Denver, traveling the stage routes and staying at Army outposts along the way practicing his trade as a gambler. In the summer of 1875 he settled in Denver under the alias “Tom Mackey“, working as a Faro dealer for John A. Babb’s ’Theatre Comique’ at 357 Blake street. Here he heard about gold being discovered in Wyoming and on February 5th, 1876 he relocated to Cheyenne, working as a dealer for Babb's partner, Thomas Miller, who owned a saloon called the Vella Union. In the fall of 1876, Miller moved the Bella Union to Deadwood, site of the gold rush in the Dakota Territory, and Holliday moved with him.

In 1877, Holliday returned to Cheyenne and Denver, eventually making his way to Kansas to visit an aunt. He left Kansas and returned to Texas setting up as a gambler in the town of Breckenridge, Texas. On July 4th, 1877 he got involved in an altercation with another gambler named Henry Kahn, whom Holliday beat with his walking stick repeatedly. Both men were arrested and fined, but later in the day, Kahn shot Holliday, wounding him seriously.

The Dallas Weekly Herald incorrectly reported Holliday as dead in its July 7th edition. His cousin, George Henry Holliday moved west to take care of him during his recovery. Fully recovered, Holliday relocated to Fort Griffin, Texas, where he met “Big Nosed Kate”, who’s real name was Mary Katherine Horony, and began his long-time involvement with her. In Fort Griffin, Holliday was initially introduced to Wyatt Earp through mutual friend John Shanssey. Earp had stopped at Fort Griffin, Texas, before returning to Dodge City in 1878 to become the assistant city marshal, serving under Charlie Bassett. The two began to form an unlikely friendship; Earp more even-tempered and controlled, Holliday more hot-headed and impulsive. This friendship was cemented in 1878 in Dodge City, Kansas, when Holliday defended Earp in a saloon against a handful of cowboys out to kill Earp, and where both Earp and Holliday had traveled to make money gambling with the cowboys who drove cattle from Texas.

Holliday was still practicing dentistry on the side from his rooms in Fort Griffin and in Dodge City, as indicated in an 1878 Dodge newspaper advertisement (he promised money back for less than complete customer satisfaction), but this is the last known time he attempted to practice. Holliday was primarily a gambler although he had a reputation as a deadly gunman. Modern research has only identified three instances in which he shot someone. In the summer of 1878, Holliday assisted Earp during a bar room confrontation when Earp was surrounded by desperadoes. Earp credited Holliday with saving his life that day and the two became friends as a result.

One documented instance happened when Holliday was employed during a railroad dispute. On July 19th, 1879, Holliday and noted gunman John Joshua Webb were seated in a saloon in Las Vegas, New Mexico when a former U.S. Army scout named Mike Gordon tried to persuade one of the saloon girls to leave her job and come away with him. When she refused, Gordon stormed outside and began firing into the building. Holliday followed him and killed him before he could get off a second shot. Holliday was placed on trial for the shooting but was acquitted, mostly based on the testimony of Webb.

Dodge City was not a frontier town for long; by 1879, it had become too respectable for the sort of people who had seen it through its early days. For many, it was time to move on to places not yet reached by the civilizing railroad - places where money was to be made. Holliday, by this time, was as well known for his prowess as a gunfighter as for his gambling, although the latter was his trade and the former simply a reputation. Through his friendship with Wyatt and the other Earp brothers, especially Morgan and Virgil, Holliday made his way to the silver-mining boom town of Tombstone, Arizona Territory, in September 1880. The Earps had been there since December 1879. Some accounts state that the Earps sent for Holliday when they realized the problems they faced in their feud with the Cowboy faction. In Tombstone, Holliday quickly became embroiled in the local politics and violence that led up to the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in October 1881.

The gunfight happened in front of, and next to, Fly's boarding house and picture studio, where Holliday had a room, the day after a late night of hard drinking and poker by Ike Clanton. The Clantons and McLaurys collected in the space between the boarding house and the house west of it, before being confronted by the Earps. Holliday likely thought they were there specifically to assassinate him.

It is known Holliday carried a coach gun from the local stage office into the fight; he was given the weapon just before the fight by Virgil Earp, as Holliday was wearing a long coat which could conceal it. Virgil Earp in turn took Holliday's walking stick: by not going conspicuously armed, Virgil was seeking to avoid panic in the citizenry of Tombstone, and in the Clantons and McLaurys.

An inquest and arraignment hearing determined the gunfight was not a criminal act on the part of Holliday and the Earps. The situation in Tombstone soon grew worse when Virgil Earp was ambushed and permanently injured in December 1881. Then Morgan Earp was ambushed and killed in March 1882. After Morgan's murder, Virgil Earp and many remaining members of the Earp families fled town. Holliday and Wyatt Earp stayed in Tombstone to exact retribution on Ike Clanton and the corrupt members known as the Cowboys. In Tucson, while Wyatt, Warren Earp, and Holliday were escorting the wounded Virgil Earp and his wife Allie on the first stage of their trip to California, they prevented another ambush, and this may have been the start of the vendetta against Morgan's killers.

After the famous Earp Vendetta Ride and the subsequent death of Johnny Ringo, Holliday spent the rest of his life in Colorado. After a stay in Leadville, he suffered from the high altitude. He increasingly depended on alcohol and laudanum to ease the symptoms of tuberculosis, and his health and his ability to gamble began to deteriorate.

In 1887, prematurely gray and badly ailing, Holliday made his way to the Hotel Glenwood, near the hot springs of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. (The Hotel Glenwood was not a sanatorium, as is popularly believed. The sanatorium in Glenwood Springs was not built for many years after Holliday's death. He hoped to take advantage of the reputed curative power of the waters, but the sulfurous fumes from the spring may have done his lungs more harm than good. As he lay dying, Holliday is reported to have asked the nurse attending him at the Hotel Glenwood for a shot of whiskey. When she told him no, he looked at his bootless feet, amused. The nurses said that his last words were, “Damn, this is funny.” Holliday died at 10 am, November 8th, 1887. He was 36. It was reported that no one ever thought that Holliday would die in bed with his boots off.


Recent Holliday biographer Gary L. Roberts, however, considers it unlikely that Holliday, who had scarcely left his bed for two months, would have been able to speak coherently, if at all, on the day he died. Although the legend persists that Wyatt Earp was present when Holliday died, Earp did not learn of Holliday's death until two months afterward. Big Nose Kate later said she attended to him in his final days, but it is also doubtful that she was present.




Source: Wikipedia

This work is released under CC 3.0 BY-SA - Creative Commons


Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment and remind everybody that Wikipedia is in the middle of their fund-raising drive and if you can spare just a few dollars for them, I'm sure they would greatly appreciate it. Thank you kindly. - Carroll Bryant

Monday, November 26, 2012

Stranger's In The Midst

STRANGER'S IN THE MIDST - Written by Carroll Bryant


I have had these dreams
Sometimes I don't know what they're about
I want to scream
Sometimes I just can't get it out

I stand alone, my heart is my home
I need to be with you
I shed a tear, my soul is my fear
I need a love that's true
I need to be with you

Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's so bold with desire to hold each other
Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's ... with desire ... become lovers

An innocent girl who has kept the score
With many unfamiliar names
A suspicious look that inspires a book
With a hunger that extinguishes the flames

A make believe child, so tame and so wild
A flower unwilling to grow
In a garden of secrets she somehow delivers
The seeds of love that sow
The flower just won't grow

Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's so bold with desire to hold each other
Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's ... with desire ... become lovers

The razor sharp dagger cascades through her laughter
Her voice echo's in the breeze
Like a museum of fear and a portrait of pain
She scours atop of the trees
Her voice echo's

Touch once, touch twice ... comes the kiss
Touch once, touch twice ... two shadows in the midst
Stranger's so bold with desire to hold each other
Become lovers

Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's so bold with desire to hold each other
Shadows in the midst ... touch, touch ... comes the kiss
Stranger's ... with desires ... become lovers





Sunday, November 25, 2012

Larry Hagman Tribute

Larry Martin Hagman was born on September 21st, 1931 and passed away on November 23rd, 2012. He was an American film and television actor best known for playing ruthless businessman J. R. Ewing in the 1980s primetime television soap opera “Dallas”, and befuddled astronaut Major Anthony “Tony” Nelson in the 1960s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie. His supporting film roles include appearances in “Fail-Safe”, “JFK”, “Nixon” and “Primary Colors”. His television appearances also included a handful of short-lived other series, guest roles on dozens of shows spanning from the late 1950s up until his death, and a reprisal of his signature role on the 2012 revival of “Dallas”. He also occasionally worked as a producer and director on television.

Hagman was the son of the actress Mary Martin. A long-time drinker, he underwent a life-saving liver transplant in 1995, and although a member of a 12-step program, he publicly advocated marijuana as a better alternative to alcohol. He died on November 23, 2012, of complications from throat cancer.

Hagman was born in Weatherford, Texas, near Fort Worth. His mother, Mary Virginia Martin, later became a Broadway actress, and his father, Benjamin Jackson “Jack” Hagman, was an accountant and a district attorney. His father was of Swedish descent. Hagman's parents divorced in 1936, when he was five years old. He lived with his grandmother in Texas and California while his mother became a contract player with Paramount in 1938.

In 1940, his mother met and married Richard Halliday and gave birth to a daughter, Heller, the following year. Hagman attended the strict Black-Foxe Military Institute (now closed). When his mother moved to New York City to resume her Broadway career, Hagman again lived with his grandmother in California. A couple of years later, his grandmother died and Hagman joined his mother in New York.


In 1946, Hagman moved back to his hometown of Weatherford, where he worked on a ranch owned by a friend of his father. After attending Weatherford High School, he was drawn to drama classes and reputedly fell in love with the stage and in particular, with the warm reception he received for his comedic roles. He developed a reputation as a talented performer and in between school terms, would take minor roles in local stage productions. Hagman graduated from high school in 1949, when his mother suggested that he try acting as a profession.





Source: Wikipedia

This work is released under CC 3.0 BY-SA - Creative Commons

Flag of the Philippines

The National flag of the Philippines is a horizontal flag bicolor with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, and with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist; in the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, which represent the country's first group of provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain; and at each vertex of the triangle is a five-pointed golden yellow star, each of which represent the country's 3 main regions - Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This flag can indicate a state of war if it is displayed with the red side on top.

The flag's length is twice its width, which translates into an aspect ratio of 1:2. The length of all the sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag. Each star is oriented in such manner that one of its tips points towards the vertex at which it is located. Moreover the gap-angle between two neighbors of the 8 ray-bundles is as large as the angle of one ray-bundle (so 22.5°), and its major ray is twice as "thick" as its two minor rays. The golden sun is not exactly in the center of the triangle but shifted slightly to the right.




The Philippines does not utilize a separate war flag; instead, the national flag itself is used for this purpose. To indicate a state of war, the red stripe is flown upwards. In times of peace, however, the blue area is the superior field (as in the preceding illustrations). Historical examples of this wartime reversal in orientation are during the Revolution of 1869, World War II, and some flags carried by protesters who stormed Malacanan Palace during the 1986 People Power Revolution.

The first flag of the Katipunan was a red rectangular flag with a horizontal alignment of three white Ks (an acronym for the Katipunan's full name, Kataas-taasang Kagalang-taasang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan - Supreme and Venerable Society of the Sons of the Nation). The flag's red field symbolized blood, as members of the Katipunan signed their membership papers in their own blood. The various leaders of the Katipunan, such as Andres Bonifacio, Mariano Llanera and Pio del Pilar, also had individual war standards. The organization was represented in Cavite province by two factions: the Magdiwang faction and the Magdalo faction, with each adopting a flag. Both used a white sun. Instead of the letter K the flags bore the symbol for the syllable ka in the pre-Hispanic baybayin writing system.

The Katipunan adopted a new flag in 1897 during an assembly at Naic, Cavite. This new flag was red and depicted a white sun with a face. The sun had eight rays, representing the eight provinces that Spain had placed under martial law.

The modern design of the Philippine flag was conceptualized by President Emilio Aguinaldo during his exile in Hong Kong in 1897. The first flag was sewn by Marcela Marino de Agoncillo with the help of her daughter Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad (a niece of Propagandista Jose Rizal). It was displayed in battle on May 28, 1898.

The flag's original symbolism was enumerated in the text of the independence proclamation, which makes reference to an attached drawing, though no record of the drawing has surfaced. The original design of the flag adopted a mythical sun with a face, a symbol common to several former Spanish colonies. The particular shade of blue of the original flag has been a source of controversy. Based on anecdotal evidence and the few surviving flags from the era, historians argue that the colors of the original flag were the same blue and red as found on the flag of Cuba.

With the defeat of the Philippine Republic, the Philippines was placed under American colonial rule and the display of the Philippine flag was declared illegal by the Sedition Act of 1907. This law was repealed on October 30, 1919. With the legalization of the Philippine flag, the cloth available in most stores was the red and blue of the flag of the United States, so the flag from 1919 onwards adopted the navy blue color. The Philippine Legislature passed Act. No 2928 on March 26, 1920, which legally adopted the Philippine flag as the official flag of the Philippine Islands. Up until the eve of World War II, Flag Day was celebrated on annually on October 30, commemorating the date the ban on the flag was lifted.

The Commonwealth of the Philippines was inaugurated in 1935. On March 25, 1936, President Manuel L. Quezon issued Executive Order No. 23 which provided for the technical description and specifications of the flag. Among the provisions of the order was the definition of the triangle at the hoist as an equilateral triangle, the definition of the aspect ratio at 1:2, the precise angles of the stars, the geometric and aesthetic design of the sun, and the formal elimination of the mythical face on the sun. The exact shades of colors, however, were not precisely defined. These specifications have remained unchanged and in effect to the present. In 1941, Flag Day was officially moved to June 12, commemorating the date that Philippine independence was proclaimed in 1898.

The flag was once again banned with the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Philippines beginning December 1941, to be hoisted again with the establishment of the Japanese-sponsored Second Republic of the Philippines. In ceremonies held in October 1943, Emilio Aguinaldo hoisted the flag with the original Cuban blue and red colors restored. The flag was initially flown with the blue stripe up, until President Jose P. Laurel proclaimed the existence of a state of war with the Allied Powers in 1944. The Commonwealth government-in-exile in Washington D.C. continued to use the flag with the American colors, and had flown it with the red stripe up since the initial invasion of the Japanese. With the combined forces of the Filipino & American soldiers and the liberation of the Philippines in 1944 to 1945, the flag with the American colors was restored, and it was this flag that was hoisted upon the granting of Philippine independence from the United States on July 4, 1946.


Source: Wikipedia

This work is released under CC 3.0 BY-SA - Creative Commons

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Joke: Identity Theft
















MY THANKS TO LORI FOR SHARING THESE WITH ME.



Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Contest 2013 (Year Of The Cat)

Read my E-Book "Year Of The Cat" and win a $50.00 Walmart gift card!

Here's how.

On February 1st, 2013, I will post ten questions from my book "Year Of The Cat" right here on my blog. Then you will email the answers to me at forcedbat(@)hotmail(dot)com - title the subject as "Contest 2013". If you answer all ten questions correctly, I will email you an additional five (5) random questions about the book. If you answer those five questions correctly, you will a $50.00 dollar Walmart gift card, and a copy of my CD "Rock That Country" as a bonus.

There will only be one winner!

First come, first serve.

I will take each response in the order they arrive.

You have from now (Thanksgiving day) and until February 1st to read the book.

Good luck!

This contest is open to anyone and everyone! If you have a Walmart nearby, then go for it! If you don't, well, maybe you could win the contest and have me send it to someone of your choice who does live near a Walmart. Whatever, however you like. It's up to you.   

So, read the book "Year Of The Cat" by me, Carroll Bryant - then on February 1st, 2013, look for the post "Contest 2013 Ten Questions" - answer them and send those answers via email to me and wait for my response. You will either get a response with five additional questions, or a response explaining that somebody else already beat you to it. So don't wait!

In the event you do not get all of the questions answered correctly, I will reply with simply, "Not all questions were answered correctly." It will be up to you to figure out which question(s) were not answered correctly. Try answering them again and resubmit your answers.

Once the contest is over, I will post the answers of the initial ten questions posted on this blog and the random questions that I send to all participants via email. The random questions will be taken from a seperate list of ten additional questions that I have created.

I will announce the winner here on my blog.

The contest ends when there is a winner or on midnight, March 1st, 2013.

If you could use a fifty dollar gift card from walmart, then read my book "Year Of The Cat" and answer the questions. That's all there is to it! Man, that is so easy! LOL

In the event there is no winner, the prize will be rolled over and made part of the next contest prize. You need not be a follower of my blog to participate. Also, Ira is not allowed to participate in the contest because of her affiliation with me and the blog.

Best of luck to you all!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Legends: Lucille Ball

I love Lucy!

Tell me someone who doesn’t. In my book, perhaps the funniest woman I ever saw on TV or otherwise. She paved the way for women in comedy. Without her, there is no Mary Tyler Moore show, no “I Dream Of Jeanie” (Barbara Eden) or “Bewiitched”. (Elizabeth Montgomery). And certainly without those shows, I doubt there would have been a “Roseanne”. (Roseanne Barr)

Yes, it was Lucy who paved the way for women to be taken seriously in the field of comedy. She was a one woman show all to herself. She also proved that women can have it all, beauty, talent, intelligence, savvy and still be hilarious.


Lucille Désirée Ball was born a Leo (Like me) on August 6th, 1911 and passed away on April 26th, 1989. She was an American comedian of film, television, stage and a radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms “I Love Lucy”, “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour“, “The Lucy Show” and “Life With Lucy”. One of the most popular and influential stars in the United States during her lifetime, with one of Hollywood's longest careers, especially on television, Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1962, Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu, which produced many successful and popular television series.

Ball was nominated for an Emmy Award thirteen times, and won four times. In 1977 Ball was among the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award. She was the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. Demille Award in 1979, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986, and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1989.

In 1929, Ball landed work as a model and later began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name Diane Belmont. She appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures. Ball was labeled as the “Queen of the Bs” (referring to her many roles in B-films). In 1951, Ball was pivotal in the creation of the television series “I Love Lucy“. The show co-starred her then-husband, Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo, Vivian Vance as Ethel Mertz and William Frawley as Fred Mertz. The Mertzes were the Ricardos' landlords and friends. The show ended in 1957 after 180 episodes. Then some minor adjustments were made to the program's format: the time of the show was lengthened from 30 minutes to 60 minutes (the first show lasted 75 minutes), some new characters were added, the storyline was altered, and the show was renamed “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”, which ran for three seasons (1957–1960) and 13 episodes. Ball went on to star in two more successful television series: “The Lucy Show”, which ran on CBS from 1962 to 1968 (156 Episodes), and “Here’s Lucy” from 1968 to 1974 (144 episodes). Her last attempt at a television series was a 1986 show called “Life With Lucy” which failed after 8 episodes aired, although 13 were produced.

Ball met and eloped with Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940. On July 17, 1951, at almost 40 years old, Ball gave birth to their first child, Lucie Désirée Arnaz. A year and a half later, Ball gave birth to their second child, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV, known as Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball and Arnaz divorced on May 4, 1960. On April 26, 1989, Ball died of a dissecting aortic aneurysm at age 77. At the time of her death, she had been married to her second husband and business partner, standup comedian Gary Morton, for more than 27 years.

Ball was born to Henry Durrell Ball and Desiree “DeDe” Evelyn Hunt in Jamestown, New York. Although Lucy was born in Jamestown, New York, she sometimes claimed that she was born in Butte, Montana. Shortly before her father's death, her family moved to Anaconda, Montana at age 3 where her father passed away, and then to Wyandotte, Michigan. Her family was Baptist; her father was of Scottish descent, and his mother was Mary Ball. Her mother was of French, Irish, and English descent.

Her father, a telephone lineman for Bell Telephone Company was frequently transferred because of his occupation, and within three years of her birth, Lucille had moved many times, from Jamestown to Anaconda, and then to Trenton. While DeDe Ball was pregnant with her second child, Frederick, Henry Ball contracted typhoid fever and died in February 1915. Ball recalled little from the day her father died, only fleeting memories of a picture falling and a bird getting trapped in the house. From that day forward, she suffered from ornithophobia. (an abnormal and irrational fear of birds.)

After her father died, Ball and her brother Fred Henry Ball were raised by her mother and grandparents in Celoron, New York, a summer resort village on Lake Chautauqua just west of Jamestown. Her grandfather, Fred Hunt, was an eccentric who also enjoyed the theater. He frequently took the family to Vaudeville shows and encouraged young Lucy to take part in both her own and school plays. Four years after the death of her father, Ball’s mother DeDe remarried. While her step-father, Edward Peterson, and mother went to look for work in another city, Ball was left in the care of her step-father’s parents. Ball’s new guardians were a puritanical Swedish couple who were so opposed to frivolity that they banished all mirrors from the house except for one over the bathroom sink. When the young Ball was caught admiring herself in it she was severely chastised for being vain. This period of time affected Ball so deeply that in later life she claimed that it lasted seven or eight years, but in reality, it was probably less than one. One good thing did come out of DeDe's new marriage: Edward was a Shriner. When his organization needed female entertainers for the chorus line of their next show, he encouraged his twelve-year-old stepdaughter to audition. While Ball was onstage she began to realize that if one was seeking praise and recognition this was a brilliant way to receive it. Her appetite for recognition had thus been awakened at an early age. In 1927 her family suffered misfortune when their house and furnishings were taken away in a legal judgement after a neighborhood boy was accidentally shot and paralyzed by someone target-shooting in their yard, under Ball's grandfather's supervision. The family then moved into a small apartment in Jamestown.

In 1925 Ball, then only 14, started dating Johnny DeVita, a 23-year-old local hood. DeDe was unhappy with the relationship, but was unable to influence her daughter to end the relationship. She expected the romance to burn out in a few weeks but that didn't happen. After about a year, DeDe tried to separate them by using Lucille's desire to be in show business. Despite the family's meager finances, she arranged for Lucille to go to the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts in New York City where Bette Davis was a fellow student. Ball later said about that time in her life, “All I learned in drama school was how to be frightened.” Ball was determined to prove her teachers wrong, and returned to New York City in 1928. Among her other jobs she landed work as a fashion model for Hattie Carnegie. Her career was thriving when she became ill, either with rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis or some other unknown illness and was unable to work for two years. She moved back to New York City in 1932 to resume her pursuit of a career as an actress, and supported herself by again working for Carnegie and as the Chesterfield cigarette girl. As Diane Belmont she started getting some chorus work on Broadway but the work wasn't lasting. Ball was hired - but then quickly fired - by theatre impresario Earl Carroll from his Vanities, by Florenz Ziegfeld from a touring company of Rio Rita, and was let go from the Shubert Brothers production of “Stepping Stones”.

After an un-credited stint as one of the Goldwyn Girls in “Roman Scandals” (1933) she permanently moved to Hollywood to appear in films. She appeared in many small movie roles in the 1930s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, including a two-reel comedy short with the Three Stooges and a movie with the Marx Brothers. She can also be seen as one of the featured models in the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film “Roberta” (1935) and briefly as the flower girl in “Top Hat” (1935), as well as a brief supporting role at the beginning of “Follow The Fleet” (1936), another Astaire-Rogers film. Ginger Rogers was a distant maternal cousin of Ball's. She and Rogers played aspiring actresses in the hit film “Stage Door” (1937) co-starring Katherine Hepburn. She would appear in many other movies for the next few years, but she never achieved major stardom from her appearances in those films.

In 1940, Ball met Cuban born bandleader Desi Arnaz while filming the Rodgers and Hart stage hit “Too Many Girls”. When they met again on the second day, the two connected immediately and eloped the same year. Although Arnaz was drafted into the Army in 1942, he ended up being classified for limited service due to a knee injury. As a result, Arnaz stayed in Los Angeles, organizing and performing USO shows for wounded GIs being brought back from the Pacific. Ball originally filed for divorce from Desi in 1944, even going so far as obtaining an interlocutory decree, however she soon reconciled with Arnaz and stopped the proceedings. Even though the couple was only six years apart in age, many apparently believed that it was less socially acceptable for an older woman to marry a younger man, and hence split the difference in their ages, both claiming a 1914 birth date until this was disproved some years later.

When Ball registered to vote in 1936, she listed her party affiliation as Communist. (She was registered as a Communist in 1938 as well.) In order to sponsor the Communist Party’s 1936 candidate for the California State Assembly’s 57th District, Ball signed a certificate stating “I am registered as affiliated with the Communist Party.” The same year, she was appointed to the State Central Committee of the Communist Party of California, according to records of the California Secretary of State. In 1937, Hollywood writer Reba Vale, a self-identified former Communist, attended a Communist Party new members' class at Ball's home, according to Vale's testimony before the United States House of Representative’s Special Committee on un-American activities, on July 22, 1940. Two years later, Vale reaffirmed this testimony in a sworn deposition.

After the run of her many TV shows ended, Lucille appeared sparingly in several other films and TV comedy shows between 1960 and up to the mid eighties which includes “The Lucy Show” and “Here’s Lucy”.

On April 18, 1989, Ball was at her home in Beverly Hills when she complained of chest pains. An ambulance was called and she was rushed to the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was diagnosed with dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent heart surgery for nearly eight hours, receiving an aorta from a 27 year old male donor. The surgery was successful, and Ball began recovering very quickly, even walking around her room with little assistance. On April 26, shortly after dawn, Ball awoke with severe back pains. Her aorta had ruptured in a second location and Ball quickly lost consciousness. All attempts to revive her proved unsuccessful, and she died at approximately 05:47 PDT. She was 77 years old. Her ashes were initially interred in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, but in 2002 her children moved her remains to the family plot at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, New York, where Ball's parents, brother, and grandparents are buried.

Ball received many prestigious awards throughout her career including some received posthumously such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush on July 6, 1989, and The Women's International Center's Living Legacy Award. There is a Lucille Ball - Desi Arnaz Center museum in Lucy's hometown of Jamestown, New York. The Little Theater was renamed the Lucille Ball Little Theater in her honor. Ball was among Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the Century. On August 6, 2001, which would have been her ninetieth birthday, the United States Postal Service honored her with a commemorative postage stamp as part of its Legends of Hollywood series. Ball appeared on the cover of TV Guide more than any other person; she appeared on thirty-nine covers, including the very first cover in 1953, with her baby son Desi Arnaz, Jr. TV Guide voted Lucille Ball as the Greatest TV Star of All Time and later it commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of “I love Lucy” with eight collector covers celebrating memorable scenes from the show, and in another instance they named “I Love Lucy” the second best television program in American history, behind “Seinfeld”. Because of her liberated mindset and approval of the women's movement, Ball was inducted into the National Woman’s Hall of Fame.





She was awarded the “Legacy Of Laughter” award at the fifth Annual TV Lands Award in 2007, “I Love Lucy” was named the Greatest TV Series by Hall of Fame Magazine, and TV Guide voted her the greatest TV star of all time In November of that year, Lucille Ball was chosen as the second out of the 50 Greatest TV Icons, behind Johnny Carson. In a poll done by the public, however, they chose her as the greatest icon.

On August 6, 2011, which would have been her hundredth birthday, Google honored Ball with an interactive doodle on their homepage. This doodle displayed six classic moments from the “I Love Lucy” sitcom. On the same day a total of 915 Ball look-alikes converged on Jamestown, New York to celebrate the birthday and set a new world record for such a gathering.

On February 8, 1960, she was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6436 Hollywood Boulevard for contributions to motion pictures, and one at 6100 Hollywood Boulevard for television.



I still love Lucy!



Source: Wikipedia

This work is released under CC 3.0 BY-SA - Creative Commons

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Influences: Redbone

Quick! Name a band that has nothing but Native Americans in it AND has at least hit the top 40 charts with an awesome song. Don’t say “The Village People” either because they don’t count. They only had one Native American in their group and I don’t even know if he was a real Native American at that. You’ll have to Google that one to find out. Meanwhile, the answer is Redbone. They were a popular musical group in the 70’s and hit number 5 on the Billboard Top 100 with their song, “Come And Get Your Love”, and it was the song that inspired the book that would become my first published book, Children of the Flower Power.

Originally from Fresno, California, brothers Patrick Vegas (bass and vocals) and Lolly Vegas (guitar and vocals) moved to Los Angeles in 1969 to form the group Redbone.


The name Redbone itself is a joking reference to a Cajun term for a mixed-race person, also called “halfbreed”, the band's members being of mixed blood ancestry. The band referenced Cajun and New Orleans culture many times in their lyrics and performing style. Patrick and Lolly, who were a mixture of Native American and Mexican heritage, had previously performed and recorded under the stage surname Vegas, in part to downplay the Latin American association of their birth surname, Vasquez. According to Patrick Vasquez, it was Jimi Hendrix - himself part Native American - who talked the musicians into forming an all-Native American rock group, and they signed as the band “Redbone” to Epic Records in 1969. The band then consisted of Patrick Vasquez, Lolly Vasquez, Peter Depoe and Tom Bellamy. Their debut album, simply titled “Redbone”, was released in 1970.

Prior to forming Redbone the brothers had some initial success as songwriters. In 1967 P.J. Proby recorded his only Top 30 hit “Niki Hoeky” by Jim Ford, Lolly Vegas and Pat Vegas. The next year, Bobbie Gentry performed the Cajun-influenced song on The Summer Smothers Brothers Show.

Redbone played primarily rock music with R&B, Cajun, Jazz, tribal, and Latin roots. Their first commercial success came with the single “Maggie” from their second album “Potlatch”, in 1970, and two other hit singles followed - “The Witch Queen of New Orleans” (1971, #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “Come And Get Your Love” (1974, #5 on the Billboard Hot 100). The song was written by Lolly Vasquez and stayed in the Billboard chart for 24 weeks, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. on April 22nd, 1974.

Lolly Vasquez was one of the first guitarists to make extensive use of the distinctive Leslie rotating speaker effect in his electric guitar amplification set-up. Vasquez played improvised, jazz-influenced guitar. Drummer Peter DePoe is credited with pioneering the “King Kong” style of drumming, which features sharply accented polyrythms involving the bass and snare drums and is similar to funk styles of drumming. The band referred to Depoe’s “King Kong Beat” in their lyrics to the song “Prehistoric Rhythm” on their debut album.

In 1973, Redbone released the politically oriented “We Were All Wounded at Wounded Knee“, recalling the massacre of Lakota Sioux Indians by the Seventh Calvary in 1890. The song ends with the subtly altered sentence “We were all wounded ‘by’ Wounded Knee“. It charted in several European countries and reached the #1 position in The Netherlands but did not chart in the U.S. where it was initially withheld from release and then banned by several radio stations. Original drummer Peter DePoe had left in 1972, and was eventually replaced by Butch Rillera around this point. Following this the band achieved much of their commercial success. Tony Bellamy (guitar, piano and vocals) left the band in 1977, with Rillera leaving shortly after. He died, at age 63, in a Las Vegas hospital on December 25th, 2009, as the result of liver failure.

The band's current remaining membership is led by Pat Vasquez. Raven Hernandez (guitar, vocals and songwriter) joined Redbone in 1996 to replace Lolly Vasquez after he suffered a stroke that left him unable to tour with the band. Although Redbone has had some limited activity in recent years, their songwriting and touring output is slight compared with that of the early 1970s. A proposed reunion tour in 2003 did not occur. Evidence suggests the existence of an “imposter band” illegally touring the United States and posing as Redbone under the name (or alias) “Denny Freeman“. Freeman - who Pat Vasquez confirmed to be unaffiliated with Redbone in an interview with the Montana Standard - defrauded the county fair board of the Butte Silver-Bow County Fair in Butte, Montana, under pretenses of being a co-founding member of Redbone, yet he was never a band member.

Prior to forming Redbone, Pat and Lolly Vasquez released an album in the mid 1960s entitled “Pat and Lolly Vegas at the Haunted House“. Of the twelve songs on the album, six were originals by the Vasquez brothers. Pat and Lolly also released several singles from 1961 to the mid 1960s. One of them was titled “Robot Walk” / “Don't You Remember” The first self-titled album by Redbone was released as a double album in North America. In Europe it was released both as a double and as a single album on the Epic label. Their third album, “Message From A Drum”, was released in Europe (except Spain) with the title “The Witch Queen of New Orleans” and a different cover than the one released in the U.S. and Canada was released with.


One of the 1970s drummers, George Spannos, released his own hit album “Passion in the Dark” in 1983 under the name Danny Spanos, having a Top 40 hit single with “Hot Cherie“.


Redbone was inducted into the Native American Music Association Hall of Fame in 2008.

On March 4th, 2010, Lolly Vasquez died of lung cancer in Reseda, Califronia.





Source: Wikipedia

This work is released under CC 3.0 BY-SA - Creative Commons

Friday, November 16, 2012

Carroll's Journal (The Ying and The Yang)

If anyone starts to notice in the near or distant future that some of my posts are coming up missing, not to worry, it is by design. My design. I have some major players interested in my future, and some new changes may have to be implemented in order for that future to reach its full potential. I know, I am talking in riddles, but there is good reason for it. I’m sorry I can’t elaborate at this precise time, just know that things are happening, wheels are in motion and the Carroll Bryant train is starting to pick up some heavy steam. 2013 is looking pretty good right about now. The sky is the limit.

Anyhow, just thought I would mention it so nobody starts to panic. Know what I mean?

So anyhow, I have a new interview coming up on Love Hate Poetry As many may or may not know, I have retired from interviews with the lone exception of Love Hate Poetry. Well, I have retired from blog interviews. Radio, Newspaper and TV? I’m not sure yet. The jury is still out for those mediums. I’ll post anything significant as I go along. I am currently packing my bags with plans to move away from Gutterville. That’s this imaginary place that resides in my DNA and I have decided that these bullies on Goodreads (and Goodreads itself) are no longer viable nor influential. They are small potato’s. Neither have any control or power in my world. I have been giving them way too much attention. And for them being a bunch of nobodies, that is going to change.

I know they want to think that they have some kind of purpose for mankind, but trust me, they don’t. Outside of anything that is deemed bad, they have no purpose. I do want to clarify to everyone that whatever they post about me is purely speculation, hearsay and lies. These people do not know me. They never did and they never will. They are just bullies with nothing better to do other than show their hate for their miserable lives, and they want everyone else to hate their lives too. But I think all of you already know this. Why I gave them their fifteen minutes of fame is beyond me. I guess I just wanted something to do and messing with them appeared to be the answer at the time. Now I know they are nothing but pesky little flies and to try and swat them all would be impossible. The truth be told, they are a bunch of nobodies with nobody lives. They are haters and that’s all they will ever be - and that about sums them up. I am going to stop giving them any further attention because they are not powerful enough for me to worry about them. They have no degree of honor and pretty much, they are not a threat to me so I am going to stop giving them the false indication that they are a threat. I will let them go ahead and make their little adolescent book shelves and talk about how they hate me and my work and all that stupid crap. It only shows their ignorance. (Plus, it does help for book sales) LOL

I guess what I am saying is … it is time to click the “IGNORE” button on them.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still think they are quite humorous. I guess I have always had a fascination with evil people. In fact, my little nephew asked me recently, “Uncle Bubby, why are there bad people in the world?” And all I could do was sigh and reply, “I don’t know, little buddy. But in life, there is the Ying and the Yang. A balance. For example, I am a good guy. I try to be as nice as I can to people. But if everybody was like that, then the world would be quite the boring place I reckon. So, the universe has to balance out Nature by adding mean people to the mix. People who enjoy doing nothing more than hate others. To just be downright mean to people. To have no conscience or remorse or even regret for their hateful words and actions. Which is why we need all the good people we can get. To help balance the scales of Nature.”

He looked up at me with his bright blue eyes and smiled. “I’m glad you’re one of the good guys, Uncle Bubby. I want to be a good guy too.”

I smiled back down at him. “Well, to be a good guy, you can’t be mean to people. Not like those bullies on Goodreads and Kindle Boards. Not like those people who attack me for no good reason. You have to try and be nice about things. Try and find something nice to say about people or say nothing all. Try and help solve problems instead of causing them.”

“Why are those people so mean to you?” He asked me. I could only shrug my shoulders and tell him. “Well pal, like I said, some people just like being mean. They like lying about people and they love to spread rumors because deep down, they are miserable inside, and jealous. I guess they hate and bully on the internet because in real life, nobody really likes them. And they don’t have the courage to bully people in real life because they are cowards and so they do it on the internet anonymously, where it is safe. This makes them feel a little better for not having a happy life in the real world. Other people’s pain is their happiness.”

“But why?” He wondered, as only a six year old could do.

“Well,” I laughed off, “that brings us back to the Ying and the Yang. You see, the bullies and mean people are the Ying while people like you and me, we are the Yang. We balance Nature out. For the two of us being good people, there has to be two bad people for Nature to be balanced. This makes the world go round.”

I don’t think he could fully understand it. To be honest, I don’t either. I mean, I have often wondered why people enjoy going around causing pain and hurt to others. Then again, why are there people like me who go around trying to be good? It’s just who I am. It’s just who they are. They thrive on other peoples misery. Maybe so they won’t feel so all alone with their misery. That’s the best I can come up with. If anyone else has a better answer, I’m all ears.

I just had to assure him that while it is okay to defend against these awful and disgusting people, one also has to pick and choose their battles. Make sure that when you take up the fight, you do so for the right reasons. And fight those who are the most dangerous. Let the small fish swim away. They are unimportant. This is when it hit me, these online bullies and haters, the girl who stalks and harass me, the lies she spews from her mouth to her friends and gets them to go after me and those friends actually believing her lies, they are all small fish. Very small fish. They are at the bottom of the food chain. They are doing nothing but looking for attention. “Look at me, look at me!” And I realized, I fell into that trap of looking at them … and there was nothing really to look at in the first place.


“Look what I can do.”



Good for you. You can create despicable book shelves on Goodreads. You can write mean reviews, and rate books one star when you haven’t even read the book. Yes, you can belittle authors on a personal level in those reviews and get all your little friends to join in. You’re so talented. Yes you can bully, hate and stalk and harass and spread lies and rumors, not to mention, tweet to the world how you hate all these people you don’t even know. Good for you! I bet your parents are proud. I bet the God you worship is proud. You sure seem proud about it. You’re a big boy (or girl) now. Congratulations! You’re a bully.

So then … why is it important to seek my attention for all those horrible things?

The bottom line is, they can say and do all the nasty things they want. They have no real affect on me or my career, right? They can’t take anything away from me. They can’t hurt my sales. They can’t stop people from coming to my blog. They can’t stop me from writing my songs … they can’t do anything bad to me. They don’t have the power. And they don’t have the power because I haven’t given them that power. And I never will!

Somewhere along the line, I forgot about that. I also realized that I was beginning to turn into what I despise the most. I was turning into them!

Welcome to the world of the Ying, and the Yang.

 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Goodreads Bullies At It Again

I am so sorry to have to waste my time in addressing this issue, but apparently, it still needs to be addressed. Some key issues have been brought up concerning my book, "Year Of The Cat". Allow me to explain the harsh and uneducated comments being made about me and my book out of pure hate on my Goodreads profile. (Since I am prohibited from addrssing the issues there.) The Page 

Let's start with the most idiotic of the bunch Belle (bellesbookshelf) who so ignorantly says:

"The author has based a character on a teenage girl he is obsessed with. He has used her real name without her permission. If that wasn't bad enough, the quotes in the spoiler tag below show how absolutely disgusting the whole thing is. The only other notable thing is how poor the writing is; the author doesn't even seem to know the meaning of some of the words he uses. It would be funny if it wasn't so disturbing. This book makes me sick."

First of all "Belle" - I did not base a character on a teenage girl. The story idea was originally concieved in the year 2010. Long before I ever became a member of Goodreads. (Plus, my character in the book is of a much slimmer build than the person you are thinking of) The original idea was to have the story take place in Paris, France. However, by the time I decided to write it, my friend at THAT time, Jude, suggested to me to have it take place in Mexico since I was concerned about how well I could translate the French language. She offered to help me with the translation of Spanish and that I wouldn't have to rely on an online translation site. I also explained I already had the character names put together and wanted to get writing on it and didn't think I had the time to go back and search out new character names for it. She then suggested that I could use her names for the female character (Jude, Judi, and Elsa) Plus, I don't need her permission to name my characters Jude, Judi or Elsa. Names are public domain. That is like saying that if a writer uses the name Belle in a book that they are all talking about you. They're not. It's just a name. Not to mention, the book is FICTION you simpleton. 

In short, she pretty much convinced me to roll with the story taking place in Mexico. She also promised to translate it for me when I was finished. (Which she also backed out of when she mysteriously ended our public friendship. (But remaining friends outside of the public eye until I eventually grew weary of that.) After which she left a post on my blog telling me to "F" off when I blocked her from being able to email me. She also asked me to "leave her alone" - duh! Which was why I blocked her in the first place.

I considered rewriting it back to Paris, France but it just would have taken a lot of my time and I had so much going on at that moment that I just left it as is. 

As for the character, she is nothing like your chubby friend. The character in the book was already created long before I ever met your friend. So stop flattering her by comparing the hot chick in the story to the likes of her. And stop flattering yourself in thinking you know anything about me and my writing because you don't. And stop flattering yourself that you know about my personal life, because you don't. And as for the words I use in the book, I know what they mean. You might just be upset because you don't know how to pronounce them. 

And finally, for a book to make you sick, you would first have to read it. The truth is, you are a bully and have a lot of hate in your heart - and a lot of hate towards me based on the lies your friend told you about me. Instead of just letting it go and telling your friend that her relationships are her problems, you decide to jump in and bully me on her behalf along with the rest of your bully friends. Proving even more that you are an idiot. 

Now, let's take a look at what Ade (superducky)  has to say about it:

"Ick. I read a passage out of the book and it was... Disturbing. Really, it's weird enough that he based the book off of a teen girl, but then the wanna-be sex scene just puts it over the top. That and some of it is phrased kind of awkwardly. Either way, the author is super sketchy, and I definitely will not be reading this."

You read a passage? And from that, you deem the book "Disturbing?" - What disturbs me is that stupid monkeys like you and your bully friends try to pass yourselves off as people who can read. And again, like your fellow bully friends, the book was not based on a teenaged girl. But if your friend wants to kid herself into believing that it is based on her then let her continue to live in her fantasy world. (You may continue to live there with her) And really, Ade, let's be serious here, the only reason you won't be reading the book is because, like Belle, you can't understand the many "big people" words I use in it. None of you.

Now let's take a look at what Yal Book Brief has to say as I always enjoy reading the words of the intelligently challenged.

"This is disgusting. The author has harassed a reviewer for months and then decides to use her name and likeness in a book without her permission. Portraying her in a false light. Mr. Bryant have you ever heard of this: ..."

And then she leaves a link to this website: FAQ

Again, the character in my book is not based on anyone alive or dead. So this legal mumbo-jumbo has nothing to do with me or my book. If your friend thinks that the character is based on her then she has my blessings in any attempt to sue me. In fact, I would look forward to it. But she won't. And do you want to know why she won't? Because the character in the book is not based on her. That's why. So maybe you should stop trying to practice law from the couch with your hate and ignorance.

Also, I never harrassed anybody at any time. If anything, she harrasses and stalks me. She wanted to maintain a friendship behind everybody's back. I agreed to it until I finally grew weary of it and her head games. This is when I blocked her from my email. She got angry and then made friends with my co-blogger and best friend and asked my friend to not mention a word of their new found friendship to me. Then she "sweet talked" my friend into letting her onto one of our shared blogs so she could leave a link to her blogs - just to rub it it on me. (Please read about it here THE EMAILS )

Your friend has been stalking me, not the other way around. Your friend continues to stalk me as on another website, a person by the name of "Janet" made some comments behind me. We got into a discussion and this "Janet" person said something about one of my sisters that only your friend Jude would know. Thus, proving that it was your friend Jude trolling the web and she continues to follow everything I do. And so it would appear do the rest of her bully friends like yourself.

So no, I did not use "her" name. Names are public domain. (As I explained earlier) and no, it was not without her permission. It was in fact her suggestion to me to use those names. (As I also stated earlier) And no, I do not portray her in a false light. If anything, if said character was a portrayal of her (which it isn't) it would be a good portrayal because the character in the book is really hot, really sexy, and not chubby. So like the rest of your bully friends, perhaps you can pull your head from out of your .... never mind, I know you people are too stupid and hateful for that. And to answer your final question, yes, I have heard of that. Apparently, you haven't though. That and the fact you refuse to educate yourself properly on my personal life. (Funny how you people claim I go chasing after teenage girls yet, your "friend" seems to be the only one you claim I have chased.) Just a little side note here, when you only have a "singular" as evidence, you might want to cut out the "plural" aspects of your claims. Talk about defamation and liable. (Ever hear of that dipweed?) 

And of course, the rest of the bullies posted on my review page section and is filled with the usual crap as the bullies have to make their rounds. Sophia   and Zoey Nightshade, Chubby Kara and the rest. Check it out for a good laugh. 

Lastly, I want to state that this book is FICTION! You bullies and your bully friend Jude need to get over yourselves. She is the only one who is obesessed, stalking and doing all of the harrassing. Her and all of you who are her bully friends. Your adolescent posts on my review page is PROOF of that. And it further illustrates the need for the website STGRB. And it is further proof that Goodreads, Otis Chandler and Patrick Brown foster, condone, and endorse this kind of bully behavior.

Your honor ... I rest my case.  




"Janet" Update:

I have been getting some emails concerning this mysterious "Janet" person who showed up This Website.
I had already explained why I felt it was who I think it is. Someone suggested that perhaps Jude may have told people about it and this "Janet" could be somebody else. I agree. However, other comments she made also leads me to believe it is Jude. (You can click up on the green "This Website" above and read the post and all of the comments.

One comment in particular you should focus on is this comment I am posting below that "Janet" made. It clearly specifies what "Janet" is up to. She confesses to having contacted the group "Vasey" of which I am in the process of doing an interview with to "Rat" me out as to who and what I am. As anybody knows, the only place I ever spoken about the band was here on my blog so "Janet" mor eor less has admitted to "stalking" me on my blog then reading about my plans to interview Vasey and she took it upon herself to "contact" them in an attempt to twart my interview.

As anybody would know, this is a classic case of "Cyber Stalking" and "Cyber Bullying" - to the likes which is clearly illegal. All of my information and screen shots of the comment has benn turned over to The Proper Authorities. As were all of my "screen shots" proving the acts of "cyber crimes" against me and others. I am not the only one who is providing evidence to the authorities. There are many of us who are gathering up information and evidence and handing it over.

Maybe "Janet" is Jude, maybe she isn't, one thing is for sure though, I wouldn't want to be in her shoes right about now. Once she reads this, her comments implicating her might be deleted by the website's creator. It doesn't matter. I already know for a fact that the authorities have everything they need to continue looking into that and other posts on other sites. If it indeed it does turn out to be Jude, then she can kiss her American Citizenship goodbye if that was something in her future plans. In fact, I would be surprised if she would even be allowed to cross the border to visit.

I will allow the wheels of justice to turn at their own pace. As I implied in my last journal post The Ying and The Yang, I am done with this mess. As I also stated, there are others gathering evidence and my input is no longer needed. Below is a cropped version of what "Janet" said and can be found and read in its entirety by clicking the green link up above "This Website". (Provided of course, it hasn't alreayd been deleted - which it more than likely will once "Janet" finds out about this update.)


And if this does turn out in the end to be Jude, then it would be proof positve of everything I have been saying that it is SHE who is stalking and harrassing me. But we'll wait and see what the arms of justice decides in due time.


Ade Update:

Well, Ade writes on Goodreads: "Edit: I'm putting this edit at the top because I feel that it's pretty important. On his blog, the author said this in response to my review: "What disturbs me is a stupid monkey like you trying to pass yourself off as someone who can read." Does that sound racist to you? Because it sounds very racist to me. He also called another reviewer fat, isn't that just lovely?"

My response: First of all, Ade, I wasn't responding to your "review" because you didn't leave a "review". To give a review of a book, you first would have to read the book. You didn't. Secondly, a review about a book is suppose to be about a book, not the author. (SMH) and (RME) and (LOL) And finally, of course you think I am racist. All racists think everybody else is racist and not themselves. (Just saying)

If intelligence was sunlight, you would be an eclipse.

Face it Ade, you're a bully. Not because I think so or say so, but because your actions show it and prove it.

As for calling your friend fat or chubby, I only said that to defend your baseless accusations that I took the likeness of your friend and put her in my book. I was distinguishing the difference between the character in the book and your friend. Case in point, this picture of your friend clearly shows that yes indeed she is chubby and her likeness is in no way taken to resemble the character in my book.
 

 Not to fear, I will be taking this picture down in a matter of days. I just wanted to prove my point that I in no way stole Jude's likeness.