The LAST Word

 Libraries, college alumni associations and book clubs offer summer reading programs. Here are some options for your summer reading program. The newest book, Coastal Voices and Visions , came out this year with an essay I wrote in it. The anthology includes stories of living in Florida or Carolina coastal waters. Common Sense by James E Razzino is a thought-provoking book to cut through the noise about issues affecting the United States. The government is chipping away at our rights. As authors and business owners, we should protect our freedoms and rights to say whatever we want. The book also will help you decide who to elect for Congress, president, governor, state legislatures and councils. Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/jameserazzino to get your copy. Are you having back pain? You should read this book before you agree to have surgery on your back. Michael Ahearn went through four back surgeries, and now his back doesn't align correctly. He has had issues stem...

 Summer time is great for eating watermelon, writing by the beach, and enduring thunderstorms. Many times after the storms, a rainbow appears in the sky. It is beautiful to see in the gray sky. It adds colors and should give you a sense of inspiration and peace. Unfortunately, the beauty of the rainbow has been altered by how people use it. Instead of using rainbows as symbols for something ugly, try using rainbows for inspiration for your writing. 1. Beautiful Colors -- If you have ever seen rainbows after a storm in the sky, the colors are vivid against a dark stormy sky . These can make you think of colorful descriptions for your settings. Everyone knows the seven colors of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and indigo). However, the colors of the sky can range from a bluish gray to a deep charcoal when a rainbow appears. Those bright colors against the deep charcoal can be impactful.  2. Resilience -- They also can represent resilience of your...

I am a firm believer that all business owners must take time away from their work and go on vacation. Many workaholics do not take time off from work, which usually leads to stress and heart problems. Getting away from stress and worries for a time allows you to recharge your batteries and refocus on work. Here are ways vacations can help business owners and writers. See New Things Going on vacation means you can see new things and eat different foods. In South Dakota, I ate bison burgers. They were not as fatty as regular burgers and had exceptional flavor. In Wyoming, I had yak burger from a local farm. In Montana, I ate bison lasagna. I enjoy trying new foods. My parents always wanted us to try something different. My mom loves to cook different foods when she entertains and likes to try new recipes regularly. On my trip, I saw several parks, mountains, tribal museums and history. I climbed areas that I thought I couldn't. I saw cultures, cities and vasts amounts of hills and pl...

Every summer when I was young until my parents sold the house, we would go to Cape May, N.J. The house was built by my great-grandmother. It had two three-bedroom apartments, a one-bedroom apartment over the garage and a studio under the garage apartment and next to the actual garage. My grandmother lived upstairs until she died. Then, my parents would rent the upstairs apartment and studio for summer rentals. The garage apartment was rented all year. On Memorial Day, we would go down for the long weekend to open the house for the summer and get it ready to rent. It was a lot of work, and it usually rained that weekend. We didn't get much time at the beach that weekend, but we did get some beach time. Just being there was more relaxing that being at home. The ocean was cold too. My mother's birthday is May 29, which meant it usually fell near Memorial Day weekend, so we usually celebrated it. Her favorite cake was a strawberry shortcake, which we usually made for her. (Actually...