29 11, 2021

Memories Fuel Writers’ Stories

By judythemorgan|2021-11-28T07:56:58-06:00November 29th, 2021|Beyond and Behind the Story, Holidays|0 Comments

I’m always asked where I get my story ideas. The simple answer is my life. As writers, we call on our memories to plot stories and fuel characters’ emotions. Sometimes obviously. Sometimes subtly.

There’s personal memory embedded somewhere in a plot or a character or a scene in every book I’ve written. None more than When Love Endures, book three of the Fitzpatrick Family series. It’s based on one of my favorite holiday memories.

Growing up, holidays involved gathering around the piano and singing. It never mattered how you sounded or how old you were. You sang.

Or you played the piano.

Another thing we did was attend holiday programs either as an audience or participants. School programs, church programs, choir performances, band, and orchestra performances. Listening to the holiday songs always fueled our holiday spirit.

One memory—playing a Christmas duet with my daughter at her piano recital—provided the springboard for When Love Endures, my new holiday novella.

In the story, heroine Sarah’s high school sweetheart moves back to their small town and enrolls his daughter in her school music class. Old feelings return, but Sarah must win the daughter over. There are obstacles, but, like all Hallmark Christmas love stories, there is a happy ending that may or may not involve playing a Christmas duet.

When Love Endures

Sarah Fitzpatrick, pianist extraordinaire, gave up on true love when her high school boyfriend, Nick Stephens, ran off to marry his pregnant ex-girlfriend. When his daughter shows up in her music class eleven years later, Sarah must find a way to keep the little girl and her widowed father out of her heart. She can’t risk losing everything again.

Nicks Stephens has other plans. Sarah is and always has been the love of his life and he’s back in Burton, TX to prove it. But there are secrets Nick must keep, from Sarah and his daughter, that could destroy everything he hopes to build.

Use these links to get your copy.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/When-Love-Endures-Fitzpatrick-Family-ebook/dp/B08W9MP12F/

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-love-endures-judythe-morgan/1138790688

I hope a fond holiday memory comes to your mind when you read When Love Endures.

22 11, 2021

Reasons I’m Thankful to Be a Writer

By judythemorgan|2021-11-21T06:20:12-06:00November 22nd, 2021|A Writer's Life, Holidays|0 Comments

Thanksgiving in the United States is just around the corner. Cornbread for dressing is baking in the oven. The big bird’s thawing in the frig.

It’s time to focus on thankfulness.

As a writer, I’m thankful for so many things.

A supportive spouse who is my walking research resource and also happens to be the best critique partner, plotting budding, and editor ever.
Writing friends who support, cheer, and listen to my rants.
Non-writing friends who ask how’s my writing is going and accept that deadlines can interfere with get-togethers.
Family members who let me talk about my characters as if they are real and always answer my wild questions.
The imaginary friends and their voices in my head. Without them, I couldn’t do what I do.

Then there are the uniquely writerly things

I get to work in pajamas.
I always have a blank page to start fresh.
Life is filled with funny stories, daily struggles, and multitudes of blessings, so there’s always be something to write about.
My first-try draft doesn’t have to be perfect. Think about it. Professionals like doctors and dentists can’t say that.
Edits and revisions do, in fact, eventually end.
My Google searches haven’t gotten me arrested…yet. (I’m probably on watchlists, but so far no one’s come after me.)
I can escape into other worlds – ones I create, and the ones other authors have created for us to read.
Reviews! Even one or two-star reviews mean a reader’s read the book.

So many blessings in my writer world. What’s in your world that makes you feel thankful this Thanksgiving?

8 11, 2021

Beware! Shopping Time is Phishing Time

By judythemorgan|2021-12-25T09:43:29-06:00November 8th, 2021|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Holidays bring increased buying.

Shopping, especially online like so many of us are doing these days, means phishing time for hackers.

Email scams called phishing are an easy form of cyberattack that supplies everything a hacker needs to steal information to ransack personal and work accounts.

The earliest hackers were known as ‘phreaks’ or ‘phreakers’ from those names came phishing, a modified version of fishing…to steal your private information.

It’s been around since the mid-1990s. Since then, the concept has been tweaked so that everyone from the most brilliant techie to the lowly church mouse is susceptible.

Early attempts to scam came with tell-tale signs like strange spelling, weird formatting, low-res images, and messages that often didn’t make sense. Some remain easy to spot today like a long-lost relative who wants to leave you his fortune.

Most of today‘s scammers are more talented when it comes to creating fake logos making scams extremely difficult to spot. A skilled hacker can disguise emails to look like it’s coming from your friends, family, colleagues, and even your boss.

Emails arrive with subject lines about prizes to entice and catch the eye. Remember, if that email ‘prize’ seems too good to be true, it usually is and it’s likely a hacker phishing for your personal data.

Fake emails from your bank or health care provider are trickier to spot. These come with ‘URGENT’ message subjects designed to panic victims into making an error. Some look convincingly legit…until you check the sender source. Always check the sender’s email address. See how below:

If the email address is not visible, you can hover your mouse over it and see who it’s really from. But, if the email is suspect, you shouldn’t click. Instead, go to your web browser, log into your account, and address the financial or health issue there or call directly.

Sadly, phishing isn’t limited to email. There’s vishing (suspicious phone calls) and smishing (messaging services). Even apps trick a target into what the scammer wants. Phishing is also a popular method for installing trojan malware or ransomware.

As Adrian Monk says in his Monk series, “It’s a jungle out there.” Protect yourself this holiday buying season. Don’t be some hacker’s phish. Watch for scams.

For more advice on how to protect yourself from phishing. This blog post from Microsoft has more great tips. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/protect-yourself-from-phishing-0c7ea947-ba98-3bd9-7184-430e1f860a44

6 09, 2021

Labor Day

By judythemorgan|2021-09-03T10:58:13-05:00September 6th, 2021|Holidays|1 Comment

Since its origin in 1882, Labor Day has paid tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. In 1894, it became an official federal holiday.

This vintage postcard commemorates that holiday addition.

The day is a well-deserved tribute to all laborers whether their office is a building, a field, a warehouse, a store, a hospital, a patrol car or fire station, or their home. Commitment to their job is what makes our country such a great place to live.

Today I’d like to say a big Thank You.

I’m a writer retired from the traditional workforce. Because you do your job, I can concentrate on mine every day. To writers who work day jobs then write in the evenings, you’re my heroes too.

If you’re among the many workers who have Labor Day off work, kick back and enjoy your free day. Holidays tend to slide by in my world. One day is like the next.Write, write, write.

Because Labor Day also signals the end of summer, I think I may take a break and join the crowd at the grill.

7 07, 2021

Using Freedom

By judythemorgan|2021-06-18T14:52:19-05:00July 7th, 2021|Holidays, Wednesday Quote, Weekly Quote|0 Comments

5 07, 2021

Happy 245th Birthday, America!

By judythemorgan|2021-07-01T15:07:09-05:00July 5th, 2021|Holidays|0 Comments

31 05, 2021

What will you be doing this Memorial Day?

By judythemorgan|2021-05-27T10:41:47-05:00May 31st, 2021|A Writer's Life, Holidays, Writer's Life|0 Comments

Today we’re celebrating Memorial Day.

I find saying “Happy Memorial Day” hard because I believe Memorial Day is a solemn holiday.

I’m not saying going to the beach or having a cookout is wrong. Not at all.

I enjoy a cookout with family and friends and celebrating what signals the start of summer same as anyone else.

I’m just sayin’, Memorial Day has become a long weekend focused on shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events more than its original purpose.

A time set aside to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives while serving this country.

Sometime during our fun, let’s pause to wave an American flag and salute our fallen heroes. That’s what our family will be doing.

10 05, 2021

National Leprechaun Day is Coming!

By judythemorgan|2021-05-04T09:03:07-05:00May 10th, 2021|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

May 13^th is celebrated as National Leprechaun Day. No one knows the origins of the holiday. I’m guessing one of the tiny creatures came up with the idea for a day in his honor.

Being a bit Irish meself, I think it’s delightful to have a Leprechaun celebration separate from St. Patrick’s Day.

Leprechauns are portrayed as sly and sneaky elves who dress in waistcoats and hats in Irish folklore. While they are small in stature, they are quick as a whip and masters of practical jokes.

They are also keen musicians who play tin whistles, the fiddle, and even the Irish Harp and love to dance. It’s said, they love dancing so much, they wear out their shoes and constantly have to make new ones.

You might see a leprechaun if you go to Ireland. Tis been known to happen.

For sure you’ll see one if you go to the Leprechaun Museum in Dublin. I know it’s a fun and interesting place to visit.

But catching one of the mischievous pranksters is another matter entirely!

The wee people hide because, if someone finds a leprechaun, then the leprechaun has to either give his pot of gold to the finder or grant him or her three wishes.

These devious little creatures should never be trusted. They will do anything to escape once caught.

If you do happen to catch one, be aware the leprechaun will use all his magical powers to grant you three wishes in return for his freedom. He might even offer you a pot of gold, but he’s also likely to trick you. Best to follow these tips on How to Catch a Leprechaun.

Most people celebrate this day for fun and luck by:

organizing Leprechaun hunts,
throwing Leprechaun parties,
playing practical jokes, and
eating and sharing gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins

Happy Leprechaun Day!

15 02, 2021

President’s Day – The Beginnings

By judythemorgan|2021-02-04T14:09:41-06:00February 15th, 2021|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

There are still a few of us around who remember celebrating both George Washington’s birthday on February 22 and Abraham Lincoln’s on February 16 instead of a single President’s Day.

Back then, the original emphasis for a President’s Day was our first president George Washington’s birth. In 1800, a year after his death, it became a perennial day of remembrance named Presidents’ Day.

At the time, Washington was the most important figure in American history. In fact, the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were national celebrations.

It wasn’t until 1879, when President Rutherford B. Hayes signed the law that initially only applied to the District of Columbia, that Washington’s birthday became a designated federal holiday. In 1885, the holiday expanded to the whole country.

Gradually the George Washington emphasis shifted to others who had ever served as president.

Then, in 1971, with the enactment of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, President’s Day became another three-day weekend for the nation’s workers.

Several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, but for the most part Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as the day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.

Four chief executives were actually born in February—George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

Presidents’ Day never falls on any of their birth dates. Rather it is always celebrated on the third Monday of February.

Probably more than you wanted to know about President’s Day. But isn’t history interesting?

18 01, 2021

To Think About on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

By judythemorgan|2022-01-16T15:34:37-06:00January 18th, 2021|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today is a day set aside to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments. It is also a federal holiday dedicated to a day of service.

Dr. King’s attitude on service was clear.

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

King’s words offer introspect and inspiration to find a project that forwards his vision and participate. While today’s coronavirus restrictions and lockdowns disrupt plans for many in-person celebrations and volunteering efforts, there are plenty of safe virtual activities available.

This NYT article has suggestions from several different areas of the country. A Google search using your locale will bring up local opportunities.

If you’re into parades, Houston offers their annual parade virtually on January 18, from 10 a.m. to noon on HTV and via Facebook on the Original MLK Day Parade page.

Dr. King’s nonviolent activism during the civil rights movement changed things. He passionately believed

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

MLK, Jr. Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the past, think about the present, plan for the future, and remember what is truly important–We are all in the same boat now.

Let’s make this boat we’re in a better place.