Angela Rasch

Amy Schneider

Amy won again today on Jeopardy. She is the first transgender contestant to have this much success -- closing in on $1 million in total winnings.

It is her serenity as much as her amazing knowledge base that makes her so much fun to watch.

Today - at a crucial point of the contest, an answer she gave was judged wrong. She is rarely wrong. I turned to my spouse and said, "They've got to correct that! Her answer was just as correct as the answer they said was correct." About five minutes later, they corrected their error and gave her credit for the answer.

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Resolutions

According to one article the most popular New Year's Resolutions are:

  1. Exercise more
  2. Lose weight
  3. Get organized
  4. Learn a new skill or hobby
  5. Live life to the fullest

That same article states that people making resolutions are successful 46% percent of the time.

My success ratio for the hundreds of resolutions I've made is zero.

However, I'm curious if any of you have made a resolution regarding your writing or reading practices on BC.

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Amy Continues to Amaze

Grace under pressure is a beautiful thing to witness.

Jeopardy contestants often fold when adversity strikes. Not Amy Schneider. She now has won more money than all but three other contestants in the history of Jeopardy. She has done it with a smile and good humor.

Her knowledge is impressive but it is her presence that carries the day.

She isn't shy about being trans. Yet, it's clear it's not her focal point.

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Fourteen Inches of Snow

Spent the last hour and a half shoveling fourteen inches of snow. Thankfully it was light and fluffy, in mild temperature with no wind.

Rethinking the wisdom of buying a house with a double lot.

Gave away my two snowblowers when I moved to the city from the burbs. Had a big one for the driveway and a small one for the sidewalk and to blow the blow from my deck down into my pool.

Now all I have are four shovels, a spouse, and a springer spaniel (with dubious snow moving skills).

Jill

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Comments

Based on my experience, with over a dozen books published on Amazon and over one hundred stories published on BC:

You are three times more likely to receive a comment on Amazon than you are on BC. Perhaps that's because people leave a kudos on BC instead of a comment.

My books on Amazon have received over 500 comments. My stories on BC have received nearly 2,000 comments.

There doesn't seem to be a difference -- between the number of good and bad comments, whether here or on Amazon. The ratio seems to be about 9:1.

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Any Takers?

A few days ago, Doppler Press published How You Play the Game. It is the twenty-first book I’ve written that has been sold on Amazon.

I donate 100% of the proceeds to BC to support this site. Erin has said it has been quite a bit of money.

Last week, Erin messaged me about three of my books: Miss Recudes, Leight Wilde, and The Ninth Fold.

She asked if I had published them through someone else.

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Good Writers and Bad Business models

Every now and then I stumble across an author who makes me feel like the world’s biggest hack.

My spouse reads about three books a week. That’s how I “found” Sue Monk Kidd.

Kidd writes historical fiction. The first book I read of hers was “The Book of Longings.” It is the fictional autobiography of Jesus’ wife published in 2020.

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Prescription Drugs and Depression

We often have blogs about depression or suicidal thoughts.

Several years ago, I was having suicidal thoughts. I’m a person who believes everyone is responsible for their attitudes. I couldn’t believe I was actually giving suicide consideration.

I’ve been through some very bleak days in my life. Yet – suicide hadn’t entered into my thoughts as a way to fix my situations. It didn’t seem right that I was suddenly going there.

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Dear BarbieLee

Jesus said, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me.” He also said, “Whoever is not against Us, is for Us.” This was echoed in the sixties as “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” I bought into this creed then -- and apply it now.

Over the last several months, I have cut ties with several long-term friends.

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What An Honor

I'm in the process of updating/editing Peaches. It's been on Amazon for many years and will probably find a new audience with an updated version.

In the process I noted that hard copies are being offered at $930.

Never did I dream that my little book would command such a price.

We'll see if P. T. Barnum was right.

Jill

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Herd "Mentality"

Scientists have suggested that herd immunity might not be a feasible goal for the United States. They state the main factor stopping herd immunity is vaccine reluctance.

I have "death reluctance."

What doesn't the government hold a $100,000,000 lottery for all those who have been fully vaccinated as of July 1?

Given a shot at $100M might prompt the damn fools to roll up their sleeves.

Why should those of us who have done the right thing suffer under the distinct peril of this virus mutating, when we have the chance to eradicate it.

Jill

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Three Dystopian Tales

Not long ago it was suggested that people should quit blogging about political matters. The suggestion went on to opine that if a person wanted to make a political point that should be done through fiction. . .which is the mission of this site.

I’ve always enjoyed a good dystopian story such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Handmaid’s Tale, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Hunger Games, Welcome to the Monkey House, or Atlas Shrugged.

Those are great stories about society run amok.

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Are We All George Floyd?

“There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do.”
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

I live in the Twin Cities. My attention to the George Floyd trial might exceed that of the average BC visitor. My anger at what occurred has gone up with each new bit of prosecutorial evidence.

It seems George Floyd died because the police officer who killed him had marginalized him.

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And At the Same Time. . .

. . .this happened.

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/31/983118029/pentagon-releases-n...

I've always voted a split ticket -- voting for the candidate who I believe represents my values -- rather than voting for an R or a D. My business partners have included staunch Rs and Ds. One was an R governor, one was a D attorney general.

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How to Turn Just Fifty Words into Green Eggs and Ham

There’s been a lot of discussion in a different thread about the decision to pull several Dr. Seuss books from publication.

Much of the chatter seems to regard a book as “art” or “history of a certain time.”

I certainly agree. Books like “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Huck Finn” are examples of books that are offensive by today’s standards -- that should never be lost to readers.

What that other discussion seemingly misses – and a point that should never be missed on this site – is that books are chattel.

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Doppler Press

A few years ago, I asked Erin if she would be interested in publishing Peaches through Doppler Press. I agreed to donate all proceeds to the maintenance of BC.

I wasn’t sure what to think and frankly sort of washed my hands of it and didn't think much about how many books were being sold. Last summer, Erin told me about the amount of money the sales of my books have generated. I was amazed and gratified.

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Kid's Sports

Youth sports have a purpose. They can be wonderful environments to teach valuable life lessons. Or, they can be culture cauldrons to develop bias and hate.

I love youth sports. I also love the effort to win. Excelling is a basic human nature and vital to the perpetuation of mankind.

Winning and compassionate youth sports are NOT incompatible.

I once ran a youth basketball program with about a thousand participants. The players were boys and girls ages ten through fourteen. Our program fed into three high school programs.

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Up All Night Worrying

My anxiety started at about 10:00 last night.

My thirty-year-old baby, the daughter who came to us later than most and after three boys -- called us complaining of intense pain.

She didn't want to go to the hospital until, and if, it was absolutely necessary due to covid worries. Yet - the pains seemed to be intensifying.

We were over two hundred miles away and could only give suggestions and sympathy.

At 4:30 we received a FaceTime call. The image of my wonderful daughter and her new son caused my heart to swell.

I finally went to sleep.

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It Was A Very Good Year

The talking heads can't wait to put 2020 in their rearview mirrors.

Hold on!

In many ways it was the Titanic of years. But to me it represented wish fulfillment.

I'm a frustrated transwoman who for many reasons has never found the door to my closet. 2020 - the year of isolation and the delivery man - allowed me the opportunity to live fully feminine 24/7.

Without the fear of unannounced visitors, I happily expressed my true self day after day. Once it became socially acceptable to cover the camera for Zoom meetings I rarely had a need for male clothing.

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Heartache by the Numbers

Troubles by the score.

Why do I have such a fixation on the Kudos and Total Views numbers?

That is a very good question when you consider that I’ve been saying for eons that there is absolutely no correlation between the quality of writing and these two numbers, for any given story.

The over-riding answer is this – I’ve seen too many new or impressionable writers turned off when their stories don’t receive high scores.

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Mark Twain and the Power of Words

Supposedly, upon meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Lincoln said about Uncle Tom's Cabin -- "So you're the woman who wrote that little book that started this great war."

A few months ago I read Uncle Tom's Cabin as part of my research to write a book about a transperson during the Civil War. I was shocked by the emotions elicited. It was frightening to think how the reader would have reacted in the 1800s.

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In the Womb Where It Happened

In a few days I will post the final chapter for my mini-serial "The Womb of the Unknown Cheerleader."

A few days after that, I will unpublish the story. It is scheduled to form part of a Doppler Press book called "How You Play the Game." Rasufelle is putting the finishing touches on another enticing cover.

It will join over a dozen other books I've donated to BC. I take no part of the revenues generated.

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Reader Enjoyment

All I know is what I've read in books.

Supposedly, readers get a great deal of enjoyment out of guessing what happens next. How will Emily react when Jacob tells her that she is trans? If the author has made that answer plausible in the story the reader will feel good about continuing. If the answer has been guessed correctly the reader pats herself on the back and reads on -- looking for more self-affirmation.

There has been much discussion about whether are not writing a synopsis is preferable to writing a complete story.

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Milestone

My total word count posted on BC has just gone over one million.

I suppose that was almost inevitable given my immediate infatuation with a word processor three decades ago.

Thank you Erin for giving me a place to publicly display my stories.

As a dear friend of mine, Percy Ross, said many times, "Thanks a million!"

Jill

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Our Son Nick and Old Lace

The parody is the last refuge of the frustrated writer. Parodies are what you write when you are associate editor of the Harvard Lampoon. The greater the work of literature, the easier the parody. The step up from writing parodies is writing on the wall above urinals.” - Ernest Hemmingway.

Turnabout is fair play.” — Angela Rasch

The following parody has many references to Cary Grant and his movies. . .above and beyond the obvious. Should you get bored with this story, or if the story runs against your grain. . .use it as a puzzle. . .try to pick out all those references.

This story also contains several un-attributed quotes. We apologize for trying to be someone or something we’re not. We suspect the nature of the story supports this decision.

The Writer's Contract

An unwritten contract does exist between the reader and the author.

A comment yesterday on one of my stories brought this home to me one more time.

A few years ago, I tried to write a story that would create a pile of revenue for Erin through Doppler Press. That effort failed. I have no interest in reading age regression/baby stories and shouldn’t have tried to write one. I donate my books to Erin and she receives 100% of the revenue. Unlike the other twelve of my books published by Doppler -- this one doesn’t sell much and received poor reviews.

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To Alleviate Suffering

This has been a Hatbox story. It will be posted as a free story for a short time.

Jim and Heather had formed an eight-step pact during high school. They would attend Vanderbilt together and take those classes that would best prepare them for the MCAT. Once they had their undergraduate degrees they would get married, and apply for admission to Yale. After accepted, they would study to become surgeons, work diligently, and graduate with honors. They would then return to Nashville and work for the largest hospital in Tennessee (the highly regarded HealthWing.) Heather would become Director of Medicine, and Jim would become Chief Surgeon. All goes according to plan except for one small change. A few months into their years at Yale, Jim decided that a career as an RN would be a much better fit.

Years later, Heather uses her administrative position at HealthWing to make mandatory changes in the nurses’ dress code.

Be a Storyteller

I was a little under the weather yesterday, so I spent the day reading A Time for Mercy the latest Grisham novel.

John Grisham has sold over 300 million books.

He talked a small press into publishing 5,000 copies of his first book A Time to Kill. In his words, he couldn’t give it away.

Then Random House published his second novel The Firm. It became a bestseller and he eventually also sold millions of copies of A Time to Kill.

What does this mean to BC writers?

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I'm Through Giving

I'm through giving to politicians.

Personally, I will pay $200K to $400K more taxes if Biden gets his way than if Trump is re-elected.

I'm on Medicare and don't have a dog in the healthcare discussion.

My family dies in our early 80s so climate change is theoretically to me since I'm 72.

I'm a privileged white.

Other than Trump's asinine approach to trans versus Biden's huge helping hand when he was a VP, most of why I care is for someone I don't even know.

Yet, I got involved and donated a bunch of money.

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My Daddy Was the Family Bassman (Minnesota Miracle)

It's a miracle -- a true, blue spectacle -- a miracle come true.

This was written after a very surprising Viking’s victory which caused overwhelming euphoria back in the day when over sixty thousand people could attend a game and not worry about much more than too much beer and rancid nachos.

Is It Right to Write Like That?

Nearly thirty years ago, I accomplished something good that had me on the front page of statewide newspapers, repeatedly. Many, many good things happened for hundreds of thousands of people as a direct result of my efforts.

Then some bad people asked me to do some unlawful things, which I refused to do.

At the same time, other people wanted to make money they weren’t entitled to.

Thirty months into the project, I found myself accused by a state-wide elected official of malfeasance.

I was the subject of several frontpage exposes.

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Miss O. Jenny

Over a decade ago, I grew weary of the misogynistic tone of a large percentage of TG stories posted online. In response, I posted this story. There are great Marines -- and then there were these two.

Anachronism

It's 4:00 A.M.

I just noticed that I have had no interaction with anyone listed under the column on the left called Who's Online.

In stark contrast, many of those listed on the right hand side under In Memoriam were people I had had a great deal of interaction with in comments or messages. I had edited stories for a number of them.

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All in the Family

Errol is a high school senior, who while finishing his secondary education, is experiencing his first great love. His girlfriend decides to take the sexual reins. Little does Errol know that his personal dominos are starting to fall.

When the door closes on you, it's because life knows you deserve better. And, if we really knew our worth, we would close the door ourselves.” S. C. Lourie

Cannibals (And I'm NOT Talking Politics)

Nora Ephron said “Writers are cannibals. They really are. They are predators, and if you are friends with them, and if you say anything funny at dinner, or if anything good happens to you, you are in big trouble.”

In a sense, we do devour everything we see and regurgitate it, as needed.

I’m more curious about a different kind of cannibalizing. In marketing, be use that term when introducing a new product or service.

Will the new product help us gain market share. . .or will it simply cut into our current sales?

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Hot Water Helps You Clean

Hot Water Helps You Clean
by Angela Rasch

I had just finished conditioning the oak woodwork in our twenty-year old home’s basement with Murphy Oil Soap when the doorbell rang. I scanned myself in the wall mirror and wished for the millionth time that my uniform fit me better. There’s only so much you can do to make a maid’s dress look natural on a forty-year old male body that weighs in excess of two hundred pounds, unless you make drastic changes. . .operations and hormones. I sighed . . . Once again considering things that could never happen.

Friends Four Life / Gill, A Girlfriend Part Six

Chapter Six of Seven - Completed

The attempt to teach Tony a lesson went wrong, wrong, wrong. Jill finds herself at his mercy; and it appears Tony has none. Warning: note explicit sex, although the sex is not gratuitous, it is graphic.

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