Global Outlaws: Crime, Money, and Power in the Contemporary World by Carolyn Nordstrom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is not an easy read, although it reads well. It's not "easy" because no matter how intelligent you think you may be about contemporary world affairs, you will be humbled. What you think is going on in the world, meaning: everything in newspapers and on television for twenty-four hours a day, literally—What you think is important?—well, you will learn that it is not. What you are watching on television is a mask. A subterfuge to keep us all occupied and busy, while the real theft happens right under our collective noses. And that theft is what keeps the global economy running. And it always has, for millennia.

Anthropologist Carolyn Nordstrom has travelled the world in a search of the end of a trail that begins when she sees a small Angolan boy in an Angolan street selling individual cigarettes. Mesmerized by his struggling enterprise, she explores how he got his job. And therein lies her understanding of the world none of us knows about. Africa is not as impoverished as we think.

Over two decades ago, I had travelled to Nigeria on several occasions, myself, as an attorney—not as an anthropologist. I learned myself that they do not have welfare (or they didn't years ago when I was there). Everyone works in Africa, if you begrudge me this generalization, please. I say this because there is a system, above-ground, and under-ground that employs everyone. Is everyone gainfully employed? Most likely not. But they have the dignity of earning a living. And that dignity of earning a living supports the food that you eat on your plate, the price of food in Wal-Mart or wherever you shop - yes, even Whole Foods. And it's the enterprise that even Congress knows very little about.

Even Presidents can do little even to intimate how the world truly works. It has always worked this way. But it is Ms. Nordstrom's explanation of "how" it works that is worth the read. I won't spoil it for you, because I want you to savor the "ah-hah" moment that I had in realizing how truly ignorant I was, even about the things that I "thought" I understood, both as a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, and as a lawyer who has practiced some form of international law for most of my career.

As for my review of the book, I learned that this type of writing that Ms. Nordstrom does is called, "creative academic nonfiction." We need more of it. The reason I kept reading the book (although it took me 10 months) because there was so much in it that I wanted to digest. Due to the fluidity of her writing style it read more like a novel than a nonfiction book. But the research was definitely scholarly.

My caveat is that the book repeats the same information over and over again to a degree that the mantra becomes a bit stale. But I think lawyers do the same, so I can't really complain. Perhaps she really wants us to understand, so she beats you over the head, almost as if to convince. The thing is that you don't need to be "convinced" because so much of the book is from first-hand information that she experiences. Ms. Nordstrom travels the trade routes, talks to the lorry-drivers, the merchant marines, the warehousemen, the people who make the goods on our table arrive to the stores on time. And at each stage she explains how they are involved in the unseen matrix.

There is no illuminati. There's business. And for those of us who bemoan the ascendancy of Donald Trump to the Presidency? Well, read the book. He's replaced the faceless bureaucrat with the knowledge of who truly runs the world—the people with whom he does business—and instead of being unseen engines of the world's economy, they have a new megaphone called "political power" now.

I think the book is pretty dated now as it was copyrighted in 2007. Almost a decade has passed, so I don't know if Ms. Nordstrom's paradigm still works the same way. I had heard someone on C-Span state that one area of unaccountability [that the book exposed as riddled with issues] has been "cleaned up". I'm not so sure. So, I might need to read a more contemporary read.

So, you think you know how the world works? Well, this may confirm your knowledge, as some of it did, in my case. But in other areas, I was actually taught something. If I can't learn something new when I read, it's a waste for me. So, I'm very glad to say that I read the book.

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Why Ingram Spark is Very Much Worth the Hassle.

I spent over one year deciding whether to use Create Space or Ingram Spark for print on demand.  I finally opted for Ingram Spark. 

I am so glad that I did. 

Mind you, there are better, more in-depth reviews about which publisher-on-demand is the better to use, but I'm only giving you my perspective about Ingram Spark as a "newbie" who will likely only publish 5 or 6 books in what remains of my lifetime. 

For those who wonder why I'm not trying to be published by a traditional publisher, here's why.

What do I like about Ingram Spark?

Ingram Spark expects you to rise to the occasion and act like a professional publisher. It keeps the bar extremely high. But the hassle of living up to their standards, though frustrating, is worth the superb payoff. I hired a great book designer, and Ingram Spark did a brilliant job publishing her work.  You will definitely need someone who can navigate through their upload questions, however, as there are many technical questions that only a professional book designer or graphic artist will understand.

If you want to be a successful publisher, then you should put as much time in the production end of your novel as you did in the writing of it.  If you want an easy upload of your book, you might go with another company. Ingram Spark asks lots of questions. And the company expects you to follow directions.  To the letter. Ingram's software is very sensitive, and my novel cover is very layered, with designs and colors, so the template had lots of red lines all over it. Not to worry. It's just sensitive to every nuance of the cover details.

The end result of my book cover upload was astounding, and went without a hiccup. It printed beautifully. My local bookstore owner immediately accepted my request to place my books in his store, because he was so impressed with the quality of the book design. Honestly, it looks as good as any book on any bookshelf anywhere in the world.

What makes Ingram so great? I'm not sure. The book feels weighty, like a book should. The cover is solid, not flimsy, and the cardboard stock feels weighty. The paper (I used off-white) is not thin and cheap-looking. The quality of the paper feels great.

Another reason to use Ingram is that you can order your own books like a wholesaler and make a bigger profit, or at least, not give away as much profit. This is a good thing. I have given many books away, entering competitions, giving books to people who have supported my writing, and I didn't have to pay the full price of the book to do so. I try to keep track of each book given away, sold, or entered in competitions so that I know how my money is being used.

I can buy my own books wholesale and make more selling on my own. I have ordered 100 books as a publisher and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. It cost me about $6.00+ per book and $85.00 for shipping (I received the books within 5 days, if not less).  Of course, should I ever find the right distributor, then I will be able to order hundreds and still make a decent profit.

What do I not like about Ingram Spark (but will still put up with because the quality of my print book is so good?)

Think of Ingram Spark like a large dinosaur or a ship that can only move in one direction.

That's Ingram. There is no room for error, which makes it very stressful dealing with them. When I was conflicted about my book price and wanted to change the price over the holidays, I couldn't do so immediately. It would take one month to take effect!  I'm not sure how that makes sense, considering that the price isn't listed anywhere on my novel. So changing the price requires major planning on your part.

Considering the standards they use to produce your book, I think they should be as transparent on the back-end with record-keeping. I think they could be more detailed about where your money goes and how you earned it. 

Spark has some 'splainin' to do.

For my ebooks on Amazon, they tell you exactly how many sales I made and on which dates.  I made four sales over a 5-day period. Nice.

Amazon ebook sales can be tracked by the day!

Not so with Ingram:  You're on your own. You'd have to guess when the books were sold, therefore, it's difficult to see how the advertising campaign, if any, is working. You have to fill out a form with so much detail that you never get a coherent picture of what is working.  I filled out the form looking at sales and this is all I got.

Flatlined Print sales - not! But no details on Ingram Spark!

The actual total show 31 sales. But I have no idea of the date that I sold each book.  So, I have to take their word for it. Further confusing matters is that I can get a snapshot of how many books I've sold in the last 30 days, information that's not really useful. Because if I look tomorrow it will still include the 29 days prior.  I would have to look every day to see any changes in POD sales. Of what use to me is that?

Ingram is working on its Customer Service.

Ingram has had a rough start in recognizing that resting on one's laurels does not build a devoted following.  Many of us new publishers are unpolished and ignorant, and our fears were seldom allayed by the company in its infancy.  To its credit, Ingram has ramped up its customer support. I have called at least three times over several months, and each time the person on the other end seemed more kind and gentle.  I can't blame their frustrations in dealing with people like me who ask stupid questions, but that could be avoided by making things idiot-proof, which is needed for most things in this country. 

One of my biggest peeves is that they use their website on the back end in such a non-friendly way that I have made mistakes that have cost me, big time. Honestly, do not push a button unless you really know its purpose 100% because you might do like I did and keep ordering proofs (they cost $20 a pop!). They don't have any cancel order buttons, so you're stuck.  I don't think that's the most ethical thing to do, and question their morality in not allowing people to reverse their mistakes, but, that goes with the territory. In effect, you can't be a dilettante if you're going to work with them.

I believe the crux of the problem is that Ingram Spark is very much geared toward bona fide publishers who have more than one book to sell. Perhaps their format is for tried and tested companies that have a lot of inventory. I have one novel. And I will not have another one for another year or two, or three.

I won't be publishing a book a year, because I have my own standards, too. But I should not be made to suffer from mistakes that their website makes easy to commit. They claim to have changed their website, but that's just the window-dressing landing page. Everything else is very much the same.  

There you have it. I am not the definitive answer on the ins and outs of Ingram Spark. But I can't deny that I am extremely proud of my work as a writer. Moreover, I'm proud of the work that Ingram Spark has done to make this writer's dreams come true. 

You must be patient with them.  Amazon is a well-greased machine that understands that the customer is king. At Ingram, you might feel like a vassal, but once you see what they can do for you, you'll like your status. You're a vassal in really nice clothing.

I have no connection to Ingram Spark other than as a customer.  I tweeted that I might eventually blog about them, but warned them that I would be honest and objective. I hope I have accomplished this endeavor.

😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

Update. A very late update (as in, I should have written this months ago!). 

Soon after publishing this post, I received a Facebook post from a staff member at Ingram Spark who was grateful for the content of the article, stating, in his opinion, that it was the best and most fair review that he had ever read of the print-on-demand company (cool, huh!?). Not only was he impressed by my review, but he arranged a conference call with the Director of Ingram Spark, Robin Cutler. We spoke for at least a half-hour as she explained that the company was in the process already of addressing some of the issues raised in my post. It will probably take a long time, because, as I said, they are a monolithic dinosaur. But I do believe it will be worth the hassle dealing with them as they make the changes. My sequel will take a good two or three years to write, so I'm sure they'll be sitting perfectly pretty by then! Enjoy!

One of my Best Year s(EVER)ed. The ebook is here.

Taking a refrain from President Barack Obama's tune to almost any new policy he implements, I echo his lyrics:

"No one said it was going to be easy..."

Cheers, Mr. President. You said it.

But I did it. I wrote my novel.


I put pen to paper (more like fingers to keyboard), traveled, interviewed, researched, wrote, and researched some more—then traveled some more; worked with an editor, a proofreader, another proofreader, and a couple more readers with a critical eye. It's still being corrected as words here and there crop up that hurt "translation," as it were.  The paperback book won't even be ready for another month, most likely.


After 15 years of sorting out the mystery, taking months and sometimes a year to think about things— it has all worked out.  I did it. I put my ideas down, and now they are in print.

At least three people have approached me to help them write their books, now (as if it's truly that easy for me to write now that my first novel is published).

Everyone says that marketing is where the work begins.

Not for me. I accomplished my feat.

Sure, I want people to read my novel, but I'll deal with the marketing stuff next year (which is coming up soon enough). For now, I'm just learning how to live separate from something that has been inside me for so long. And I want to revel in the feeling.

My Editor, Phyllis Ring, told me that I would go through postpartum depression. And, it has been an emotional roller coaster for me as I re-assign myself a new identity from "aspiring writer," to "author."

But, I'm over that already, too.  I'm luxuriating in the new feeling.

I have so much to do, but, honestly, after 15 years of working on this, for whatever comes next—I have all the time in the world. 

I'm proud of my work.  It's absolutely the best that I could do under my circumstances. And right now, that's all that matters to me.

Oh yeah. And I was admitted to the New Hampshire bar this year. So, it's been a great year. 

Black Physical and Mental Health: Toward A Self-Help Paradigm

For my faithful readers who have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth, this post is proof that I am still alive. That being said, it's been a rough year for me physically and mentally.  I had no idea how all-consuming it would be to finish the novel, and it has taken a toll on me: sleepless nights, fever blisters, non-stop colds--I'm basically drained. My predicament made me think about the travails of the health of Black folk, in general, which inspired me to write this blog post. 

Many articles have come out recently about the mental health of Americans, in general, which leads me to broach the topic of the mental health of Black Americans. The lives we live are not easy ones, despite all of our singing and dancing portrayed in the media. I know that dancing is therapeutic, and being in touch with one's body is a good thing. But we can't necessarily only dance  our way to better health. So, what do we do when we're at our wits end, fighting the fight: unemployment, food deserts, #blacklivesmatter protests -- just trying to stay alive?

Many of us may have better access to health care but still don't get the Cadillac services that other groups get. We are overlooked, under-diagnosed, over-drugged, and ignored. Many doctors don't know how to handle Black people, in general, as normal patients, which has inspired a term called, "cultural competency." It's another way of saying, "how to treat non-whites like humans."

If one looks at the history of government policies towards Black health, it's understandable that Blacks might have issues with trusting our health care system.  We were experimented on when we thought we were being treated, and our level of health attention is much poorer than in the mainstream, because our lives were never and are not now valued. The Nestle debacle in Africa and other developing countries is indicative of how the little babies of color's lives mattered: http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/issues/1987/04/formula.html

[Companies such as Nestle] used to hire 'milk nurses' to visit patients in the maternity wards of hospitals to promote bottle feeding. The business of these "so-called nurses is to sell milk, not look after the health of the children," said Dr. Cicely D. Williams, a British doctor who worked in hospitals throughout the Third World. "In Africa, I wouldn't let them in. They came to me about it, but I said no, not as long as I'm here." Williams said she found the same thing in Singapore where Nestle used women dressed as nurses to convince new mothers to use infant formula.

Blacks have always been pitched to by stronger nicotine-content cigarette manufacturing brands, like Kools and Newport, and higher alcohol-content beers, creating consumers who would become addicted to products that harm them.  But that's the American way:  the consumer can stop, we're told. Of course, that's easier said than done, as Americans as a whole have a wider away of health problems than our parents and grandparents had back in the day.


There's a movement afoot led by scientists such as Jennifer Hutchison, who are encouraging Black Americans to "heal thyself." She's not just wishing or hoping, however.  She attended Agnes Scott College, an all-women’s liberal arts school in Georgia, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology.  Subsequently, she earned two Masters degrees (Biology and Physiology). Her physiology Master's dissertation concerned the cellular and molecular pathways involved in metastatic colon cancer.

Jennifer Hutchison of Senebti Botanicals

Jennifer has always had a passion to help others and a keen interest in medicine. After taking a graduate course called Mechanisms of Disease and learning about how the body has a natural ability heal itself, she used what she learned to investigate her own health problems. Eventually, Jennifer decided to incorporate her passion for medicine and health with her love for plants (a product of her mother’s green thumb).

Jennifer also began studying the therapeutic ways of ancient Africans and other indigenous peoples that used the earth for healing and renewal as a natural supplement to health.  She became certified as a Clinical Master Herbalist, and started her company Senebti Botanicals. The word Senebti comes from the ancient African language of Medu Neter “Ankh Udja Seneb,” which means life, prosperity and health.

"We must realize that Mother Earth and our universe is a biological system in which we are innately connected. No laboratory drug can safely balance the internal energy of your bodies in the same way plant medicines can."

At the same time, Jennifer believes that society is not a healthy one for Black Americans. How does that translate to the care we get from our medical system in the U.S.?

"[Black Americans] are susceptible to more disease because we are not in our natural environment socially or geographically. In addition, the way we are treated by professionals has a tendency to weaken our system on a spiritual level, too. In other words, when African-Americans go to the doctor, which is usually late, chances are they are in a worsened condition. That means, not only [do] they have a lesser chance of recovery, but the negative energy about their condition is 'in the air', transferred to them by the doctors and nurses who treat them. So what happens is, instead of being encouraged that they can get better, they get a vibe that things are worse, and they take that on and actually do get worse. And we have worse outcomes."

This is why Jennifer believes that Black Americans should have "our own medical system in place to help Black people."

When asked how that "treatment" would take place, given America's health care system, which is still the envy of most nations, she explained further how African-based traditions and beliefs need to filter into how Blacks are treated, and that we need more Black health professionals with whom we can work.

"Allopathic medicine is treating a symptom, whereas African traditional medicine (and all other healing practices) are formed from a culture. America has no real culture of millennial or centuries' practices that they can culturally rely upon as medicine. Africans and many other cultures focus on energy and balance in the life as a whole."

When I asked Jennifer about the dilemma of Black Americans who are divorced from our African homeland, she defended that Black Americans do have traditional African beliefs even though we are very westernized.

"Our people are confused and brainwashed. That energy I speak of has been modified to only respond to low vibration stimulation whether that be foods, music, or other people." The American system, which is rooted in the historical subjugation of Black people, must be replaced by an emphasis on the earth, which provides healing and renewal. "The earth has everything you need to survive – and we should use its healing power!" There is a whole world of medicinal herbs that can heal almost any medical issue, from Arthritis to zits, she explained.

"There's so much negativity that bombards us," Jennifer believes. "Meditation, spirituality, and prayer are essential to our well-being."

She posits that Blacks need to reunite with our ancestors, and look outside of the traditional norms to heal ourselves. As a student of those traditions, Jennifer holds online classes to educate others about health and well-being. She serves the public, but is especially committed to helping Black Americans.

You can hear more about her thinking by visiting her website: https://senebtibotanicals.com/; she also has a school http://www.senebtischool.com; nubiahoodradio.com also features her on Saturday talks; you can also hear her in a more informative blogtalkradio post: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/katinalove/2015/10/04/the-story-of-an-herbalist

A Book Review of "Igboland."

Igboland by Jeff Gardiner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I had been eyeing this book for some time, mainly because I have always been interested in understanding what happened in Biafra in the 1960s. In the 1990s, I had traveled to Nigeria on several occasions, usually for an average of one week or so, but was always on official U.S. government business, so I didn't have much in the way of knowledge or history of the country. I was just doing my job as a functionary, as it were, and wasn't permitted to travel outside of Lagos or Abuja, the capital.

Mr. Gardiner has done a good job of weaving the history of the war with the lives of a British missionary (Clem) and his young wife (Lydia), the latter who is still coming to terms with her beliefs about God and religion. As she's only nineteen years old, she has a lot to learn, and gets swept up in the lives of the Igbos of her community. She learns a lot about the Igbo "religious" traditions, which are not religious at all, but a way of thinking that pervade their being as a people that makes her feel a bit self-conscious about her husband's efforts to spread the Christian gospel.

The story touches on the war, mainly in regard to the logistics of what was happening around where the missionaries lived. Travel was spotty because of road blocks and fighting, and there was animosity against them by some Africans. But overall, we see a people tolerant of the British presence in their land. Considering the mayhem caused by British support of the Nigerian government forces and their resources, I would have liked to understand more about Clem's politics and whether he had any guilt in being from a country which was causing so much bloodshed through its military support which was devastating the people he wanted to help.

Mostly, the author weaves a good story of characters together, with the biggest backdrop being the Igbo people themselves. This might be the first book that I've read that gives me a glimpse into African spirituality, something I know exists, especially ancestor worship, as I have those same beliefs as an African-American, but don't know from whence those beliefs of mine originate. Much because I am Westernized and indoctrinated by those beliefs, it gives me a jumping off point through which I can explore further.

The novel is part travel-journal, part drama, as we see the world through a housewife, who is left to her own devices because her husband travels so much of the time.  We see the insecurity of a young woman who knows she's not as interesting as Charlotte, a missionary who is very much at home in Nigeria, and with whom her husband spends (too much) time. I would have liked to learn a bit more about what brought Clem and Lydia together in the first place besides her naivete. The fact that he was sexually awkward with her, and oh-so British didn't do him justice, at least in my opinion. Clem was a very committed and brave man, who risked a lot to do his work, putting himself in danger especially amongst a people who were questioning the White man's presence in their country. I'm not sure why his passions for Jesus didn't somehow transfer to his display of love for his wife.

This book is good on so many levels. At points it got monotonous as the fact of cars and their cock-ups and the terrain got a bit tedious. I couldn't help but see the male author trying to marry his inclinations as a writer, with trying to sound feminine enough as the protagonist. He did his research, however, and his descriptions of Lydia's physical transformation, as it were, seemed quite authentic.

I'm giving the book four stars as a great effort. He's done his hard work. He's told a good story, while teaching us about life in Igboland; the characters were believable, especially Grace, who was a scene-stealer, of sorts.




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Getting Closer. Help Me Get There! Book Cover 1, 2 or 3?

I'm excited to share my sample book covers (still in draft form), designed by Gail Anderson www.gailycurl.com

Please weigh in. Let me know which you like? Feedback, please! I can take it! 

Here is #1

Here is #2

Here is #3

Five Lessons My Editor Taught Me About Writing (and Why My Life Is Not Wasted Waiting So Long to Learn Them).

I set out to write my soon-to-be published novel over 13 years ago when I moved to New England after my mother's second husband passed away.  With no income to speak of, and no friends, I aimed to write a novel after my foray into screen and television writing in California (where I grew up)  foundered.  Don't get me wrong. I've had a great career in movies, television, and even an off Broadway play--just none of it is attributed to me, although my fingerprints are everywhere, even on television series that you are watching today.

But the Play button must be pushed. Life goes on. 

I met my editor, Phyllis, before I knew that I would be using her as an editor. She had written a large cover-article in the Portsmouth Herald about the writing duo my mother and I had become after I realized that we could fill a big void in the area by helping people with their resumes. New England is expensive and the majority of jobs are low-wage.  Most can't afford to pay $400 for a resume, so we provide an alternative.  Phyllis did such a wonderful job that she restored my faith in journalism. Everything was written well.  The only problem? The Portsmouth Herald didn't put the information of where people could contact us! It wasn't Phyllis's fault and she felt terrible about it.  But I was still grateful for her work then, for reasons I'm sharing now. 

The Black community here has known for some time that I have been writing this novel; and when I was invited to speak about my process, Phyllis was there, listening intently. I was grateful she took the time to attend. I was not a keynote speaker, mind you, as there were more illustrious, accomplished writers who had more to say than I.  After I had read an excerpt, Phyllis approached me, lauding the visuals of the scene that I had written.  That was great news for me; I was buoyed by her comments, she being a legitimate writer, in my eyes.

Years earlier, I had finished my novel, when it was much longer and not as "finished," but had an offer from a publisher to publish it--without his having even finished reading it.  I could be on my 8th novel by now, of course. Maybe it was my low self-esteem, but I didn't trust that the novel was ready, and declined.  That publisher has since moved on to greener pastures. Still, I was right in my decision. 


I needed someone who could help me make the novel better.

I wanted to publish something about which I can be proud, and just speaking the Queen's English wasn't enough. I know that I sound fairly educated when I write, but that wasn't my goal. I wanted to tell a story: an intricate story with layers, about real personalities that we all know exist--not stereotypes, especially when it came to my Black protagonist, Dr. Lula Logan. When another esteemed critic gave me feedback about my novel's shortcomings in 2007, I went back to the drawing board and "re-thunk" everything.  I returned to Phyllis when I thought I was ready, and asked her, last year, to edit my novel.  And this is what she taught me:


1. Recording what you see is not writing.

I am visual.  When my characters speak to me, I see them. I see their gestures, like a camera closes in on a subject in a film. I had verbatim descriptions of what my characters were doing. If someone picked up a glass, I explained how they did it, when they sipped, and how they set it down again.  If they refilled the glass, I talked about how they did it.  Mind you, there was likely a conversation going on during the pantomime of action, but the description of the visuals tended to get in the way of the story.

2.  Just because the sentence is written doesn't mean it's the final sentence.

Because I write what I see, I didn't realize that, notwithstanding putting ink on paper, I still wasn't writing. My sentences were complete, but still very "incomplete," because I was being too graphic. Sometimes the reader needs a more holistic view of what the writer is trying to say.  For me, I never detached myself from what I had written to actually study the sentence--to make it better.  The only time I did that kind of introspection was while writing descriptions.

3.  Narration by itself is useless if it doesn't advance the story.

The most humbling part of my editing experience was realizing that one paragraph that I had spent hours crafting would end up on the cutting-room floor because it didn't advance the story.  My story is about rural America, whose pace is necessarily slower than that of the big city.  I live in a rural state, so I know of what I speak. There is much beauty to living in a rural area, one being that one can take more time to appreciate the bucolic atmosphere that it affords--but it can be incongruent when you're trying to build suspense. So, gone are the paragraphs describing the countryside that I spent time in Louisiana studying to lend authenticity to my novel. That part hurt the most, I believe. But when I took out those paragraphs that she crossed out in pencil, I had to admit that the story moved more quickly. When writing suspense, the author wants to create anticipation,  not wanting the reader to skip whole pages in order to cut to the chase.

4.  Using too many adjectives mitigates what you're trying to achieve.

"Hot and muggy". "Ecstatic and jubilated". These aren't phrases I actually used, but you get the point. One must have confidence in one's language. By using more than one adjective to describe an object, what I was actually showing was indecision. Own your words. Just choose them wisely. Again, I was seeing, not thinking. Now, I will ponder which word to use, using more introspection than just throwing a word out there that describes what I see.

5.  Too many points of view spoil the story. 

I'm cinematic.  I tend to show and tell.  But as an author, I tended to not only show and tell, but I would give you some insights into the characters' thoughts  That's not a problem if you have a few characters.  But, as Phyllis commented, my novel rivals "Gone with the Wind" in its plethora of personalities. This might be the problem of having listened to the one critic who told me that I needed more back story for my characters, and, being the literal person that I am, by golly, I did that.  Showing the points of view of every person can get crowded.  We can't read the minds of every person we encounter, so I learned that I have to be more careful about entering the minds of every peripheral character in the story.

It will take me another month or two to finish this novel, because I still have some thinking to do. Phyllis cautioned me that some characters have too much screen time, as it were, and I have to figure out what to do about that without sacrificing the plot. I'm trying to weave characters together who have nearly incestuous relationships, in a rural town where lives constantly intersect.  In small towns, that's what happens, and I can attest to it, over and over again.

Just recently, I attended my squash "daughter," Ellie Hayes,' graduation (UNH) dinner and was leaving early to return to my editing. While saying my goodbyes, I realized that I had met the woman at the other end of the table, as we had played squash together in Portland, Maine.  Her husband was the man sitting next to me at the dinner table. Again, coincidentally, he was becoming a Unitarian Universalist the next day (I am Unitarian), at a church whose pastor had visited our Fellowship in New Hampshire a year or two ago, and who had given the most thoughtful and beautiful speech I had ever heard, which had reduced me to quiet tears.  It's a small world.  It's that world that I wanted to write about, albeit removed in place--for me--to  Louisiana, instead of New Hampshire (In the first draft of my novel, New Hampshire did figure prominently, but I followed the advice of someone who told me to keep the mystery in one locale).

Phyllis' novel, Snow Fence Road, about small town life in coastal Maine, convinced me that she had the chops to tackle my subject.  Apparently, my novel is quite a bit more complex than hers, however, and she admitted that it was a challenge to edit it. Based upon what I've learned from her edits, not only was she up to the task, but she taught me how never again make another editor go through the pains she so willingly undertook on my behalf.

This novel will have a sequel, but thanks to Phyllis, it won't take years to write it.