J.S. Nichols

Sorry I’ve been away so long. Life is roller coaster of adventure. Thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of my novel, Come Back To Me. Now, I’ll share a secret. It’s out of print. The company that published it has gone out of business as of today. At this time, I will not self-publish the book. If that changes, I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I’ve started writing under real name is Mary Behre. The first name rhymes with last name. (Really!)  I’ve even opened another blog/website under my legal name http://maryabehre.com.

I’m not very active there or anywhere right at the moment because, I’m in Revision Hades working on two different stories that have started doing well in the contest circuits.  But I still love hearing from folks…Hi TAMMY J.! Glad you received your stuff!

When I do come back online in January, I’ll spend most of my time at the new site. Still, you can check it out now. Feel free to hop over and say “hi.”

I even have a mailing address available for anyone who wants to send me a note. I promise, I’ll reply to anyone who snail mail or emails me.

Have a happy day!

Recently, someone asked me, “What’s your platform?” I thought and I thought. In fact, I’m still thinking.

I’ve always prided myself on being kind of a Jill-Of-All-Trades. You know, the kind of person who do most anything I set my mind to, but not really defining myself as an expert at any one thing. It’s worked for me most my life.

I know how to run a disaster scene, train people to perform CPR, bake tasty gluten-free cookies, organize a training program, replace an alternator on a ’78 Cadillac, get into the VIP section at almost any event, lay tile flooring (although, I really hated doing that), and write a really evil villain, just to name a few things. But would I consider myself an expert at any of them? Probably not, well, maybe training people how to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Still, that’s a fluid type of job that requires knowledge and skill-refining daily.

So since I don’t consider myself an expert, I thought about building a platform on what I’m passionate about. Yep, I said passionate…stop giggling at the romance writer using that word.

Truthfully, I’m passionate about several things. I want everyone to know the best way to protect themselves in an emergency be it man-made or a natural disaster. I want fabulous new writers to have the best possible exposure so readers who to read next. I’m passionate about writing and building a career. And finally,  I’m passionate about raising happy, healthy children.

So, aside from need for sweet-tea and chocolate, it’s time I stopped being willy-nilly about my blog. Beginning this month, I’ll host one hot author a month. Let her or him talk about what they’re passionate about and maybe even share a bit of their latest book with you.

Once a month, I’ll talk about disaster preparedness.  Don’t worry, no lecturing. Given my propensity to share disaster stories (some rather funny) I intend to entertain as well as educate.

Once a month, I’ll talk about the journey to paid publication. It’s twisty and turvy and not for the faint of heart.  I’ll even see about interviewing authors who’ve taken different paths to publication. Because no one way is the “right” way.

And finally, I’ll talk about my biggest passion. My family. Being the mom of two small boys, I often find life takes on a very different perspective when viewed through the eyes of a six-year-old and an eight-year-old.

By the way, if you interested in learning about living gluten-free and wondering why I don’t discuss it more here, it’s because I blog weekly on Chicklets In the Kitchen.

So, now you know what I’m passionate about…it’s your turn. What are you passionate about?

I logged into yahoo today to check on registration for the Unpublished Beacon and discovered this headline, “Mom Found Guilty of Hot Saucing Child.”

I had no idea what  it was about and for a moment I thought it must be some kind of parody. After all, a video was attached. What I saw brought tears to my eyes. A “mother” allowed someone to videotape her pouring hot sauce into her seven-year-old son’s mouth then force him to take a cold shower as punishment for lying to her.

Some try to say it’s not abuse but what is abuse but intentionally hurting another person? And if you’ve tried to hold a mouthful of hot sauce, that stuff burns. We’re talking tears spring to the eyes.

What’s even more disturbing was she poured the hot sauce into his mouth and checked  to make sure he hadn’t swallowed it. He didn’t flinch or cry out  when she did either. Implying this was not a new experience for him.

I watched aghast as the scene clipped ahead to the “mother” taunting the child who’d just screamed from the shower. His ear-piercing wail was so startling it made me jump and my dog bark.

And why did she allow someone to tape her? To get on to the Dr. Phil show.  Um…really? It worked! He apparently invited her on his show last year.  I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to pay for a child abuser to come talk to me, let alone air the abuse for the world to see.

Where Dr. Phil and  justice might have been blind, Karma was carrying her bitch-slapping-stick the day that episode aired.

The American public in her area raised a fuss and called the police. Unfortunately, laws are written to protect adults. While convicted of child abuse, she was allowed to keep her SIX children.

What I want to know is why do people insist on doing things like this to children? I have two very active little boys. I couldn’t imagine intentionally harming them. The idea of intentionally hurting my sons  enough to make them scream out like that is sickening.

But Child Protective Services deemed the home environment safe for that child and his siblings. Again, laws are written to protect the adults. If they’re aren’t physical signs of abuse, it’s harder to prove. But anyone who’s ever had a broken heart knows physical scars heal but emotional scars last a lifetime.

Too bad that “mother’s” punishment can’t fit the crime. Let someone treat her the same way she did that child.

Drag her by the arm, force her to sit and open her mouth while someone else pours hot sauce on her tongue. Then force her to strip and get into a freezing cold shower while someone else ridicules her and videotapes it.

But they won’t do that to her will they? It would be cruel.

Ironic isn’t it?