What's Your Dream?

I posted an excerpt of the final chapter of my new book about six weeks ago. It was titled "Life Calling," and it's one of my favorite stories from the collection. The book, my first venture into published humor, is called "Fish Tails -- Bones Not Included."  Here's a synopsis from the publisher that I think explains it all:


         Fish Tails is a humorous love story set amongst rivers and streams, lakes and lagoons and the big, beautiful oceans that surround us here in America. The tale takes you through fifty years of the author’s addiction to fishing; from the early days of freshwater bassin’ to stalking marlin in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

         

         The book chronologically introduces you to the author’s early fishing mentor and their times together, and moves on to other friends and family members who have shared in his lifelong journey. It shows how Bradbury not only fell in love with fishing, but how he also developed a love of the outdoors, and a deep respect for conserving our natural resources for the generations that follow.

          

          But most of all, it’s a great collection of funny stories that the author has chosen to share with us. You’ll be hard-pressed not to crack a smile, or even chuckle out load, at some of the crazy adventures he’s had the good fortune to take part in. Everybody’s got their own stories, but Bradbury puts his together in an easy-going manner that you’re sure to enjoy!

A nice salute from my publishers; I'd like to thank them for all the time and effort they put in to make my dreams of being an author a reality. I certainly couldn't do it without their support.

We're getting very close to being finished with the production side of things, and the book should be available as both an eBook and a paperback sometime soon. 

For those of you who read my first book, "Serpent's Curse," I should tell you that this is nothing like that book at all. Fish Tails won't give you bad dreams, or make you worry about going to the beach. It's just funny stories. If you want to have nightmares, the sequel to Serpent's Curse will be out in the next couple of months. That one should take care of your fright nights! I'll keep you all informed as to when it will hit the stores.

But enough about me, dahling! What about you? Do you have a dream that keeps coming back to you? Is there something out there that draws you in, but you just can't seem to get the nerve to just do it?

I'm here to tell you that you can do it! All you need to do is retire and start all over again. I know, it may sound scary, but if you do it, you might find yourself happier than you've ever been in your entire life. I loved to write when I was in college, but spent over forty years of my life in sales and management jobs before I sat down at my PC and starting writing stories and articles, recipes and travel logs. That led to writing books, and I absolutely love every bit of it.

You're too young to retire, you say? Okay, I get it, but you can still find time in every day to pursue your dream until the day comes where you're ready to let it be your life. You've all heard the boring line about "Life being too short," right? As you get older, that window of opportunity you think about every day shrinks incredibly fast!

Suddenly you're in your sixties and wondering why you never took that chance to be something else. It's a rare person who has the strength to go out and pursue their dream when Life stares back at them every morning in the mirror, but those who grab their star are usually the happiest people you'll meet. Grab yours!

I have a friend I worked with in advertising sales whose dream was to be an actress. She started doing local theater productions and was noticed by someone who cast her in an Indie film he was doing. She's done a couple of others, and she's getting regular work in Florida-based commercials. She doesn't sell advertising anymore; she sells herself!

You can do it! Don't listen to everybody who says you're crazy. You probably are, but who cares? Life is short; take charge of it!

And this week's words of wisdom: If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it!

Thanks as always for sharing your time with me!


Mark T. Bradbury, Author

For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2

Adding Bacon to Our Movies

It's a cloudy, humid day here in Florida up to now. We're all just waiting for the thunder, lightning and the inevitable rain that is sure to arrive soon. It's not very inspiring, so I'm a little slow finding my Muse today. As I do so often, I've taken to the internet to see what's funny or interesting out there.

I came across a little contest that is actually pretty funny. It asks you to replace one word in a movie title with the word "Bacon." I've loved bacon my entire life, and lately it seems there's a preoccupation with the tasty delight that is almost cultish, but I don't look at that as a bad thing! The following is a list of my favorites; the titles came from everywhere, but the comments are just my ideas for the plot twists:

               10) The Rocky Horror Bacon Show - Everyone could dress up like bacon and chase each other until there was only one bacon standing
               
                 9) Rosemary's Bacon - Breakfast with Rosemary, who serves Hellishly-spiced bacon and deviled eggs
               
                 8) The Girl With The Bacon Tattoo - She'd be so much more likeable (and tastier) with bacon tattoos
               
                 7) Bacon Wars - May the Pork be with you! Jedi Knights travel the Universe in search of the Evil Bacon Empire

                 6) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Bacon - Indy searches far and wide for the Temple of Bacon, only to find it in Sioux City, Iowa
               
                 5) To Sir With Bacon - Sidney Poitier teaches his students the meaning of true bacon

                 4) The Man With the Golden Bacon - this one could go in a lot of different directions; pick one, and go with it!
               
                 3) There's Something About Bacon - In this version everyone gets to have fun oohing and aahing (eating bacon, of course!)
               
                2) Field of Bacon - Kevin Costner builds his dream kitchen where the most famous chefs in history keep coming out of doors carrying platters of bacon
               
                1) The Spy Who Loved Bacon - What's not to love? James Bond and bacon together on the big screen? It would drive Moneypenny crazy!

There are so many other funny choices; as I said, these are just some of my favorites. What's your idea? Post your movie below in my Comments section - let's see what you've got!

                                   

From Mark Twain, one of my favorite authors growing up, comes this tidbit: 

               Fortune knocks at every man's door once in a lifetime, but in a good many cases the man is in a neighboring saloon and does not hear her.

She probably texts or tweets nowadays, Mark! 

Have a great weekend!

Mark T. Bradbury, Author  

For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2

Ten Things to Know About Posting on SM

While doing my morning browse of Facebook, I saw this gem posted by a friend of mine. It's a quote by world-famous author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. It stuck in my head as I continued my journey through all that is Social Media. His words are simple:

"Don’t do something permanently stupid just because you are temporarily upset."

Makes sense, right? As most of Ziglar's teachings do, this makes you think about your choices. I've always been impressed with his ability to simplify big things in our daily lives. As I kept going post to post, I realized that his words could be a mantra for thousands (maybe millions) of Facebook posters worldwide.

Stupid? We see stupid in all shapes, sizes and colors of postings. Every day we see things that can easily be classified as stupid, dumb, nuts, etc. I don't know about you, but that's partly what I enjoy about going to Facebook throughout the day. It's got some really funny stuff, and some of it could easily be called stupid, but we sometimes forget that not everything we see on the internet is a fact.

Social Media isn't the News Hour with some famous host; it's a potpourri of things that people we've identified as friends post because they think we might enjoy it. It's a forum for anything and everything, and shouldn't be mislabeled as anything more. It's there for our entertainment!

Who hasn't done stupid things? Put your hand down - you know that's not true! We all have at some point; it's a part of growing up. If you haven't grown up yet, like some of us, the chances are high that you're still doing stupid things on a regular basis. 

I'm here to tell you that you can instantly join the ranks of posters doing stupid things. It's easy! Take a "selfie," the ultimate opportunity to make yourself look bad. Make sure you're doing something you probably shouldn't be doing, and there you go; instant memories! For thousands!

I disagree with Mr. Ziglar about the "temporarily upset" part; you don't have to be upset about anything to go crazy online and make a fool of yourself; it's there for the taking. Just put your photo or message up, and you're a celebrity! 

But here's the real truth; anything you do online is permanent, as he says in the quote. People find out everyday that the Tweet they sent, or the photo they posted when they were drunk, or stoned, or both, will be there for all to see, as in "Forever." Ouch!

I spend a lot of time on Facebook; certainly much more than I probably should. I work at home, and have my computer in my face all day, so I keep FB open all the time. Here's a few tips I'd like to pass along to anyone still reading that might help with your posts: 

             1)  If you're looking for a job, don't put photos of you and your friends out partying. They look terrible in your "Job Application" folder.
             2) If you're a dog lover (and why aren't you?) don't put photos of your dog lapping your face if you've just joined a dating service. Some people just don't like to share!
             3) Similar to Number One, don't keep posting photos of you in bars like those are the only places you go. 
             4) Don't be a narcissist; that's what mirrors were invented for!
             5) Don't just post a photo and expect the world to know what the hell it is you're showing them; tell them.
             6) Not everyone wants to play "Candy Crush" or some other FB game; don't keep sending requests if there's no response the first time!
             7) Avoid putting every piece of your "dirty laundry" out to dry on FB; not too many people want to share your drama as much as you might think.
             8) When commenting, be careful what you say. Not everyone who reads your posts wants to see your "F-bombs" and other obscenities; you may lose friends that way. 
             9) If you hesitate to post something because you think it might be a little over the top, then don't post it. It probably is!
           10) Don't keep posting the same things over and over; you'll turn into "the little boy who cried wolf." Everyone will skip right over your stuff, thinking you have nothing new to say. Show them you do!

I've been editing a friend's book for the past couple of weeks. It's about a trip back to Costa Rica an older man makes with his granddaughter. The book is filled with surfing stories that take place along the west coast of Costa Rica, and it really brings you into the water with them. 

The closest I ever got to surfing was one attempt I made back in the Sixties at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod, where I wiped out on my first attempt and got hit in the head with my friend's longboard. But after living in Florida for so many years, I've come to enjoy watching the surfers who seem to always be at the beaches nearby. 

So, when I saw this video this morning, I clicked on it right away. If you're a surfer, or not, check out this link for a quick dose of the surfing lifestyle. It's pretty cool!  
 
http://youtu.be/em9psPJuZkw

As our old friend George Carlin once said:
 
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." 

Have a great weekend everybody! 

Mark T. Bradbury, Author

 
For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2