Writer's Corner (notes) www.silvaredigonda.myshopify.com

I have been ignoring my books - Colpa Mia. Let’s take a break from what is happening in the world and talk books. What I do when I complete writing my book is mail it via registered mail to myself. I do this so if any company claims the book is theirs, I have proof that I had it before they got their hands on it. Or you can copy write it. People like spending less. Bundle is appealing to promote your book. Doing events, book signing, hair salons, dog salons, book clubs is to name some. Book clubs like questions (my bad. I have no questions.) Facebook (minimum). It is hard to set ourselves apart. Hard covers are 2 1/2 more costly and not practical. You should be making at least a dollar a book profit. Market local book stores, local libraries, local colleges. Take note that if you have a contract that states "make available to bookstores"

, it means catalogue only (not physically). Don’t be fooled by language. Make sure you keep rights to your book. Under traditional publishers you retain rights. Regarding editors - pick three at once because there are time lines for editors. Check your budget. Some charge pages, or paragraphs etc….Pick someone who cares about your project. Many books that are very good, never become successful, because there are so many books. There are so many scams out there. You must have a contract. What are they delivering?

CLARK W. - Up Here, in Canada

Niagara Falls - Imsa coming!

I have been talking about moving to Niagara Falls for years. It has been my plan to retire there, go for my walk to the Falls and then return home to write. I was waiting for my final pet to go to heaven before making the move and it is now. I emailed Al Sinclair, a real estate agent who talks about properties on CP 24 Hot Properties and I am glad I did. I had tried once again to connect to someone selling my dream house and I felt I was dealing with a car salesman. You know how frustrating that can be. Anyhow Al Sinclair set me up with someone he works with in Niagara Falls and so the move is now or never. It looks like I am going to have to move there because staying at the Fallsview, otherwise is very expensive. It used to be very cheap when our government controlled it but no more. They sold to the Americans and not even breakfast is included. My priority is living close to the Falls. Imagine being able to stroll along the Falls and stop at Tim Horton's for a coffee while watching the roaring waters. Toronto will always be my hometown. I love Toronto and the people and I cannot blame Toronto for leaving. Yes, the crime in our city is out of control but that is the government's fault. Yes, we have too many people for our city but this is where people want to be. Taxes are going up once again by Olivia Chow and it is not her fault. She said she was going to do this before being elected. I just saw a sofa yesterday at a community centre at the entrance. Apparently all of the city communities got this. I don't think of this as an expense for a reason to raise my taxes. Oh well people voted for this so now you have to live with it. Of course all my social networks etc...are here. I sell my books here. I love going to Word On The Street where I sell most of my books. How practical will that be in Niagara? People always ask me why I want to go to Niagara and try to talk me out of it. One person begged me not to move. "Everyone you know is here. People care about you. You are going to spend all your money, outlive your money and you will lose your social network." She is a sweet elderly woman, whom I am very fond of. Anyhow, everyone has an opinion as you all know. As a family, in my childhood we always went to Niagara. My parents would give myself and my sibling tickets to go to the attractions and that was such fun. I have gone to Niagara during every season and just love it. It is also just a walk into the United States which I did with my mom when I was a child and she had no passport for us. It was just a casual walk but we got back in. I don't think that would be wise to do now. I have a picture somewhere about that. So you are going to see less of my blog because as you can imagine I shall be very busy trying to do everything and preparing. I have one property in mind due to it's location to the Falls but I was preferring a bungalow and it isn't. However, it's a contender and I can see myself in there. It is modest and I could also use a portion of it as a B&B if I like. But I wouldn't be considering that just yet. I can work anywhere in Ontario and all I need is my computer. Though I have a separate home office right now, the house I am considering won't have that. That is ok. So, this is why I am only writing this entry, this week. I want to still write to you one day at least a week and should be able to manage that. Good talk.

Thoughts of the week........OMG

Well, I just posted the clip of a line up for a doctor in a community in Ontario. I watched it on the news and that was disturbing. It made sense that when I had to go to the hospital there was a 10 hour wait for triage only. I left deciding I would be more comfortable dying at home, if it came to that. Triage is supposed to be done immediately to determine the seriousness. At least that is how it was done in the military for disasters. No surprise that someone out West died in the emergency room waiting. Global news this morning reported that half of Canadians are $200. or less away from not being able to pay bills. What was not mentioned was who and how the poll was conducted. I also heard CDC on CNN concerned about changes regarding dissecting the organization and other concerning problems. OMG. CDC is so important to the world. I was thinking of the difference between Trump and Putin. Actually, I was thinking of the similarities. I was thinking about Israel and Hamas and how we allow Terrorists to prosper. I was reading in the Catholic Registar (Dec 22, 2024, pg 37), that since 7 Oct 23, there has been a 93% rise in hate crimes in Toronto. Jewish schools in Montreal have been shot at (it has happened here in Toronto as well. Glorification of terrorism and violence are heard in the streets, praising the Oct 7 attack by Hamas and its affiliates who murdered 1,200 people in Israel. Because civil authorities failed to do something, it was taken to the courts. What was happening at the universities against the Jewish community sickened me. During Christmas this year a family member asked, "Have the Jewish community not suffered enough?" I too became a verbal target from an American post for not falling for the crap that Hamas was constructing. They don't like it when they fail to gain support. We really need to do something to stop all these radicals from recruiting. Were my thoughts all negative? Not at all. Wait. One more thing. How can I forget? Our Mayor is raising our taxes again. I have reached a point that when I hear her speak or Trump is talking, I change the channel. I have also swore more this year when I am alone than my entire life? Not really, but at least I will have something to say when I go to confession. That will be a new one. Oh before I forget, there was that poor woman who got scammed out of what 750,000 or 850,000 because she thought she had formed a relationshop with Brad Pitt and he needed the money because it was all tied up because of his divorce and he couldn't get to it. Women and men out there, do not give away your money to people. I have already had at least two so called "celebrities" actors wanting to connect. Yeah right! Do your research. I am glad to say I have never been on a blind date and never used a dating site - ever! If you do, keep your money people. People try to scam me at least once a week. That is why protection is really needed nowadays. Now, the good stuff. Oh no there is more..........What's his name - Elan Musk? He called our Prime Minister a girl. What is wrong with girls? What is wrong with women? I love being one. I think he looks more like a girl than Trudeau. Trudeau is handsome and normally polite as are most of our politicians except what is his name Polierre? Yup, our next Prime Minister. Yup, just a moment while I go bang my head. I know of people who are going to vote for him, who can't stand him, because they want change. Change is indeed needed but in what direction are we going to go? Rob Ford bought a baseball cap which says "Canada is not for sale". Wait I have to go bang my head again. Boy, oh boy oh boy. Anyhow, that is all I can say about my thoughts of the week. The good stuff? We have great people in Toronto. We have many who have left and many more who will but I am and always will feel a kinship to the people here. They come from all over the world and settle here. Many give so much back to our city and country. My tip for the week? Balance your life. Get enjoyment from it. Nature is so important. Spend time with her. Love your family and or surround yourself with positive people. Go have fun. That's enough for now because I want to have some fun. Why don't you buy one of my books if you have any money. silvaredigonda.myshopify.com

Hundreds wait in the snow to get a family doctor in rural Ontario - How did this happen?

Violent death and Grief’s Complication notes from a Kane Seminar

There is a lot of grief going on all over the place and so here is something I hope helps. Deaths from Traumatic Circumstances include accidents, suicide, homicide, Sudden, natural causes (heart attack, strokes, etc….I am going to include war and natural disasters(global warming is getting worse and it is important to deal with this). Sharing stories of how your life is impacted by his or her life. You need the opportunity to tell your story. You need to talk. Even if a person is not religious, you can still question where the person who died is now. This is spiritual. What does this loss mean? So who am I now? Therefore what does this mean and what changes. I as a therapist may ask “ So, what do you make of that?” Realize - Coming to terms with the reality of the death and the magnitude of grief’s pain. Hearing that door slam and thinking your spouse is at the door is normal. It is grief. Adapt at saying good-bye. Rituals are important. Grief is not something we recover from. There is no closure. We don’t move on. What we do is find a new place to stand. We find a new way to live with this loss. Learning to live - in spite. Bereavement reconstructs meaning to refocus life after significant loss. Trauma needs to be addressed first. You may also have a crises of faith. Find out the reason. eg. Priest saying you should be able to get over it (I hear this often from all people the person may know (this is also a time when relationships are reconsidered). Go back to the Minister and ask where they found that? This is empowering. Grief is about the relationship. A friend can be more powerful than a sibling. It’s the circle of care. You may have been sexually abused by a parent and grieve them. You are grieving the relationship you never had. With an alcoholic partner - you may grieve singing together at Christmas. Regarding pets: Visiting hours for a pet and a wake. Busy doing things - don’t put that down - coping skill. When grief is not socially approved, the person is not allowed to grieve. They are not worthy of their grief. This includes pets. Sometimes people grieving don’t have the words, but they may have a symbol or can express metaphors and revised narratives. When my dad died I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. Listen to those metaphors when you are trying to help someone. Pictures - ask what picture would you most likely want to use to describe how you want to be. Ask, “how would the new picture get developed?” Community: participate in activities, groups of people, Look at the past as a model for the future. Private funerals don’t work. People need to be with people, even if they say they don’t. You need to do stuff - sing, share stories with the dying or bereaved, preparing and presenting food, washing and dressing the body. Moving the dying/deceased and yourself. Positioning yourself - standing, kneeling, sitting. Memorials - wars. Faith, family community, individuals etc…(flight 93 heritage memorial. What is honour for some is trauma for others. How to take care of it - eg. a tree or flower. There needs to be a waiting period before erecting memorials. Time is needed to reflect, eg. a partner who killed a child. Children who do not participate going to a funeral suffer twice as much than from children who did go. I have written about children and grief here in an earlier article. Always feel free to ask a question. What do you think?

Prayers for California

I have been watching CNN more than I usually do, due to the terrible fires in California. I have been praying as well for all those affected. When we see devastation, we also see communities coming together to help each other. People have lost their homes, their pets and people have also died. So much tragedy causes grief and trauma - a sense of hopelessness. Let's support them in whatever way we can.