I'm too young to rest

Hangin' with one of our backyard buddies.
 

Today marks the end of a three-day weekend for me.  I spent 2 days hanging out with my handsome husband.  We sat outside watching hummingbirds (and, of course, taking their pictures), doing some yardwork, enjoying the spectacular Arizona fall weather.  We did go visit Dave's Mom, Bonnie and Stepdad, Lee for a few hours on Saturday.  They are in their 80s.  I'm not sure Dave and I will ever see our 80s, but I hope so.

Yesterday I was bored out of my skull.  Normally, if I'm not at work, I'm writing, doing something related to writing, cleaning, working out ... something.  I did do some cleaning yesterday, got caught up, actually, which is rare.  Watched tv, spent a little time outside with Dave after he came home from work, then I vegged the rest of the evening.  I was supposed to be resting up for the chaos to come this week at work.  Resting is over rated.  I thought I wanted to rest.  As it turns out, I didn't enjoy it.

Sometimes I get stressed out because I know my house needs to be cleaned.  Well, my house is clean and, really, who cares? 

When I'm in my 80s I will probably do a lot of resting because, let's face it, I'll be pretty tired by then.  But for today I'm going to work out, eat a protein-filled breakfast, take a shower and start the loooong beautification process, run an errand on the way to work and get started with my week.

Maybe when I'm in the shower this morning I'll get a flash of an idea for the book (Guam Adventures - The Darkened Light).  That's what happened the last 2 times great ideas came my way. 

I better get started ... my tennis shoes want to be on my feet and working out is where I get my energy.
Next time I'll probably tell ya'll just a bit about my "Black Friday" experience coming up this week.  My goal is to view it as fun and interesting; it's less stressful that way, I hope.

Don't want to go out for Black Friday?  Dread Christmas shopping?  I have an idea!  Save yourself some gas and aggravation, order "Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave" for your youngster.  Just go to  createspace.com/4008187.  It's easy and there's no line!

Authors write "long distance" tween book

(by Lou Ann Millett, Tipton Tribune Correspondent)
November 14, 2012

Sisters Lynda Wilkerson McCroskery and Terry Wilkerson Heintz are thrilled to introduce their first of at least a trilogy of books about Guam, an American territory in the Mariana Islands chain. This book came to be even though McCroskery lives in Tipton and Heintz lives in Arizona. The use of computers and especially Google Drive allowed them to write their long distance story of living on Guam in the 1960's when their dad, Bill Wilkerson, served in the U.S. Air Force at Andersen Air Force Base. Whenever possible McCroskery would fly to Arizona and spend three weeks with her sister as they planned a detailed outline for their story which actually reflected their own "ordinary" life as an Air Force family on Guam. Once yearly Heintz also traveled. During her vacation, she came east to work with her sister. The sisters decided which chapter each would write and then when they get together, they complete the transitions from one chapter to another.

Not only was this book, Mystery of the Cave, written from a long distance, but it also reflected how very, very far away from the Midwest this island was. When the Bill and Joan Wilkerson family flew from California, it was a 36 hour flight with layovers for fuel in Hawaii and Wake Island.

McCroskery and Heintz weave their story using legends from Guam along with their personal experiences. Legend said children were never to go into the jungle because there were wild boars and because there still might be Japanese soldiers who hid in the jungles and the many island caves following World War II. (Guam was invaded one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7). Actually, the final Japanese soldier came out of the jungle in 1972.

In the story, two sisters ten-year-old JoEllyn Wilks and eight-year-old Susan dare to enter the dark, mysterious jungle. They are accompanied by their friends, Mike and Ryan. Bats, voracious mosquito swarms and flying cockroaches terrorize them, but that is just the beginning of history and mystery.

The sister authors delight in writing historical fiction filled with mystery. Their series of novels are aimed at eight to 13 year-olds. Their second novel, The Darkened Light, is due out next year. It is based on George Tweed, a U.S. Navy radioman who ran into the jungle to escape the invading Japanese and ended up moving from place and hiding in the jungle with the help of the Chamorros (natives of Guam) for (many)  months during WWII ... The third novel, as yet, is untitled.

McCroskery will be personalizing (autographed copies) of Mystery of the Cave during a book signing from noon until 4 p.m. Friday at Memory Lane Antiques in the Side Street Mall. She calls the book "a perfect gift for children ages 8-13." Price of the book is $10.70 (checks or cash only). More information may be found at whambooks.blogspot.com.

Mystery of the Cave can be ordered directly from us at: whammysteries@gmail.com or through www.createspace.com/4008187

Black Friday, Guam, Goose Bay, Germany and Jesus

I know many of you are thinking, "What does Black Friday have to do with WHaM Books"?  Well, I work at Sears.  I sell jewelry.  After years of working in Loss Prevention, which was a fun, rewarding job, I can't believe I'm selling jewelry on commission.  Holy Cow!  One thing about being a military brat is that you learn to adapt. 
 
We (meaning Sears) have all of our Christmas decorations up and the store looks pretty darned good.  I'm sure most of you aren't ready to be in the Christmas Spirit yet, but I'm already there. 

As I ascend on the escalator every day I sneak a peek at the Christmas trees, etc., on display downstairs.  Approximately every 5th song over the PA is a Christmas song.  I'm really digging it.  I may be tired of it in a few weeks but for now it's fun.

The Christmas season always takes me back to my childhood when we waited for 'Santa' to make his appearance while we slept.  Even as a teen I looked forward to seeing what Santa left under the tree. 

We moved to Goose Bay, Labrador when I was 14.  It was November and we stayed in temporary billeting for a month.  Mom and Dad had to scramble to find Christmas presents for their five children.  The BX (base exchange) was pretty much wiped out by that time, so they went to Happy Valley, the capital of Labrador (population approx. 300) to scour the Hudson's Bay Store there.  Lynda and I got some old, and some obscure albums for Christmas that year ... Fats Domino, Leslie Gore, The Eighth Day (who's ever heard of them?).  I don't think there was a Black Friday back then.

And then there were those many years of being 'Santa' for my kids.  It was so much fun, kissing my children goodnight, then breaking out all the presents and putting them under the tree.  Their stockings were loaded with goodies, usually fruit, candy and one or two special gifts from Santa. 

One of my most memorable Christmases was when we moved to Guam when I was six.  We really did have an aluminum Christmas tree with blue ornaments and the Christmas Angel, just like the Wilks family in Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave.  Through the years I have looked for a tree like that; and even though I love a real tree (or an artificial tree that looks real), that aluminum tree, which followed us for many years and became a tradition (along with the cardboard Angel with the halo of sparkling white 'angel' hair), will forever hold a special place among my favorite Christmas memories.

So what does Black Friday have to do with any of this?  Masses of people, standing in line with numbers in their hands waiting to  satisfy their wishes?   We all have Christmas memories, and who's to say the busy-ness of Black Friday isn't a worthy one?  I talked to a woman the other day who told me that she and her mom and sister always shop together on Black Friday.  Those memories will last her lifetime. 
 
Certainly times have changed.  If I had gone shopping with my mom, sisters or daughter on Black Friday I would have similar never-to-be-forgotten memories; not because of the insanity and chaos or the great deals and money saved, but because of the time spent laughing and loving those so dear to me. 

When we lived in Germany, I made a stencil that I put on our front window that said "Happy Birthday, Jesus".  Let's stop for just one moment and remind ourselves that Black Friday leads us to the day when we celebrate our Savior's birth.  Presents or no presents, shopping deals or not, He is still the reason we celebrate Christmas.

You can order your copy of Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave at www.createspace.com/4008187 or contact us at whammysteries@gmail.com.  It will make a wonderful gift for the 'tween in your life!  (Adults will enjoy it, too!)

Short and Sweet, 2

It's a CELEBRATION!!!

THANK YOU!!

You just sent our blog views to over ONE THOUSAND!!

We couldn't have done it without YOU!!

Now on to two thousand ...

Appreciatively yours,
Lynda and Terry




Guam Adventures-Mystery of the Cave can be purchased at www.createspace.com/4008187 or whammysteries@gmail.com
 

What's So Funny?

 I'm finally feeling better. It's been a long slog the past few weeks getting over the wicked hacking cough and general tiredness I've experienced, but I really do think I'm on the mend. So ... I'm ready to share a post with you.

A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the television shows that were popular in the late '50s and early '60s (when Mystery of the Cave takes place), concentrating on the Westerns, which were my favorites. But now, I want to write about the t.v. shows that made us laugh.

I'll start with what I think is the funniest - I Love Lucy (not the Lucy Show or Here Comes Lucy, but the original with Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley, pictured below). I Love Lucy was on in repeats even when I was a kid, and I didn't think it was very funny - then. My mom watched it and guffawed, but I didn't get the humor to be perfectly honest. However, since becoming an adult I've probably seen every episode a dozen or more time and still laugh out loud at Lucy's antics.
I tried to put a video clip of the best episode (in my opinion), Vitameatavegamin, on this post, but wasn't able to make it work. Go to youtube and look it up ... I think it'll make you guffaw, too.

 

 

Another funny one, and I didn't appreciate this when I was a kid either, was Jack Benny. He was the perpetual '39 year-old', who played the violin very badly and was assisted by his valet, Rochester.  The Jack Benny Program started on radio then moved over to t.v. in the '50s. It had a weekly plot, sort of, but was also a variety show. The picture shows him with one of the funniest and well respected entertainers of all time, Bob Hope (if you haven't seen the Road Show movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby (Road to Morocco, Road to Singapore; etc.), you're missing out on some real belly laughs.

 

 

 

Make Room for Daddy was a Danny Thomas vehicle. Back in the day, Danny Thomas was a singer, and is quite famous as the celebrity behind the St. Jude Hospital charity drives. This family show was about an entertainer husband and his long-suffering family. (As an aside, Marlo Thomas, his daughter, was the star of That Girl, a comedy of the 70s, about a single girl in the big city.)

 

 

"You're looking lovely today, Mrs. Cleaver," was a line delivered by the ever brown-nosing, full-of-baloney, and terribly two-faced, Eddie Haskell, best friend of Wally Cleaver, on Leave It To Beaver. Ward Cleaver, played by Hugh Beaumont, was Dad. June Cleaver, Mother, was played by Barbara Billingsley. Wally (the eldest of the two Cleaver boys) was played by Tony Dow *swoon*, and Jerry Mathers was the Beaver

June Cleaver has gotten a lot of flack from the feminist crowd over the years for wearing pearls and a dress to do housework in, but I thought she was a terrific mom and wife. Ward Cleaver, an insurance salesman, was the quintessential patient, understanding but firm father. Wally, *swoon* was, I think, every young girl's ideal boyfriend: athletic, studious, polite and handsome. Then there was Theodore Cleaver, better known as the Beaver: he had a way of getting into mischief, and on Eddie Haskell's bad side (although I'm not really sure Eddie had a good side). The Cleaver's were a normal, typical family of the early 60's, and I watched them faithfully - my boys have watched all of the episodes in reruns, and like them, too.

 

 

The Dick Van Dyke Show! What can I say? HILARIOUS!!!

Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore, along with Morey Amsterdam,  Rose Marie, Richard Deacon, and Carl Reiner were a great comedy team.

 

 

 

Take a minute or sixty and watch snippets from these great shows on youtube or maybe even HULU, to see what you might have missed, or to recall some fond and funny memories. You won't find a single Rosanne or Homer Simpson among the bunch ... and you can watch with your kids ... no swearing, sexual innuendo, nudity, or disrepect (What?!)... but I bet you'll laugh out loud, and someone may even ask, "What's so funny?" 

 

Enjoy,

Lynda

 

You can purchase Mystery of the Cave at www.createspace.com/4008187 or contact us at whammysteries@gmail.com.

 

Short and Sweet

 

 

Today is election day. VOTE!


 

Want a Great Christmas Present?

When was the last time you saw your child or grandchild pick up a book and read it, not as a class assignment, but because it's a fun book he or she wants to read?  That is what we hoped to achieve in writing "Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave". 

I enjoyed reading when I was a kid.  Lynda,  not so much.  The first book I loved was "Charlotte's Web".  If Lynda had found an exciting, fun book to read when she was 7 or 8 years old, she may not have missed out on years of adventure. 

Remember when they used to say "Reading is fundamental"?  I never hear that phrase, anymore.  Is reading less important than it used to be?  I don't think so.  Find a book for your child or grandchild that will keep them reading, away from the tv and video games and will possibly begin a life-long love of the written word. With "Mystery of the Cave" your child will find adventure and fun and probably learn a few new words.  When was the last time your child, after reading a paragraph in a book, came to you and asked what a word meant?  I used to do that all the time to my mom.  You know what she would say?  "Look it up." 

The world is incredibly small these days.  The Middle East used to be some mysterious distant land.  Today it seems we hear as much about those countries as we do about our neighboring countries.  It feels like they're right next door sometimes. 

Then there's Guam.  An island that is barely visible on the map (see Lynda's blog post "Back to Work"). Guam goes about its business, being an island paradise with a friendly, proud, family-oriented culture.  There are still many lucky military families living there.  "Mystery of the Cave" will make the reader think about a place they've possibly never heard of.  And although it's fiction, they will learn a little bit about the history of Guam, as well as what it was like growing up in the early 60's.  What?  No video games?  How did we survive? 

So, do you want a great Christmas present?  Buy the youngster in your life a good book.  What a gift to see a child learn the love of reading. 


You can purchase Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave at www.createspace.com/400817, or contact Lynda and me at whammysteries@gmail.com.

What Mode are You In?

We are in ’writing’ mode again.  While Lynda was here in Arizona we spent more time than we had planned coming up with marketing ideas.  We are totally green when it comes to advertising, etc.  Most of our book sales have come by word-of-mouth and Face Book postings.  Of course, our book signing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base helped, too.  We are so thankful for the support we have received from all of you. 

But now, Jo and Susan are about to find themselves in the middle of a new adventure on the island of Guam.  They have already found some important clues.  The girls and their friends, Mike and Ryan Mulligan, learned a lot about the Island and its secrets in “Mystery of the Cave”.  This time, in “The Darkened Light” they have to work harder to find answers to their questions. 

Lynda and I feel like we know our characters a little better.  When we first started writing “Mystery of the Cave” Jo and Susan were really ‘us’, Lynda and me.  We eventually discovered Jo and Susan had become themselves, inquisitive, adventurous, determined; mostly obedient, but on the edge of total disobedience.  Jo, being the older of the two, knows how to get her sister to press on, be brave … or else.  Susan, younger, stubborn and more timid, resists, but curiosity and blackmail prevail.  In the long run, the two become a team.  They include Mike and Ryan, sometimes.  But the girls are the trailblazers. 

 This is my ottoman when I'm in writing mode.  

While at work the other day I kept thinking about a chapter I wanted to write for "The Darkened Light".  Lynda and I had discussed this chapter and it began creeping into my psyche.  I woke in the night thinking about what I should write.   How in the world do ideas come out of a sound sleep?  Beats me.  What’s funny and kind of weird is I find myself thinking in narrative.  My thoughts have become lines in a story.  It’s a little unsettling until I realize … I’m in writing mode.

To order your copy of Guam Adventures - Mystery of the Cave go to www.createspace.com/4008187. This fun adventure would

make a great Christmas gift, too!