Posted in faith, motherhood, parenthood, spirituality, wisdom on Aug 13th, 2008 1 Comment »
A dozen or so bodies have been recovered nearly intact from the ancient ruins of Pompei (near Naples, Italy). Three are on public display, encased in plastic for perservation. One touched my heart in a special way and continues to haunt me–a pregnant woman who died in an instant face to the earth.
Some background. My wife and [...]
Posted in faith, spirituality, wisdom on Jul 29th, 2008 No Comments »
It happened so fast. On the first day of our Mediterranean vacation. I had just paid four euros for a Margherita pizza-to-die-for in a Naples ristorante. A place recommended by Vito, our all-knowing guide through the unearthed ruins of Pompei. I secured my wallet inside my zippered and clasped shoulder bag (a remnant of last [...]
Posted in faith, spirituality, wisdom on Jul 6th, 2008 No Comments »
I am always looking for signs of wisdom in our cockeyed world. Flip the coin and I’m also alert to wisdom gaps around me. On July 4th (232nd birthday of our beloved country), I turned the TV on to watch my Oakland Athletics play the Chicago White Sox. Nothing more American than baseball and barbecue [...]
Posted in RCIA, faith, grief, spirituality, wisdom on May 14th, 2008 4 Comments »
This blog site is devoted to wisdom—what it is, how to arrive at it, and honoring those who possess and exemplify it. The “patron saint” of this site is Jean Valjean, protagonist of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and quintessential wise man of modern literature.
Today, my thoughts turn to a wise man who blessed my life, just [...]
Posted in POD, publishing, self-publishing, spirituality on Apr 29th, 2008 No Comments »
Having made the decision to self-publish The Wisdom of Les Miserables: Lessons From the Heart of Jean Valjean, I had to choose a publisher. After being courted by Amazon.com’s BookSurge, I decided to use Lulu Press, Inc. for the following reasons:
1. Having owned my own (small) publishing for 12 years, I love the hands-on part [...]
Posted in POD, publishing, self-publishing, spirituality on Apr 9th, 2008 No Comments »
Like every author I aim at publication by an established, royalty-paying house. In the serious writing world, there’s no substitute for industry acknowledgement and approval of your work. Not being a hobbyist, I strive for that.
Another motivation to seek commercial publication is found in the professional writing association I belong to. When I joined the group in 1996, and for a [...]
Posted in POD, cover art, publishing, self-publishing, spirituality on Mar 15th, 2008 1 Comment »
An Interview with Cover Artist Douglas M. Lawson
In my search for cover art for The Wisdom of Les Miserables, I found a close up of church doors with beautiful inset stained glass. The church appeared to be European and date from the 19th century. That works, I thought. The grain of the oak doors spoke [...]
