Margaret, the publisher went belly-up.  I have just signed a new contract with a new publisher for a reprint version with a cover that does the book justice.  I’m guessing it will take about 3 months for it to appear again.  When it does, I’ll be making an announcement.

SIMPLE PRONOUNS There are four pronouns in the English language that contain the most of the parameters of human behavior and potential: I, me; we, us. The first two are probably the single most influential drivers of character. “What’s in it for me” or “How do I fit in,” ar

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY RECIPE As the December holidays are upon us, there are lots of ways to get into the spirit. One could read “A Christmas Carol” by Dickens, or “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry or even the chapter, “Angel McBride and the Christmas Doll,” fro

THE LITTLE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER The screen play for “You’ve Got Mail” by Nora and Delia Ephron was based on the stage play, “Parfumerie” by Miklos Laszlo. It is also an updated version of a 1940s film called “The Shop Around the Corner.” In the newer version, an indepe

WHEN BAD PASSES FOR GOOD Currently, I’m plowing through a gossipy book entitled “F.I.A.S.C.O.” by Frank Partnoy. It provides lurid tales about how brokers market their wares, particularly the bad stocks. Inventing palatable names for high risk investments is key. The term emergi

A WEALTH OF WORDS I am thoroughly disillusioned with my paperback version of the “Oxford American Dictionary.” The words I need defined are almost never listed. I have a large “Oxford English Dictionary,” but it’s too heavy to lug around. I need a paperback filled with words

CAN NUNS BE WRONG? Shakespeare’s “Richard III” is one of my favorite plays. It offers a graphic depiction of a man riddled with envy. The same is true for another of the writer’s characters, Iago, who plots to bring down Othello rather than serve him. Like most of literature�

POTTS AND POTTS OF GOODIES Years ago a naturopath advised me to eat fewer wheat products and with the intention of following her advice, I purchased a cookbook entitled “Going Against the Grain” by Phyllis Potts, a writer whom I believe resides in Oregon. For a time I used the whe

PROFESSIONAL ENVY A few years ago I picked up a used paperback for a dollar. The book was “The Drowning People” and was written by Richard Mason. It was a gothic tale by this young Englishman who had yet to graduate from university. I remember the pang of envy that ran thr

BANSHEES AND SELKIES AND LEPRECHAUNS, OH MY! Barbara G. Walker is a woman who has written several interesting books on myth, culture and women’s history. Her definitive work, “The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects” is a classic. Two other works, “T