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© Red Dwyer 2011
Posted by Red on December 14, 2011
https://mommasmoneymatters.com/redacted-cof/
Writer Spotlight: S.A. Miller
M3 is proud to feature this week a new author, from its broadcast home of Kershaw, South Carolina, S.A. Miller. One of the M3 Coffee Shoppe founding members, Miller was candid about the inspiration for his book, Stanley Stokes: The Story and the Songs God Gave Me
M3: Give the M3 readers the short, professional version of who you are.
SAM: S.A. Miller is the lead and founding pastor of Team Church in Kershaw, SC and chaplain for the SC Department of Corrections. Miller has authored a special book about his grandfather’s whose music and life continues to inspire well into his eighties.
M3: Who would you like to thank before I grill you for details?
SAM: I thank my grandfather foremost because he is the subject of the book. It was no small chore for him to record his memories. I think if I were asked to write a biographical sketch of my life, I would decline. It is a big undertaking. But he did terrific and endured many interviews.
M3: So, let’s start your interview. How did you put the book together?
SAM: My book began as a musical work. I notated the melodies of tunes that my grandfather wrote by ear. This was to preserve his musical legacy. Later, I had the idea to include a biographical section to the work. He wrote several pages of notes. Then I compiled, categorized and interviewed him some more.
M3: Was it a quick process or one which required hiatus?
SAM: This work took me over a decade to produce precisely because I took extended time away from working on it. It took me a very long time to learn how to transcribe the melodies in the musical section.
M3: This work is close to your heart, eh?
SAM: This work could not be more close to my heart. It is about my grandfather and essentially my heritage. I love my grandfather and it is to his credit that I love music today. It is also to his credit that I am the Christian that I am. My grandfather is obviously very proud of this work, and he continues to support me in all that I do. I as well am very proud of this work.
M3: How did you break into the publishing industry?
SAM: I self-published my writing, so I really didn’t start in the professional industry at all. Self-publishing was the right choice in my circumstance because I could print just as many books as I needed, and I didn’t really expect to make money from my project anyway. The publisher I used was Lulu.com. I provided the text and the cover art and they produced the book I had envisioned.
M3: Self-publishing can be considered coming in through the back door. How do you think the industry views self-published books and what did you do to break the perception?
SAM: I completely believe that the industry views self-produced material as inferior because there are so few editors or filters that the author must go through before the work is finished. I sought out people who could help me check the accuracy of my musical notation, my grammar, and the time line of events. If this had been a traditionally published work, it would have had several steps of thorough editing.
M3: Should we care if you have a “day job”?
SAM: My “day job” is being a pastor and a prison chaplain. It is important work to listen to the stories of others. It is akin to listening to the stories of my grandfather and recording them for others to read. My skills of listening to others may one day help me to continue writing biographies. Until then, I will pursue my pastoral duties to care for others in the church and at the correctional facility.
M3: Has the economic state changed the way you perform?
SAM: Yes, the economic state took me from one job to two. Nevertheless, having the two jobs encourages more writing. I actually write much more now due to the nature of my jobs.
M3: What is the one thing you hope I do not share with the M3 readers?
SAM: I hope you do not tell readers that I am a total novice at publishing a book. This is true, but I am really proud of this work.
M3: I am sure they would like to know that! In 15 words or less, tell the M3 Readers why they should buy your book.
SAM: It won’t cost you a thing to read it, please enjoy our life.
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Dear M3 Readers,
Please take a few moments to check out S.A. Miller and his biography, Stanley Stokes: The Story and the Songs God Gave Me. You can download in ebook for free or purchase the paperback edition. Visit Miller’s Team Church website to get to know him a bit better.
Thank you for your continued support to the talented M3 Coffee Shoppe artists.
Red.
M3
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(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2011
Reblogging of this or any other post on Momma’s Money Matters is expressly forbidden.
Copyright and Privacy Policy available in The Office.
Posted by Red on December 14, 2011
https://mommasmoneymatters.com/sa-miller/
I am tired of being an adult.
Ever wonder what it is like to learn something from a child? Chances are you already have, but were so busy being an adult you no longer remember.
Read the full post »
Posted by Red on December 13, 2011
https://mommasmoneymatters.com/i-am-tired-of-being-an-adult/
Humanity by Disney
A recent visitor to M3 noted I am an observer of humanity. It is an astute observation. I find great amusement in my voyeuristic approach to the human race. While I am content to sit on a bench and watch the world go by like the mother of all theaters, I also like to watch what inadvertently makes it into movies.
Some of the best lines ever written into movies are in the Walt Disney animated collection. While I am truly a Looney Tunes kind of girl, I have to appreciate the wherewithal of some more modern animators.
History is not boring.
The cartoons we grew up with (Showing my age here, youngsters bear with us.) were products of WWII and were the colorized grandchildren of the WWI shorts. They were originally aired for movie-goers before the feature began. It was a simpler time when staving off depression had nothing to do with Big Pharma or talk therapy.
Laughter is good medicine (18th chorus).
In a time when newsreels (also shown before the feature) were filled with a mixed bag of war casualties and labor hardships created by the productive men being off at war, cartoons were meant to make the audience laugh. Today, more than 90 years into the industry, cartoons are still doing the same thing.
Why It Works
Really good animation recognizes children do not get to the theater (or pay for a ticket) without adult intervention. Animators must include enough innuendo to amuse the parents as well. Enter my top five animated quotes.
You would be amazed what you can live through.~Genie, Aladdin 1992
Some days, my children and my friends (in varying measure) believe I am a genie. (“Ultimate cosmic power, itty-bitty living space.”) On those days, in an inevitably and undeniably Red moment, this quote comes to mind.
You see, genies are forbidden from killing anyone. In this right, I am a genie. Rather than engaging in purely homicidal thoughts, I envision the many cataclysmic, catastrophic events my nemeses could actually survive. *Evil Grin* “You would be amazed what you can live through.”
You are rats with wings! ~Nigel, Finding Nemo 2003
How many memes (pronouced mee-meez) do you know? It is all about them…all of it.
If you mention a hangnail, they have had a finger ripped from their bodies by a rabid wild boar which they had to chase down in the darkness of the snow-drifted forest to wrestle bare-handed-to-heavily-fanged to retrieve the horrifically mangled digit, then stored in a snow-filled left sock during the 18-mile hike to the nearest cell signal where they called the only med-evac helicopter in the tri-state area, which rushed 284 miles (one-way) to take them both to the world’s most renowned plastic surgeon for the most complicated ever-performed reattachment which left this scar, but you can only see under an electron microscope.
The most amazing thing about the tale? The entire rendition contained no periods and was recited with only one breath. To them I say, “You’re rats with wings.”
Squirrel! ~Alpha, Up! 2009
I have already admitted I have the attention span of a Mediterranean fruit fly. I can listen to you, but, for the love of all that is holy, get to the point. If you do not, be prepared for me to be watching the butterflies.
Not that I am any better. I waffle on about this or that until I see the noticeable snap of the head in the opposite direction as my audience has obviously spotted a “Squirrel!”
Your stunned silence is very reassuring. ~Roz, Monsters, Inc. 2001
Cripes! You forgot. Surveying your children (or Mate) about what they have accomplished often leads to these moments. Whether it is a genuine obligation or merely a request for assistance (or outright doing something for you), you get your answer in a open mouth with no sound.
Me: Did you finish the assignment (which you have had for three weeks, is due tomorrow and requires 16 ingredients I happen to know are non-existent in this house and the store which sells them closed 18 minutes ago)?
Child:
Me: Your stunned silence is very reassuring.
Are you always this articulate? ~Megara, Hercules 1997
I have been accused of leaving people speechless. Although I am convinced this is merely an anomaly, when met with strangers who have the mouth-agape, slumped shoulders posture seen in “stunned silence”, I actually hear myself asking, “Are you always this articulate?” Odd, it seems to be happening more frequently.
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What is your favorite line from an animated movie?
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(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2011
Reblogging of this or any other post on Momma’s Money Matters is expressly forbidden.
Copyright and Privacy Policy available in The Office.
Posted by Red on December 13, 2011
https://mommasmoneymatters.com/disney-movie-quotes/
Telling Tuesday
I could should begin by admitting I have started and thrown away this post three times before this writing. Each time, I have felt compelled to move what I did write somewhere else entirely. No matter how it started, it just never answered what I felt I needed to say. Writer’s block? After 1,800 words, hardly.
Posted by Red on December 13, 2011
https://mommasmoneymatters.com/poetry-analysis/
Compliments of The M3 Readers