Happy Thanksgiving!

As today is Thanksgiving, I would like to take the time to do two things. The first thing is I would like to is wish everyone a very, very happy Thanksgiving day. I hope today brings you all happiness and joy as you spend today being thankful for all the many blessings you have been given this year.

I also want to take some time to share a few of the thinks that I am thankful for this year. (Please note: The following list is in no particular order.)

1. I am thankful for a God that never turns His back on me and is always there when I need Him. This year has been a really tough year with many medical issues for both me and those close to me. Although no one seems to have the answers to cure some of these issues, I am grateful to God for being here with me through it all and bringing people into my life to support me. I also am grateful that God has kept me safe when things could have ended a lot worse.

2. I am grateful for my best friend Eleanor, EJ. EJ has been God's blessing to me for the last five years and she continues to be there for me at any given moment when I need her advice or just someone to vent to. She is also my Tuesday evening escape as she takes me to church choir rehearsal and then Dairy Queen each week. I am so happy to have EJ in my life. I love you EJ!

3. I am thankful for my family. Sure, we don't always get along or want to be on speaking terms, but we are together and we have some nice family moment. We can support each other when it is needed and can make each other laugh when it needed. When harder times come, we are there for each other and help everyone get through whatever it is.

4. I am grateful for my teachers. This year I have been blessed with amazing teachers both in school and in cyber. I don't know what I would do without these teachers who have been wonderful. They have helped me grow and become better at writing and many other things that I could not even begin to describe. They are so supportive of my work and push me to do better. My teachers are amazing and I am so happy to be part of their classes.

5. I am thankful for the freedoms that we have here in the United States of America. I know that we have many conflicts with some of the things happening within the country but we are still the country of freedoms. This is still something to be proud of.

6. I am very grateful for all my blog readers. Without you, I would have no reason to keep posting blogs for you. I am so happy I have you and I love hearing back from you. And as always, I love hearing from you. I want to know what you are thankful for this year. And please, if you have questions you would like me to answer or are in need of advice please feel free to contact me and I would be so happy to blog about it or respond to you individually. You can contact me at contact.sarah.blogger@gmail.com

7. I am thankful for my amazing boyfriend, Kevin. Tomorrow marks one year since Kevin and I started talking with each other. As he and I determined a few days ago, we have Target and their RedCards to thank for the relationship he and I have today. Working together on Black Friday last year, my massive amount of RedCards caused Kevin to beg me for my "secret." Although it took a few more weeks for us to start daily conversation and a few months of friendship to have a relationship, I would not have it any other way. Kevin is the very best thing that has ever been given to me and we have the best relationship I could ever ask for. It isn't a Hallmark, picture perfect relationship but it is perfect for me. Kevin has done more for me in the last year than I could ever begin to list. I love him so much and I wouldn't trade him for the world.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

NEW NOVEL!!!!!!!!!!

Guess what's new in the literary world?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Go check it out now on my author's page!!!!!!! "The Cereal Killer" is now available! :) Go check it out!!!!!

Looking for some new reading material? Check out my new murder mystery novel "The Cereal Killer" as well as my other novels both in the romance department and in the mystery department! They are available in a variety of formats including ebook, standard sized paperback, large paperback (8.5x11 sized), and hardback! All paperback and hardback books are quality bound and designed to last a very long time.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Fry/753770411326452?fref=nf and click the "Shop Now" button or visit http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/sarah_fry for summaries and to purchase! And feel free to like my author's page on Facebook for updates on upcoming books as well as excerpts!!!!! Visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Fry/753770411326452?fref=nf to like my page!

Murder Mystery Excerpt

"I'll get it, baby." Anna said walking through the kitchen. She was wearing a white, flowered short sleeve dress that fell to her knees and a pair of four inch white heels. Her long, brown hair fell in gorgeous, loose curls down her back.

I smiled at her. "Okay, babe. It's probably the offi..." I stopped as I heard the door open. Anna said nothing for a moment. Puzzled, I left the kitchen for the front hall, the next room over.

"C-come in sir." Anna stuttered as I walked into the room. She was talking to the officer but staring at the floor.

I nodded to the officer as he came in but focused on Anna. "Breakfast is on the table Anna. Why don't you go eat?"

"Thank you Michael." Anna left the room quickly and I followed, separating her and the still nameless officer.

I ate my breakfast without speaking. The officer introduced himself to Michael and I as Officer Jayce Martin.

When I finished eating, I excused myself saying I had to finish getting ready for the book signing.

Standing in front of the mirrored dresser, I adjusted my locket and changed my earrings to a pair of blue dangling hearts.

Michael came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "You know him." It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"And it's not in a good way. I can tell by the look on your face and the way that you are not looking at anyone."

"No, it's not in a good way. Years ago, before I met you, he tried to date me, tried to get me to have sex with him. I wouldn't do anything of the sort. So, he decided that he'd date my best friend: to make me jealous. He didn't give a crap about her but, she fell for him. They slept together quite a few times. Then one day..." My voice cracked and tears poured from my eyes. "One day she came to my house. She was crying. When she calmed down enough to talk, she told me that Jayce had taken her to meet his friends at a party. This is probably where I should mention that Jayce is a dominant so, when he and my friend had sex she was often bound."

"That's why you didn't want to date him."

"Part of it yes. Anyway, while they were at the party, Jayce decided he wanted to have sex. So he took her upstairs and bound her to the bed. Then, he blindfolded her. He and at least dozen other guys had sex with her that day. When they were all done with her, Jayce told her that he didn't care about her at all, that he never did, and left her bound to the bed. By the end of the night every male at that party had raped her. She got pregnant, sued for child support, was denied because they couldn't find the Jayce, the father. I'd thought he'd disappeared forever."

Michael hugged me closer. "I'm sorry baby. That's sad."

"Yeah, it was difficult for her to raise the child on her own. But she did. I helped her out a..." The sound of a gun being fired stopped me mid-thought.

Michael and I ran downstairs to find the living room window broken and Jayce lying on the floor with a bullet in his head, a second one in his neck, and a third where, if he hadn't been wearing a bulletproof vest, he would have been shot in the heart.

"Those bullets weren't meant for me, I don't think. Too many to the same pers-..." A gun fired through the broken window again but missed both Michael and me. "That bullet was for me though. Call it in?"

"Alrighty." Michael picked up the phone and called for an ambulance.

Tearing Children Down...Or is it Lifting Them Up?

I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and came across a very interesting article. The article was about James Harrison, a Pittsburgh Steelers player,who had come home one night to find that his sons had received trophies. However, Harrison was not all that pleased with this because the boys had received the trophies for their participation and not because they had earned it. Here is what he posted to social media:

“I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better…not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut u up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues” James Harrison

I must say that I agree with him; children should have to earn their trophy instead of be handed it for the general fact that they participated in the activity, with a few exceptions. Here is the question that I ask myself, and many people should to ask themselves, when considering whether or not participation trophies are good: Who is it that we are dealing with?

Let's say you are a middle class, middle school student playing football recreationally. When the season is over, your team was sixth place over all of the eight teams in the division. At the end-of-season party (again, something that I don't always agree with if the reason is wrong) each player on your team is handed a trophy, made of cheap plastic, that has the name of the division, Football Participant, and the year; not that you as a ten or eleven year old would know that. You feel so proud of yourself that you continue to play recreationally for the next four years till you get to high school. At this point you have been playing for so long, and receiving a trophy for it that in your head you believe that you must be so good at football. With this mentality, you go try out for the high school varsity team. Unfortunately, you don't even make the JV team. Your little heart is crushed and you throw  all your equipment and trophies away, never to play again. 

For this child, they will likely experience problems as they go through high school because they may feel jealous of those that did make the team or those that made the team will tease this child for not making it. Additionally, his hopes of going to college on a football scholarship have now been crushed as he can't even make a JV high school team. Is giving them hope through a trophy that means virtually nothing to then brutally tear that hope away when the child does not make the team worth it?

Okay, now let's say that you are a middle class, special needs, middle school child playing football with other special needs children. They, too, receive a participation trophy at the end of the season but, are the consequences the same? Although it is possible for the consequences to be the same, the chances of that happening are smaller. Unfortunately, in today's society, special needs children are out-casted and often will not try out for high school sports teams. Additionally, high school is an important time for these young adults to learn how to support themselves and provide for themselves so sports participation can sometimes be put on the back burner. With that being said, by giving a special needs child a participation trophy they can proudly say "I did this!" and for some special needs children, just being able to have a trophy or metal that says they participated in something that was probably challenging for them is enough for them. They don't ask for more.

See the difference? As I said before, I whole-heartedly agree with what Harrison did. But, as I tried to explain here, are all participation trophies as bad as we make them out to be? I do not believe so because for some people, participating once is enough of an accomplishment for them.

I'm Starting to Realize...

Like most other little girls, I often played house with my baby dolls; pretending to have a family or taking care of a baby. By the time I reached middle school, dating had become a popular topic for discussion. Everyone was talking about who was dating who, which couples had been together for a while, which ones had broken up and why, as well as the things that may (or may not) have taken place in some of the relationships. I often heard the girls gushing about their boy saying things like "I love him" and "We are never going to break up." Know how many of those middle school relationships I was always hearing about still exist? None.

I wasn't against the idea of dating in middle school or even high school. My thought was I didn't want to be in and out of six, or more, relationships by the time I graduated high school. I have always been a long-term, dedicated, serious relationship kind of gal. Additionally, my education is important to me and I didn't want to get into a relationship with a clingy boy who would, potentially, take me away from my studies. Besides, all the boys I knew where just that, immature guys who didn't understand what it meant to love someone.

Okay... To be fair, I didn't really understand what it meant to love someone either when I was a freshman. I had an idea of what it was but, that was an idea based off of romance movies like the ones on Hallmark. Even still, I'm almost positive that was a better idea of what love was than anything the boys had. And, of course, I had this "perfect boyfriend" image in my head too. This image was made up of all the characteristics that I wanted my boyfriend to have; the characteristics coming from the things I want my future husband to have. Yes, I knew full well that the chances of finding someone that fit every single desire was slim to none. But, it is good to know what you want and not just settle for anything. I had long list of things I wanted in my boyfriend (Mature, respectful, funny, thankful, understanding, sympathetic, etc.) and was expecting him to have at least 90-95% of the characteristics on the list. But, I found someone who changed that....

There is something about being emotionally hurt that changes the way people look at love. For me, my emotional hurt came from the young boys who only wanted me in their lives to fill a physical craving called sex. I never dated them because sex is something that I have always seen as special and something to be done with your spouse. For my boyfriend, his was the feeling of being used since he was cheated on a few times. For both of us, the hallmark definition of love is only part of it.

I've been with my boyfriend for nearly five months now and I'm starting to realize that love is the bond and connection of two hearts in a way that makes it hard to be away from the other person. It is a desire to be with them even if the two of you aren't agreeing with each other or are fighting with each other. Love is wanting the other person with you all the time because they make you a better person and you can't imagine your life without them. Disagreements are going to happen, they do in every relationship, but if taken care of properly, those disagreements bring you closer to each other and make your relationship stronger.

Even though he isn't everything I imagined he would be, my boyfriend is everything I ever could have asked for realistically and so much more. I love him with everything in me and I can't imagine living without him. He is my "Forever Love" "Always and Forever" 

Life, Lemons, and Lemonade

Life has a way of throwing things at people. For me, medical complications are at the top of the list for things that life has thrown at me. Additionally, life has thrown people into my life who have quickly stabbed me in the back. I have been forced to grow up and mature faster than I should have and, therefore, I have a different mindset from other girls my age. But, life has thrown something at me that I never expected to receive at this age.

I always dreamed about the perfect boyfriend. (I mean, what teenage girl doesn’t?) My desire to have a boyfriend was there but, if I was honest with myself, I wasn’t looking for one. I was perfectly content without one. Would I get jealous watching other couples in the hallway at school? No, it actually made me kinda sick. The boys that I go to school with are just that immature, childish boys; hardly worth my time. Even when I started working, I wasn’t expecting to find a boyfriend. I was there to earn money, not socialize. But, like I said, life has a way of throwing unexpected things, or people, at us.

I will always remember the day that I stood at work watching the newest team member training on the cash register. He looked shy, quiet, and very introverted. I don’t like to judge people but, in that moment, I was wondering why he was working the most social position if he was so shy. Things began to change though the more I worked with him. He was every bit as quiet and shy as he seemed but beneath all that I could see a man that, to me, was a human jigsaw puzzle. I don’t mean that in a bad way.

After a month or so of watching him, I decided that I wanted to talk to him. Being an extrovert, this was easy for me. We found common ground; discussing school and interests, finally settling on the topic of novel writing and English. We both shared information about our published novels and, in the end, I asked for his number; for work purposes and so that I could send him the information about my novels.

So there it started. We talked periodically throughout the next several weeks, with me starting the conversation. I read his novel, a memoir about a series of break-ups that he had gone through recently, and learned why he was such a puzzle. It was at that point I made two decisions. One, I would let him determine how far our relationship went. And two, I wanted to be there for him in the event he needed someone to talk to; but, I didn’t want to force him to talk to me.

We became friends by the beginning of January, a friend that I don’t ever want to lose. Additionally, I was beginning to develop feelings for him that I couldn’t quite understand. I will never forget the night of my seventeenth birthday as we laid on the couch together and he kissed me. Until then, I didn’t know what his feelings were exactly for me but after that I knew that he was attracted to me at the very least.

Unfortunately, life also threw the fear of losing him at me at the same time. When the situation presented itself, I knew that I may end up losing him to another girl. If I’d had to, I would have bottled my feelings for him and would have hoped that we could remain friends. As it happened though, life allowed he and I to remain together. Two months later, we were in a relationship.

So what is the point of this story? Life gives us lemons. Do we eat them straight or do we make lemonade? Through everything that life has thrown at me as my relationship with my boyfriend has progressed, I have learned a few things:

One- It is better to be friends first. By being friends, it allows the relationship to be stronger and based on the right reasons. Additionally, being friends makes the relationship more important to both parties.

Two- The physical age is not as important as the mental age. My boyfriend is six years older than I am but, when we are together, you’d never be able to tell. He is very mature for his age and that is not something that many women say very often about men. He has a huge heart and is caring once you prove yourself worthy of his affection. Because my maturity is so much higher than most girls my age it allowed me to wait for him to be ready to move forward. It also allows me to be there for him when he needs someone to talk to.

Three- Love comes in the most unexpected places. I never expected to find a boyfriend through my job but I did and I am completely okay with that. I love him more than anything in the world. I would do anything for him and I never, ever, ever want to lose him.

There’s a lot more that I have learned but there isn’t enough time in the world to write it all. So, in short…

I LOVE YOU, KEVIN. I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!!

Love is...

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Love is PATIENT, love is KIND. It does NOT ENVY, it does NOT BOAST, it is NOT PROUD. It does NOT DISHONOR others, it is NOT self-seeking, it is NOT easily angered, it keeps NO record of wrongs. Love does NOT delight in evil but REJOICES with the truth. It always PROTECTS, always TRUSTS, always HOPES, always PERSEVERES."

No human on Earth is 100% love perfect. However, for some, love is a hard concept to wrap their head around while, for others, love comes freely. Some seem forced into loving someone, while others choose to love someone. The difference between the two is huge and it isn't until genuine love walks in that one realizes that forced love was what they were being given. Real love argues over little things but forgives easily. Real love is there for you when you need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Real love does not tear the other down but builds them up and encourages them to follow their dreams and passions. Real love stays up in the middle of the night worried to death about the other one even if there is not something major to worry about. Real love lasts forever while forced love is left behind without a trace.

Just Dance!!! Or not...

In fear of further embarrassing myself and my boyfriend, Kevin, I'm going to share this video with you. It was actually kinda fun and it was nice to spend this time with him. Although I do not care for the song "Let It Go", I did find it fun to watch him dance to it as Elsa and then join him as Ana as we danced together.

Hey, if you liked this video and want to see more videos like this, click the subscribe button. I'm sure Kevin and I will be making more videos together. A chipmunk version is available from Scrima Games youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/KevinScrimaGamez?spfreload=10) or the Kevin Scrima Facebook page.

Prefer pep talks and educational videos? Then feel free to check out the Scrima Talks youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/KevinScrimaTalks). You can also access these links through the Kevin M. Scrima Facebook page.

Feel free to share your thoughts below or on the YouTube link!

ENJOY!!


Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZf3erLRAyY

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Enjoy romance books? Check out my romance memoir, "A True Love Story," on Amazon: http://goo.gl/DMJDIB
Enjoy science fiction & fantasy books? Check out an old novel of mine, "The Channels of Arsenergia," on Amazon: http://goo.gl/fpABpO

For everything about me, visit my website! At: KevinScrimaUniverse.com

~Bachelor of Arts in Creative & Professional Writing & minors in Literature and Education

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Excerpt From My Newest Murder Mystery

I never understood how I managed to get myself stuck in the middle of solving a murder but, somehow, I always did. As I stood looking at the dead body in the middle of my office floor waiting for the police to arrive, I pondered this baffling realization.

While growing up, I always wanted to be a novelist. When that dream came true, I also found myself working as an editor and an agent for my closest friend Michael. Often times, I would edit his book and get it published. Then, it was my responsibility to organize book signings, personal appearances, and other promotional functions for Michael to go to. Other times, I was too busy working on organizing those promotions to fully edit the book so I had my assistant help me as well; but those cases were few and far between. Michael preferred when I was the only one to edit his work.

Michael had come into the office with me today and stood next to me. “Why do you always find the dead bodies around here? This is what? The fourth one you found?”

“I don’t know Michael. Something like that. I just wish you didn’t have to walk in here and see that this morning.” I apologized.

“It’s okay, Anna. I’m starting to develop a new line of murder novels that I could write; starring you as main character.” Michael chuckled.

"That's not funny. Although, as long as you portray me nicely in the novel, I suppose I should be flattered."

Michael kissed my cheek. "You don't need a novel to make you feel flattered."

"This is true... You flatter me all the time."

"Ms. Taylor?" A uniformed police officer entered my office.

"Yes sir?" I turned to face him.

"I'm Lieutenant Richards. We received a call about a..." The officer spotted the body. "About a dead body... Did you leave everything as it was when you came in?"

"Yes sir. I did."

"Good. Thank you. I'm going to need a statement from both of you." Richards reached for the radio on his chest. "Dispatch, this is Richards. I need a forensics team to the Taylor-Smith Publishing Company on Fifth Avenue."

I may have forgotten to mention that I happen to own the publishing company that I work for. My partner is Joselyn Smith, a close high school friend whom, I graduated college with.

Finding Jamestown

So I had to write an essay complaining the discovery or an invention of something. As boring and bland as this was to write... Here it is:

Finding Jamestown

Dedication and hardwork can lead to many changes. Jamestown, and later Virginia, experienced a dynamic range of changes as it developed. Both of these colonies had many influences that impacted how they were formed and how they survived. It could fairly be said that these influences are what allowed Jamestown and Virginia to be the first few colonies in America. These influences included the colonist motivation for founding Jamestown, the colony’s population and economic characteristics, religion, and England’s political situation.

There would be nothing to create a colony around if there was no motivation to create the colony in the first place. The motivation for creating Jamestown was finding mineral materials such as gold and silver to send back to England and to seek religious reformation in the new world because England was to corrupt to reform. The colonists believed that they would find plenty of gold and silver in Jamestown and be able to send it back to England to gain profit. Furthermore, they believed that England was far too corrupt to reform religiously so they moved to Holland where they felt like they were losing their identity. In order to appease both their desire to reform the church and keep their English identity, the colonists moved to settle in Jamestown/Virginia colony.

After settling in Jamestown/Virginia Colony the colonists needed a way to keep bringing over settlers regardless of the harsh conditions in which they were dealing with. The Headright gave them a way to do this because it granted fifty acres to a person who paid a small annual rent. This system was a way to encourage people to come to the Jamestown/Virginia Colony and settle there. However, even though people did continue to migrate to the Jamestown/Virginia Colony, disease swept through the colony as well killing off the vast majority of the people living there. This devastated the population of the Jamestown/Virginia Colony and made labor forces for agriculture harder to come by.

At the same time the Jamestown/Virginia Colony was being built, England was having some political issues of its own. The political powers of England, the monarch and Parliament, were on the odds, out-casting the other in order to gain the power that they felt that they deserved. As each king struggled through their own battle with parliament, and even his own people at home in England, turning against him, he didn’t have much time to pay attention to the growing colonies. On top of that, England also had a civil war as the Jamestown/Virginia Colony was developed, thus leading to the King’s distraction to towards what was going on in England instead of in the colony. With the king distracted, the colonists had fewer resources and less back up from home however they had more freedom in what they did as the king was too busy to tell them what to do.

Jamestown’s and Virginia’s population and economic characteristics provided the willpower to have the discovered colony thrive. Religion, England’s political situation, and the colonist motivation lead to the successful discovering of the Jamestown/Virginia Colony. Together these influences helped form the colony. Eventually, this led to its success much farther down the proverbial road and the founding of other colonies later on.

What I've learned so far...

Okay, so I've been slowly learning many things about dating and what it means to care deeply for someone who isn't your family members.

For starters, I've learned that when you are emotionally attached to your significant other, it breaks your heart to see them suffering and hurting. I hate watching my boyfriend when he's upset or mad. It hurts me too. I've learned that sometimes all I can do is remind him that I'm here for him and that I'm ready to listen if he wants to talk.

Secondly, I've learned that, sometimes, being apart from your significant other is harder that it would seem. I miss my boyfriend so much sometimes. I think about him constantly. When he leaves, it feels like he takes a part of me with him.

And third, I've learned what its like to completely surrender my emotions, and myself for that matter, to the other person. For a while, before my relationship, I feared opening up to people and sharing my emotions, feelings, and past with people because, when I had shared limited stuff, those I shared it with abused that knowledge. I have learned though that sharing that stuff with my boyfriend has brought us closer to each other and provided a support that I never knew was possible.

I've learned more but, those are the most significant three... :)

Book Review: A True Love Story by Kevin Scrima

(PLEASE NOTE: EACH OF THE ORIGINAL REFERENCED REVIEWS MENTIONED IN THIS POST CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON.COM)

It appears that this book seems to have a lot of negative reviews on it but honestly, it is an amazing book. Reading through the other reviews, I saw that they are often ripping apart the author for the choices he made throughout the novel. Honestly, I admire the author for WILLINGLY sharing this story with the world. No one made him write the story and he definitely was not forced to publish it. 

The memoir beings by explaining how Kevin managed to, eventually, get himself involved in his little situation. Although Kevin directly states that “[he] [is] really curious about sex,” he also admits that he feels “those who lose their virginity early are lowly because they are eager to desecrate themselves so quickly [and] they desire only lust, not love” (Scrima). The experience Kevin goes through doesn’t destroy that thought process as he later states; but, instead, it shapes it differently when Kevin realizes that, although he has lost his virginity, he has something else that would be worth almost just as much, his undivided attention and love. 

As the memoir progresses, Kevin shares not only the pain that he was experiencing but, also, his reflection on everything that happened. I noticed that a few people did not like the parentheses that were spread out throughout the story. I will admit they occasionally made the story hard to follow when the parentheses went on for a few pages; HOWEVER, the addition of the parentheses allows the reader to directly see that Kevin learned from everything that he went through. Some people said that Kevin was the bad, whiny guy in the story and that Sarah was the perfect, innocent one. That is not the case at all. Sure, Kevin could have made a few different choices as things progressed in his relationship with Sarah; but here’s the thing, the appearance of love, especially in a sexually based relationship, can blind a person to what is really going on and I genuinely believe that is what happened to Kevin in this case. As for Sarah, she NEVER should have entered a relationship with Kevin if she was still in love with a guy who lived out of state. But since she did, she should have at least told Kevin that there was another guy in the picture. Without knowing there was another guy, what was Kevin supposed to do when his girlfriend would disappear to another state and come back more distant from him? 

It is mentioned in the memoir that Kevin heard voices in his head at one point in his life and that he was depressed for a while. THIS DOES NOT MAKE HIM CRAZY! Nor does it make him a narcissist, schizophrenic, or anything else! At some point in each of our lives, we are going to suffer from depression. As a matter of fact, this way my most relatable part to Kevin’s story as I have suffered through the voices in my head and the depression myself. Am I crazy? No, I just had gotten to a point in my life where I needed some encouragement and a reason to be happy. For Kevin, his cure to the voices was being with Sarah; that is until he learned she had been cheating on him the whole time. Later Kevin cured them with writing stories and providing for himself a reason to smile.

I found that, as I read the memoir, I was experiencing the heartbreak and suffering that I may feel in the event I learned my boyfriend was cheating on me. I didn’t feel bad for Kevin necessarily nor did I feel bad for Sarah or Holly. I felt bad for myself as though I had been the one to get myself involved in such a mess. This feeling was strange for me because I, until a few weeks ago, had never had a boyfriend so I had no previous memories of heartbreak that I could easily add into my sorrow. Why do I mention this? Because Kevin was able to share the pain of cheating with someone who had never had the opportunity to have her heart broken let alone be cheated on. I didn’t know what it would feel like but, because of the way Scrima wrote the book, I have an idea on how much it would hurt.

I’d like to take a moment to side track from the book directly though and discuss a few of the negative things said in the other reviews. In one review, the writer says “[They] found [themselves] wondering if there was not some exaggeration in it” (Kindle Customer on March 9^th). My question is, why would someone exaggerate a story like this? To make it more painful emotionally? To have people more interested in it? I don’t think so. A story like this is already painful enough to live through; but, to re-experience it in order to write the story would only tug at the raw emotions even more. I also can’t believe that Scrima would exaggerate the story in order to have more people interested in it. Those who would have interest in it without the exaggeration are the people Scrima wants to read the book. He wrote it to help people see that they aren’t alone if they are going through something similar; and, for those who haven’t gone through it, he wrote it to layout the warning signs, although there may only be a few. If Scrima wanted it read for other reasons, he would have written it as a fiction story and not used his real name. No, there is no way Scrima exaggerated this story. 

Another reviewer says in their review that “maybe, his mother should have taken that abortion pill when she had the chance, so no one would have to suffer from reading this book like [she] did” (Anne). WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WRITE THAT IN A REVIEW?!?! I’m sorry; I don’t see how that is appropriate to post. Believe it or not, I’m 100% positive that, somewhere in the world, there is at least one person who loves Kevin for who he is. Kevin was born for a reason. Maybe it was to publish this book or maybe it was something else; but, Kevin was born for a reason. That’s that.

And since all three of the reviewers had the nerve to complain about the poor writing of the memoir, I have one thing to say to that: when you write a novel, I would like you to let me know. I would find great delight in reading a book that is 100% flawless in its grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I guarantee that you can’t do that and here is why: even the world’s most popular writers of contemporary novels still have flaws in their books AND THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH DAYS AND WEEKS OF EDITING AND REWRITING!!! I’m sorry; I just hate that people think the grammatical errors, of which some made more of in their review that Scrima made in his whole memoir, take away from the point of the story. 

In conclusion, I would hope that people would disregard the negative reviews because this is an AMAZING novel and well-worth the read. I WOULD recommend this book to others. 

Citation: http://www.amazon.com/True-Love-Story-Unrequited-Networking-ebook/dp/B00EPRG0EE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428869302&sr=8-1&keywords=Kevin+Scrima

And the Award Goes To...

There is something very wrong with society today. Until children get to high school, and for some even in high school, they are told that they are always a winner. I hate to be the one to say it but no, not everyone is a winner nor does everyone deserve a trophy or medal.

At sports games, each child receives a trophy whether they win or lose. At concerts, we make the auditorium smaller for the elementary kids so that they believe they have a large group to perform for. We tell children that they are great at something that, in reality, they suck at it. We give them a false sense if self-esteem at a young age and when they get to high school, and later college, they find out that they aren't good at what they grew up believing they were good at. This reality hurts the child and damages their self-esteem.

Honestly, for the child's sake, it would be better to be honest with them from a young age so that they grow up doing what they are good at and not what they aren't good at.

That's all I have to say.

The Perfect Prank

So, in honor of April Fool's Day, I decided that I would play a prank on my wonderful boyfriend. I had two goals in mind. I didn't want to hurt him in any way (physically, emotionally, etc.) nor did I want him to get very mad at me. One of my sisters gave me the perfect idea.

I texted him saying, "I found out I have SDF's."

A little while later, I received a message from him verifying what I said. I assured him I had SDF.

Long story short, I told him I was dying (left out the part that it was laughter I was dying from) and after asking me several times if I was going to be okay, he realized it was just an April Fool's joke.

Feeling bad, I called him and told him I was fine and there was nothing to worry about. I only had the hiccups (the scientific name being synchronous diaphragmatic flutter or SDF).

Was it really the perfect prank? No. However, it was worth the laugh. At least on my end. It made me remember why I love him so much and why he is so fun to have around. He is such a sweet and caring man.

A man I'm proud to call my boyfriend.

Every Dream (Recovery Series Book 3) Excerpt

“Jake, we need to look into hiring another private investigator.” Alyssa said thoughtfully as they drove to the restaurant. “I know the first one said that he couldn’t find anything to help find our son but I can’t believe that it is truly a lost cause.”

“I know what you mean. We can look into hiring another one if you like. But please Alyssa, can we not talk about this tonight? I want tonight to be special for you.”

“Of course Jake. I want it to be special for you too.” Alyssa loved that about her husband. He always wanted her to feel special.

“Anytime I’m with you it is special.” Jake smiled. “I do believe that I hear a stomach growling over there…” He laughed and poked her side. “Let’s go in and have some dinner.”

Alyssa waited as Jake got out and walked around to her side of the car. Opening her door, Jake took her hand and helped her out, slipping her arm around her waist as she stood up. “I love you, baby.” She whispered as they walked into the restaurant.

“I love you too.” Jake whispered back. They were seated before he spoke again. “Alyssa… I have something that I need to tell you. It is really important that you listen to everything I have to say before you respond, okay?”

Alyssa nodded. “Okay, Jake.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. The look on his face told her that what he wanted to tell her was more than really important.

“You are an amazing woman. You have taught me a lot over the years and you have put up with a lot of my issues. I love you so much and the thought of losing you is a physical and emotional pain. I have no idea what I would do without you. Alyssa, you are my other half and no matter what I say or do to you in the coming years, I want you to always remember that I love you more than anything in the world. I regret what happened between us back when we were in college; but, even more than that, I regret neglecting you when you needed me most in the first few years of our life together.” Jake smiled sadly and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for everything. There is something I have to ask you though.”

Jake looked down for a moment then back at Alyssa. As always, when their eyes met, Alyssa only saw the man that she had loved for years. The man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with and raise her children with.

“Alyssa Marie Anderson Bryan…” Jake brought his hands above the table and set down a black velvet box. “Will you marry me?” He opened the box to reveal a diamond engagement ring. The band was white gold engraved with their names.

 “Jake… You are such a wonderful man…” Alyssa smiled. “I love being around you and spending time with you. Of course I will marry you. Again.”

“Thank you baby.” Jake slipped the ring onto her finger; the same one she wore her wedding band and first engagement ring on. He kissed her hand. “I love you.”

“I love you too Jake.”