Snow Day!

mermaids, Pintip, Writing,

Since Masha shared with us what she was not in yesterday’s post, I thought I’d tell you what I am. I am the type of person who watches a pot of water boil. No, seriously. (And it actually does boil, believe it or not.)

When we first got fish, I could sit and observe them frolic and swim around for hours. And don’t get me started on babies. Endless. Entertainment. Of course, this is from the mother who still loves to watch her son fall asleep. (Hey, he’s still in nursery school. That statement would be a lot more strange if he were, say, thirty.)

Where I draw the line, though, is watching grass grow. Too damn boring, too damn long. Yesterday, however, I found a similar, albeit more interesting and prettier, pastime: watching snow fall.

1-snow day 1

As the snow fell and fell and fell, I was thinking that the accumulation of these fluffy white flakes is a lot like writing a book. You start with these fragile, insubstantial things — words — that by themselves don’t amount to much. You throw a bunch of them together, and you might get the slightest, barest hint of a story.

1-snow day 2

You keep at it, and pretty soon, you might have a chapter or two or three.

1-snow day 3

 

If the words continue to fall steadily enough, and for a long enough period of time…

1-snow day 4

…then sooner or later, you will have something substantial, something pristine, something you would be proud to share with the world.

To all of our friends in the mermaid lagoon, whether or not the weather is balmy or frigid, I wish you all a very merry Snow Day!!

Xxxx

I am NOT an Alcoholic. Honest. I Swear.

mermaids

With the holiday season in the rearview mirror, I’d like to opine on an interesting phenomenon.   But before I do that, I have to confess I am:

Not pregnant.
Not taking medication.
Not allergic.
Not cheap.
Not a designated driver.
Not Mormon.. or Amish.. or any other religion that eschews alcohol.
Not a teetotaler.
And, definitely not a recovering alcoholic

But I have used every one of those excuses.  Because for some reason, all of them are more acceptable than the truth:  I simply don’t like drinking.   I don’t like beer or wine or liquor.   I don’t like how any of it tastes or how it makes me feel.  But when I say that, I may as well have confessed to unnatural acts with small farm animals.  It’s not less shocking or disturbing and usually leads to:  “C’mon.  Just one drink.  It won’t hurt you”..  “We’re celebrating.. why aren’t you joining in?”.. “Don’t be a party pooper.”

So here’s my question.  Why do you think it’s more acceptable for me to be a recovering alcoholic than to not like drinking alcohol?

 

What’s the Point?

Kimberly MacCarron, mermaids, Writing, , , ,

Our actions should have points to them. Characters in books generally have a point—an arc that shows where they’ve been and where they’re going. But sometimes I feel like nothing has a real point, or we’ve covered the real thing with glitter to hide the underlying problem.
Here are things that I can’t quite understand. What’s the point?

Giving free t-shirts to participants in walks for the homeless. Ummm. Not sure I get this one. I have five kids who have participated for years at their school. They get free shirts and walk around the school to help the homeless. First of all let me say quite clearly that our family volunteers and gives plenty to our local community action center. I’m not being insensitive here. I’m just wondering if we couldn’t serve the homeless a little better by actually giving them plain t-shirts or the money that it costs the companies to make them. Wouldn’t that serve the homeless a little better? I get that it’s publicity, but do the people who actually care about the homeless need the visual reminder?

Putting flyers under the windshield of cars. First of all, I WILL NEVER BUY ANYTHING THAT IRRITATES ME. And pulling random pieces of paper out from under my windshield irritates me. I’m wondering what the point of this is? I think that should be illegal. Generally the outcome is hundreds of pointless flyers littering the parking lot and lots of irritated people driving and trying to get the annoying flyer off their windshields.

Breast cancer awareness walks. I know I’m going to get people screaming in outrage for this one, but just hear me out. I’m not a great lover of breast cancer. Almost everyone has been affected by breast cancer in some way or another. We are either a survivor, know a survivor or have attended a funeral of one who didn’t survive. I just don’t understand the solidarity thing of the walk. Where are the pancreatic or prostrate walkers? Where are the walks for brain tumors? And just because someone is walking for a cure for breast cancer doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to be excited to give you money. I can give my own money in my own way for whatever charity or research I want. I don’t really care how many miles you walk for whatever reason. Just go out walk, and I’ll donate where I think best.

Bumper stickers. Who cares where your kid goes to school or if they’re on the freaking honor roll? Who cares if you’re pro-life or pro-choice? Who cares if you’re a vegetarian or a marathon runner or whatever else you think is important? Are you going to have a long-term relationship with the person behind you at a stoplight? No! And don’t get me started with the stick-figure families on the back of minivans. I have a family. That’s not what they look like at all.

Wrapping paper fundraisers. I hate you! I hate the package that comes home from school. I hate the order form and the little prizes the kids can win from making our friends and loved ones buy crappy wrapping paper. Who thought this was EVER a good fundraiser? It’s a waste of paper all around. The amount of trees that this stupid fundraiser kills is just plain awful. Trees for the order sheets and magazines showcasing overpriced wrapping paper. Then the wrapping paper itself. Then the boxes that transport the overpriced products. And then the kids get their fabulous plastic lead-filled toys from China. Woo hoo!  A winning situation all the way around!

Which brings me to my last rant of the day. Writing and publication. Why do people write stories? If we’re in the business as a business and plan to make an easy six-figure deal and glide through the whole process stress-free, then my hats go off to you if you succeed. I always said I couldn’t understand self-publishing. Why do people self-publish if they aren’t good enough for a traditional publisher? Well, I’ve changed my tune on that. It gets back to the point. What’s the point of writing? If it’s so that you can share your stories with others and make them love your characters like you love them, then what’s wrong with getting those books out there so others can enjoy them?

There should be a point to what we do. We shouldn’t get caught up in the glittery wrapping paper of life. Uncover the real points. If you want to get involved with helping the homeless, organize a food drive. If you want to help those with breast cancer, make some meals for the family or offer to help on a personal level in some other way. If you want to support your kids in school, support them with a monetary donation or give your time instead of clogging up landfills with crappy, overpriced and glittery wrapping paper. And if you want your stories to be read and appreciated by others, maybe you shouldn’t wait for that to happen.

What’s the point? Ask yourself.

Is there anything that bothers you or you think is pointless?  Here’s your chance to rant!

 

Back to Basics

Kerri Carpenter, , , , ,

Question. When you end up with a strained back and your doctor puts you on bed rest for a couple days, you have a lot of time to do which of the following:

A)     Watch Friday Night Lights

B)      Eat Cheese Nips and cookies out of boredom

C)      Realize you need to make a change

Trick Question. The answer is D – All of the Above.

A couple years ago, I lost 30 pounds on my own. I didn’t give up any foods or go on any special diets. Instead, I cut down portions and ramped up the intensity of the workouts I was already doing at the gym. It was a very healthy and safe way to lose weight.  Continue reading →

2014 Social Media Marketing (Yeah, for Books!) – What’s Your Plan?

Denny S. Bryce, Marketing, mermaids, Writing, , , , , , , ,

Denny (PortRoyale)This post has a bit of snark in it so be warned…

And yeah, another title for this post could be: How to Overwhelm and Entertain in 1000 words or less…anyway…:)

I hang out online an average of 90 minutes a day. And no, it’s not 90 minutes that I could have spent writing, or cleaning or doing something else. I am deliberately ‘hanging’ out because the source of information that is most readily attainable is online. It is NOT on TV (well, to me, I hate television news, cable o r network), it is not on the printed page (although, I do miss when back in the day, I’d spend an entire Sunday at a  cool brunch spot on the north side of Chicago, reading the Sunday New York Times and Chicago Tribute – it was so relaxing and so Zen of us:) – and its not only on Facebook (Internet, yes, but not the only source of information left on the planet).

So let me get to the point of this post. I’ve gathered a list of articles from the Internet you should read or at least skim if you intend to have a ghost’s chance in hell (watching way too much Supernatural) of effectively, consistently, and painlessly (or less painfully) using social media tools to sell/market your books and/or your brand.

And yes, if you write books to sell them, you must know and participate in the marketing of your books.

And oh, in case you stumble upon this article, and wonder who in the heck is spouting all of this information as if she knows something? Well, for the sake of credibility, in my other life, I have been a marketing professional for 25+ years – if that doesn’t work for you (I spend 90 minutes a day on the Internet, I’ve got to know something about something, right?)

Authors often look at other authors to get their perspective on what’s going on in the social media marketing arena – which is absolutely fine. We all know romance writers who are doing an exceptional job of marketing and using social media in a smart, straightforward, fresh way. And then there are those like me, marketing professionals who are writing popular fiction, romance or whatever and will be publishing or published by someone at some point, if they aren’t already off and running.social-media-marketing1

But in addition to gaining insights from authors who have great savvy about social media marketing or marketing pros who specialize in the publishing industry, I like to take a look at what the big boys in corporate marketing are doing as well.

Below are a few links. You don’t need to study every word of these articles (as if you would:), but take a moment, see what is being forecast and compare to your current social media marketing plan (and yes, you should have a plan, you don’t have time–hours in a day–to be haphazard). See if there’s something out there that’s new, or can be used differently, or more consistently, to deliver on your bottom line – which is (say it with me) – selling MORE books by finding new readers, and keeping the ones you have HAPPY. (And yes, the best way to do this is to write the best books you can write…but even that doesn’t always guarantee SALES, and/or readers, unfortunately.)

So here goes:

Social Media Marketing (Some links to take a peek at…)

http://www.brafton.com/blog/2013-social-media-marketing-trends

http://socialmediatoday.com/anitaloomba/2035211/top-digital-marketing-trends-2014

http://www.steamfeed.com/google-plus-vs-facebook-g-dominate-2014-marketing-strategy/

http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/2014-digital-marketing-trends_b53891

Okay, to recap…what’s going to be hot IMHO (or at least worth exploring):

  1. Google +
  2. Content continues to be KING (no joking)
  3. Content should include video or at least images (the eye likes a quick fix)

Big News in Publishing (or at least the most recent) and other Kick Ass Stories you May Have Missed!

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/page.aspx/LYRICALPRESS (Why is it Big News? It marks a trend you will see repeated. It’s all about where the readers – and book buyers are – putting all of your eggs in one print basket isn’t the way publishing works anymore, and you’ll see this trend duplicated, again and again. That’s my predication:)…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/penny-c-sansevieri/book-marketing-prediction_b_4394295.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&ir=Books&src=sp&comm_ref=false

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2014/01/5-key-trends-in-self-publishing-for-2014/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeremygreenfield/2013/12/26/predictions-for-book-publishing-in-2014-cutting-room-floor-edition/

http://blog.smashwords.com/2013/12/smashwords-signs-distribution-agreement.html

That’s it friends…some food for thought:)!

Happy New Year!

Also, feel free to ask questions, or complain below:)…or let me know if you have a social media marketing plan, and whether you are published or pre-published, are you thinking about your brand, or if you don’t care about marketing, let me know, I’m just curious…:)

It’s a San Diego Christmas!

Carlene Love Flores, mermaids

Hello fishy friends~ The good thing about having the flu is that it’s helping me accomplish my New Year’s resolution of sweating more. 🙂 The bad thing? Brain mush. Yep, my word noodle is about as soggy as the soup I’ve been living off the past week. But looking at the pics from my Christmas trip home to San Diego makes me happy. I hope you like them too as they’re a bit quirky, kind of like me I suppose.

1

Not on my bucket list, but I can now say I’ve seen a size 18 sneaker. I knew my trip was off to a good start when I snapped this one at one of my fave outdoor malls.

45

 Siberian Reindeer at the San Diego Zoo…Inspiration for next year’s Christmas story!

Big saint nicksMy uncle has the best t-shirts and I’m glad it was 80 degrees on Christmas Day so he could sport this one with his shorts: Tattoos & Toys for Bad Girls & Boys

hotrodUncle No. 2 had a new baby to show off and she sure was pretty. Purrs like you wouldn’t believe. Definitely going into a book.

la jolla coveAside from being at the Charger game that put them into the playoffs, this day at La Jolla Cove was my favorite. We saw seals, dolphins, scuba divers and a whale!

popcorn and cranberries

Three generations of the family sat down and strung popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree!

Reminder Pants

My dearest, dearest great aunt hosted us on Christmas Eve and I snapped this in her kitchen. I’ll tell you this much, Barona and Viejas are local casinos…Wonder what her New Year’s Even party plans were??? Love her! (Hope she remembered those pants.)

the kiss

I’ve always known we were a romantic bunch and I love that this statue sits right by our beautiful San Diego pier.

And on that lovely note, I wish you all a wonderful 2014. May you be kissed by someone who makes your heart feel that big and full of sunshine.

I heart you San Diego. Thanks for the warm Christmas!

Fishy kisses from afar (don’t want to give you my cooties),

Carlene MermaidMermaid Carlene

There and…well, Still There

Alethea Kontis, , , , , ,

One of my favorite days of the year is December 21st: Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice. This is the shortest day of the year and the longest night, marking the return of the light to the world and increasingly brighter days, which I’ve found makes me rather happy. It’s a bit of an emotional New Year, inspiring me to a new outlook on life.

I spent most of December 21st, 2013 crying like my heart was broken.

My little sister Soteria called that morning to tell me two things: that Mom and Dad had arrived safely at her house in Charleston, SC from their home in FL the night before, and that she’d gotten the results of her MRI. Turns out the reason her right side had been numb off and on for three months was a severely herniated disc in her neck that was pressing so hard into her spinal cord it was bruising it and cutting off the flow of spinal fluid. But this was nothing compared to Dad, who was apparently in so much pain from his arthritis that he was having a hard time moving around. He’d been telling us over the phone how fine he was, and as soon as Soteria discovered just how fine he wasn’t, she called.

I’m not sure if I cried on the phone, but I certainly sobbed all the rest of that morning.  I forced myself to relax enough to finish my ARC of Sarah Addison Allen’s Lost Lake (which you all need to buy immediately when it comes out in a few weeks, BTW). Sarah’s novels contain a lot of family and a little bit of magic, with a sprinkle of the South and a side helping of hope…and when I turned the last page, I had an epiphany.

There was absolutely no good reason why I wasn’t in Charleston.

Joe and I wouldn’t be picking up his daughters and heading to his parents’ house until Christmas Day anyway, which was the same day my parents planned on driving back to Florida from Charleston, since Dad had to return to work. I talked with Joe — we decided I’d leave immediately for Charleston, and then drive to his parents’ house on Christmas Day from there. I’d only arrive at his parents’ a few hours later than we planned, and were going to take two cars anyway, to accommodate presents. I showered and threw a bunch of stuff in a suitcase. Joe gave me the keys to his car, on which we’d just put new tires, and helped me load the trunk with the Christmas presents my family had all painstakingly mailed to me in multiple boxes over the past few weeks.

I felt a little guilty about driving all their presents back to them…but not too much.

I was on the road by 3pm and in Charleston a little after midnight. I had told Soteria and her husband that I’d be coming, but my parents didn’t know. My family has come to my rescue many a time over the years, and now it was my turn. Needless to say, surprising my parents when they heard voices and shuffled out of the bedroom at 1am was one of the most wonderful moments of my life.

Our tired little family had a magical early Christmas morning on December 22nd, full of songs and presents and love. The next two days were filled with the very emotional closing of Soteria’s retail shop in Charleston, and conference calls with our aunt–Dad’s sister–in Baltimore about what to do about Soteria’s MRI.

On Christmas Day, I didn’t drive to Joe’s parents’ house. Instead, Soteria and I got in the car and spent 13 hours driving to Baltimore. On December 30th she had surgery, and we spent New Year’s Eve together in a top floor corner room of Johns Hopkins hospital watching fireworks over the Baltimore Harbor.

Soteria is doing great. We’re recovering at my aunt’s house in Baltimore. Since I don’t have any book events scheduled until Marscon, I’ll be staying here with Soteria. Her follow-up appointment in January 8th, at which point the doctor is sure she’ll be able to fly back to Charleston…and then Dad flies into Baltimore on the 11th for his appointment at Johns Hopkins.

January 11th is also my birthday.

So while it looks like 2014 is shaping up to be yet another fantastical, whirlwind chapter of the adventure that is my life, let’s talk about what I’m most proud of in all this: MY SUITCASE.

I left home at the spur of the moment–packing for three days in sunny Charleston, SC. This could have been a major disaster (Baltimore is significantly less sunny). But for once, my many years of conventioning served me well and I have with me everything I need.

Contents of Alethea’s Magical Suitcase:
underwear & socks & bras
bathroom bag
makeup
yoga pants
jeans
three t-shirts (to both wear and sleep in)
sports bra & running shorts
cute short dress
short black skirt and two nice shirts
1 pair of sneakers
1 pair of mary janes

I’m not saying it’s the most *compact* suitcase-packing ever, but I didn’t care, because I was driving.  I had a dress for both the Dixie Dunbar Christmas Eve/Closing party and New Year’s Eve, I had a skirt to wear for the party on New Year’s Day when Nana and I made loukoumades for 3 hours, and my aunt has a small gym in her basement for which I am 100% prepared. (I should add that the suitcase was made even more perfect by the addition of my TARDIS  hoodie, which I’ve been wearing almost every day since early-Christmas. Thanks, Mom!)

Sure, I do laundry every 3 days. Sure, I’ll be sick of these clothes eventually. And I suppose I could go out and buy more things, but I don’t need to.

Somewhere in Northern Virginia there is a tiny Christmas tree in our apartment with unwrapped presents under it for me, and I won’t get to them until after my birthday. It’s a little strange, but so is life. The journey is what it’s all about.

Just make sure you’re packed for it.

*grin*

My question for you guys is: What are some of the items in your suitcase *you* can’t live without?

Happy New Year to all!! xox

 

 

Writing Lessons: What a New Shirt Taught Me About the Muse

generosity, Motivation, Susan Jeffery, Writing, , ,

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Susan-Mermaid-avatar   I had a “fashion” moment last Saturday.

I’d been to the hair salon for a cut and color – an absolute must before a major holiday!  I’d driven with bestie Colleen to Danbury for shopping.  First, I said, let’s stop for a bite to eat.  Then, I promised, we would attack the mall and our Christmas lists.

But, as I crossed the parking lot, I realized:

  • The shirt I was wearing didn’t feel “good” on my body anymore,
  • It was too short for the current styles,
  • And it was faded.

We must detour, I insisted.  Just a quick stop at JCPenney, I promised.  Yes, I typically take several hours to decide on anything, but this will be different!  Zipped in, scanned the offerings, tried on three shirts, selected one.  I wore it to the cashier and held out of the tag dangling from my wrist:

“I realized the shirt I was wearing is too old to be decent.” (Colleen holds up the shirt I’d arrived in as proof) “So I found this shirt, and I want to wear it right now – can you ring it up without me taking it off?”

Like this, but prettier.

Do you know, this might be my favorite shirt now?  It got me out of a fashion pickle, allowing me to shop for several more hours without that sneaking sense of frumpdom.  I even cuddled the other shirt, safely wadded up in the JCPenney bag the sales associate had offered us, gave it a farewell pat… and stuffed it in a Food Court garbage can.

That’s how determined I was not to be lured into wearing it again.  Its twin (same print, different color) is still at home, but in the bag for Goodwill.  Let someone else deal with it.

You might wonder what this has to do with writing?  Well, when opportunity knocks, you answer.  You don’t hesitate, you act!

When it’s time to write, you don’t wait.  You don’t tell yourself  “Oh, I’ll remember that!  It’s such a good idea, how could I forget it?”  You can!  You can forget it!  Give your brain five milliseconds of distraction and your inspiration is gone!

You don’t tell the Muse to hang on.  When you have the idea, it’s time to buckle down and get your work done.

I hit JCPenney with an idea in mind.  I was determined to act on the idea.  It happened.  Not because I dithered.  Because I acted!

So, here’s the lesson.  Grab your Muse, shake it loose and tell it to get off its sweet hiney and give you material.  Then, don’t wait around for that fickle bitch to show up.   Make the material happen.  She’ll figure it out.

You can do this!  It’s your choice.  Are you gonna wear that tacky old shirt and hope the writing shows up?

“I’m saying that the right man for you might be out there right now and if you don’t grab him, someone else will, and you’ll have to spend the rest of your life knowing that someone else is married to your husband.”

You can do better.  If you choose to be a writer, find it in yourself to step away from the tacky old shirts, the worn-out excuses, the distractions, and the do-overs.

The fact that you’re not answering leads me to believe you’re either (a) not at home, (b) home but don’t want to talk to me, or (c) home, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it’s either (a) or (c), please call me back.

Stupid delay tactics.  They neve work!  Which is why Harry had to run across New York to find Sally and claim her, at last, on New Year’s Eve.

Good for him.

So Grateful To Be Joyful

Health, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, ,

Following up on Alethea’s post about Famous Jammies yesterday, I’d like to talk about another short video (also 3 minutes, 45 seconds!) I found on YouTube rpintipecently. This one features Dr. Brené Brown, professor and renowned vulnerability researcher. She is perhaps best known for her TED talks on vulnerability and shame, but in this clip she talks about the connection between gratitude and joy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IjSHUc7TXM&feature=youtu.be

Namely, in her 11,000 interviews, Dr. Brown found that every single person who described his or her life as “joyful” or “joyous” also “practiced” gratitude.

By practicing gratitude, Dr. Brown doesn’t mean feeling or being grateful; rather she’s talking about a very specific and tangible gratitude exercise — keeping a gratitude journal, for example, or articulating something for which you are grateful at a certain time each day.

This relationship between joy and gratitude surprised her. She had gone into the research thinking, “If you are joyful, then you should be grateful.”
She found, instead, that “practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.”

It surprised me, too. For the last several months, I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal, where I write down five things for which I am grateful about that day. I have to admit, some days are harder than others, and sometimes, if I’m having a bad day or am feeling physically unwell, I skip the journal altogether.

I would think: “Well, that was a crap day. It’s not that I don’t have anything to be grateful for; I just don’t have the energy or the inclination to come up with five specific things right now. Tomorrow, when I’m feeling better, I’ll try again.”

Now, Dr. Brown’s insights make me wonder if I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. Maybe the very fact that I choose NOT to practice gratitude contributes to my bad day. Maybe the times when I  need my gratitude journal the MOST are the tough days, not the joyous ones.

So, instead of avoiding my gratitude journal, I’m going to make a point of writing in it when I’m feeling my worst. In addition, per Dr. Brown’s suggestion, my family and I now practice a gratitude exercise every evening, where we light a candle and go around the circle saying what we are each grateful for. It is another source of joy in my life to see what my kids come up with every day.

We’ll see if Dr. Brown is right. I suspect she is. 🙂

What about you? Do you practice any gratitude exercises? Do you agree with Dr. Brown? What do you believe is the connection between gratitude and joy? What are you grateful for today?

 

Famous Jammies

Alethea Kontis, ,

There’s a link that’s gone viral — a family’s 2013 Christmas Card performance called “Christmas Jammies.” And when I say viral I mean it — since it was uploaded on December 11, this video has been watched over SEVEN MILLION TIMES.

Here it is, in case you haven’t had the pleasure — it’s really cute & super fun for the whole family! (Here’s the link for those who can’t see the video embed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kjoUjOHjPI )

Most of the comments say things like, “I love these people!” and “I want to be part of this family!” when in reality, if most of us presented our kids with matching Christmas PJs on December first and told them we were all going to rehearse a family video that would be LIVE ON YOUTUBE FOR ALL THEIR FRIENDS TO SEE, the result would be massive rolling eyes and filing for emancipation.

These are the things I thought when I watched this video. Did you notice how it’s not only a Christmas card, but also a promotion for their new family business? Yup, snuck that in there with a hashtag and everything.

Those of us who live our lives in front of the world…this is what it looks like.

FUN, right?

I’m a renaissance woman of the 21st century — I’m on just about every social media site and have my own YouTube channel. The Fairy Godboyfriend’s latest idea is for me to play the Marvel Lego videogame on a live Twitch feed so that my fans can watch me play Captain America.

And all of this *is* fun. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t do it.

Except…the part where we can’t go grocery shopping without considering the potential promotional angle, and everyone hates us because they assume we are happy & enthusiastic 365 days a year.

We are the workaholics that never stop…but we love what we do. It helps when our family loves it too.

The up side? We can write OUR ENTIRE LIVES off on our taxes.
And if you’re smiling, then we’re doing our jobs right.

So what’s your take on this viral Christmas business? How many of you think the son or daughter will grow up to be movie stars…and how many think they will simply  demand this video be removed from the internet?