The Death of America, Happy 4th! & IWSG

"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper."

As we've been seeing lately, major countries and their decisions affect the world. We live in a global economy, and I for one think that's an amazing thing. The world feels a bit smaller, more accessible.

So what is my deal? Why am I calling America's demise?

History. And no, it's not what you think. Last month a friend posted about a negative population growth and asked people's opinions on the matter. The majority thought this was a great thing. More resources for the rest of us!

First of all, let's define a negative population growth: It means the current population isn't producing enough children to replace the current generation. Basically, Mom and Dad decide to only have one child. Or a fur baby instead.


A few years ago I attended a lecture given by a man whose job is to track population growth, decline, and the affects it has on the economy and every day life. (He works for the US government). Until that evening, I might have thought a declining population growth wasn't a big deal.

I WOULD HAVE BEEN WRONG. SO WRONG.

We're already seeing the results in many European countries. Their numbers dwindle, and so does their world influence, their financial status, and their ability to support themselves as a country. They begin taking on debts to stay above water, and then default on them or raise taxes beyond reason. How many countries are bankrupt at the moment?

When good people stop making proactive choices that benefit others, the world suffers.

Think about this: an educated, thriving couple decides not to have children, while the druggie on the other side of town ends up irresponsibly spawning 3, 5, 7 kids (whom they don't raise). Who is the future of that nation? What kind of future can the generation after that expect? What kind of country is this going to be in just a generation or three?

Jobs go empty. Pay increases for menial labor that no one cares to do, and then the cost of living skyrockets. Cities shrink and empty homes fall into disrepair. Because there are less producers, there is less national product, and the tax burden falls heavily on the workers who remain. There aren't enough doctors, police, firefighters etc. to support the populace. Out of necessity, high paying jobs go to other countries because the basics (like food production) must be covered on the home turf. That, or immigrants end up filling the vacancies. Roads, sewers, and electrical sources crumble because there aren't enough able bodied people and finances to maintain them. The wealthy find homes in more prosperous, less taxed locations, and after only a generation or two, we live in a second world country. Or third. 

The lecturer I listened to was sincerely terrified for the future of this great nation. He was raising the warning voice and asking us to raise it as well.

All things change. I get that, but please tell me there are a few other people out there responsibly and intentionally raising the next generation FOR THE SAKE OF THE FUTURE. (I'm raising enough to cover at least one and a half other families...which doesn't stretch a long way.)  

Let's not intelligence ourselves and our kids out of a prosperous future.

Happy Birthday, America.

And last of all, the IWSG question for the month: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

My overall writing goals remain the same: get out the rest of my tri-series and capstone book/series, then everything else. Basically, share all the cool stories burning through my brain. The timeline is different though. It's not a big deal if I can't get back into the stress of publishing for a couple years. I'm also more focused on what my writing is saying. What positive message am I planting in readers heads? How am I exploring the range of traumas & emotions we poor humans experience?

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Nicki Elson, Juneta Key,
Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne!

Last month Donna K. Weaver shared KINGS CROSSED LOVERS along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed was entered to win an audiobook or eBook of SWING VOTE.

The game:

1. I was interviewed on TV just before the release of the last Harry Potter Book, Deathly Hallows.
2. I started school in Greece.
3. I flunked the second grade.

The lie: #2. Donna actually did flunk second grade. *gasp* But she's definitely made up for it since. Out of hard things we gain greater strength.

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Sherry Ellis!

Congrats, Sherry!

How is your summer going? How about a little mystery to spruce it up? Check it out:

A dilapidated sailboat for your anniversary—not very romantic. A dead body on board—even worse.

Mollie McGhie is hoping for diamonds for her tenth wedding anniversary. Instead, her husband presents her with a dilapidated sailboat. Just one problem—she doesn’t know anything about boats, nor does she want to.

When Mollie discovers someone murdered on board, she hopes it will convince her husband that owning a boat is a bad idea. Unfortunately, he’s more determined than ever to fix the boat up and set out to sea.

Mollie finds herself drawn into the tight-knit community living at Palm Tree Marina in Coconut Cove, a small town on the Florida coast. She uncovers a crime ring dealing in stolen marine equipment, investigates an alien abduction, eats way too many chocolate bars, adopts a cat, and learns far more about sailing than she ever wanted to.

Can Mollie discover who the murderer is before her nosiness gets her killed?

A Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mystery - #1

Buy your copy now on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

Ellen Jacobson writes mystery and sci-fi/fantasy stories. She is the author of the “Mollie McGhie Sailing Mystery” series. She lives on a sailboat with her husband, exploring the world from the water. When she isn't working on boat projects or seeking out deserted islands, she blogs about their adventures at The Cynical Sailor. 

You might run across Ellen on the open sea, enjoying some tasty goat cheese, especially on crusty bread along with some prosciutto or Parma ham.

Ellen gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. If you guess the lie, right or wrong, you will be entered to win an EBOOK of MURDER AT THE MARINA. (Open internationally.) DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT OR AN EMAIL ON YOUR PROFILE? No problem. EMAIL crystal@crystal-collier.com to enter.

You have until Tuesday, July 31 at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on August 1st, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I once dressed up as Lt. Uhura from Star Trek for a scifi/fantasy convention.
2. I refuse to eat anything that has a wooden stick in the middle, like Popsicles.  
3. I'm allergic to tetanus shots and try to avoid stepping on rusty nails at all costs. 

So sleuths, which is the lie? What are your feelings on a negative population growth? Are you worried too? Have you met Ellen? Do you like clean cozy mysteries?

Who is Telling You Lies & IWSG

Truth is truth. Am I right?

Huge thanks for hosting
Alex Cavanaugh, Tamara Narayan, Pat Hatt, Patricia Lynne,
Juneta Key, and Doreen McGettigan!

I remember attending public schools in which we were somewhat indoctrinated to love our country. (It's bound to happen when the government controls the curriculum, eh?) Still, it wouldn't have mattered. As I learned true accounts of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and others, I fell for their justified rebellion, and more especially, their vision while establishing a new nation.

To add to my patriotism, my Grandfather served in WWII as a pilot. He did his duty to country and world in battling genocide and socialism. My father likewise served in the Air Force as a doctor. Is it any wonder I would value my country?

Then I went to college.

The best history professor I've ever known emphasized again and again that history is entirely up to interpretation. He required us to read opposing original documentation (essays, surveys, etc) from specific eras. The goal was for us to look at the evidence remaining from another time period, and come to our own conclusions about the truth in the world.

At this point, I learned that some truth is based on personal interpretation.

We garner fundamental truths from our parents or our education, but the key is to keep an open mind and know when truth is solid, and when it is someone's interpretation.

As I've studied to write in other time periods, I've learned that people are mostly the same no matter the age (same sins, same weaknesses, same desires and hopes), but current society (social rules, cultural traditions, etc) shape a huge part of our reality. We all share aspects of our society, but our core values come from our personal truth.

For me, one MAJOR core truth is:

Personal agency, or the right to choose, is the key to happiness (or pain) in this life.

In writing, the stories we love are the ones where people make choices against overwhelming odds and conquer. (Like the Founding Fathers of America.) Why should life be any different?

If someone is telling you you deserve the easy path, that everything should be handed to you on a platter, they're lying. You deserve to fight. You deserve to choose, right or wrong, how your life will go, and the consequences that go along with each choice. You are ultimately the hero of your own story, and no one should take away your right to win your own battles.

So today (and yesterday), I celebrate America and all it stands for: its diversity, its freedom, its people. To me, it is the greatest nation on Earth.

(This has been an answer to the IWSG post question for the month: What is one valuable lesson you've learned since you started writing?)

Two weeks ago, Beth Ellyn Summer shared AT FIRST BLUSH along with two truths and one lie. Anyone who guessed which was the lie was entered to win an eBook.

The game:

1. I really hate movies! So much so that I haven't been to a movie theater in eight years. 

2. I appeared in a Saturday Night Live sketch once as an extra! It was nearly impossible not to laugh, especially around such a brilliant cast, but I kept a straight face.

3. I never learned to ride a bike.

The lie: #2.

From Beth: I interned for Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon and spent plenty of time migrating over to visit the SNL studios, but I've never been in an actual sketch. It's a dream of mine though! Imagine getting to say those magic words, "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" ? *swoons*

And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

Juneta Key!

Congrats, Juneta!

And now for a lovely debut novel I can't wait to read:

Music was her driving passion and the truest expression of her faith, but three months before her wedding, twenty-year-old Kasia Bernolak can’t even pick up her guitar. Feeling like a fraud who will ruin her dad’s pastoral reputation, she can barely meet his eyes. When Kasia finds the strength to break off her engagement, she still doesn’t realize the dangerous truth: Blake Hamilton isn’t ready to say goodbye. And he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her. 

Alexander “Zan” Maddox has seen what a domineering man can do to an unsuspecting woman, and Zan is sick of injustice. He gave up a college baseball scholarship so he could protect his sister from her abusive husband. When he rescues Kasia from her ex-fiancé, he instinctively appoints himself her personal bodyguard. Now, all he has to do is keep from falling for her himself.

Kasia and Zan become fast friends, but true healing and justice might cost more than either of them is willing to pay

Buy your copy on Amazon.

Ready to meet the author?

Bethany Kaczmarek loves to share her own journey of healing and redemption with anyone who needs it. Back from the Polish mission field where she and her husband worked with college students for six years, their home is often filled with twenty-somethings who come over for a listening ear (though she’s willing to admit it could also be for the board games and food). Other job titles: Wielder of Red Pens, Grammar Ninja, Wiper of Tears and Milk, Indie Music Connoisseur, and Friend. Bethany writes about places where grit meets Grace. Find out more about her at www.bethanykaczmarek.com.

Bethany is trying not to be obsessed with Drunken Goat cheese. It's as creamy and mild as gouda, and it's her "preciousssss." As someone who lived for years in Europe,  she got used to delicious cheeses--more than she could name. But she's recently developed an allergy to cow protein, so goat and sheep cheeses have become her cheesy lifelines. She moved to Wisconsin this month, and is literally surrounded by cheese, cheese curds, and Cheese Heads.

Bethany gave me two truths and one lie to test your "lie detector" skills. If you guess the lie, right or wrong, you will be entered to win an ebook of STRAINS OF SILENCE! (Open internationally.) If the randomly selected winner guesses correctly, they will receive a print copy of the book. (Continental US only.) DON'T HAVE A BLOGGER ACCOUNT WITH AN EMAIL ON THE PROFILE? PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE COMMENTS OR EMAIL IT TO crystal@crystal-collier.com WITH YOUR SCREEN ALIAS.

You have until Tuesday, August 1st at 2 p.m. EDT to guess. Be sure to come back for the answer on August 2, 8 a.m. EDT.

TRUTH OR LIE

1. I've been married for 19 years, and we've moved 15 times.
2. I once lived in the country and had a cat named Taxi, because it amused us all to call for her.
3. I collect place mats from all over the world, and I love mixing them up at the table.

So sleuths, which is the lie? Have you met Bethany? How do you feel about personal agency? What is one major truth you have learned in life or through writing?