Posts Tagged ‘living and life’

Conversations With Ruth Ann Nordin

Posted: April 21, 2014 in Author Interciew, Writing
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There is so much I’d like to say about Ruth, but I only have limited space to do so. Let me start with the things you definitely should know about her: Ruth is a prolific author, having written an astounding forty-six books, consisting of many different types of romance, as well as science fiction, fantasies, and non-fiction. A co-founder of that wondrous blog Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, many authors, including myself, look forward to her articles on how to self-publish cheaply and to do it well. And having been in the business for a number of years, she knows what she’s talking about. Though if you ask her, she will say that she still has a lot to learn.

I was able recently to sit down with Ruth and pick her brain on writing, her experiences with writing, and what she’s been up to lately. And as always, it was a wonderful and illuminating experience.

How did you get into writing?

When I was in the eighth grade, I went to the library looking for a certain plot.  I searched through all the books in a section and couldn’t find the book I wanted to read.  Then it occurred to me that I could write the book and read it.

Do you have a routine when it comes to writing?

I wish I did, but I don’t.  I do have the luxury of staying home during the day so I can write, but I also have a husband and four kids to take care of, and they are constantly interrupting me.  I pretty much write during the entire day, but I write in 10-20 minute spurts.

How did you get into self-publishing and what has the experience been like?

I got into self-publishing because I wanted to have full control over the content in my books.  My experience has been extremely rewarding and surprising.  The rewarding part is that I get to see my books in ebook and in paperback.  I have the pleasure of going back and reading them whenever I want.  The surprising part is how quickly self-publishing took off for authors.  Back in 2009 when I gave up on the idea of going with a publisher, I pretty much assumed I would never sell any books.  Back then, there wasn’t this expectation you could make money self-publishing books.  You believed the publisher was the only way to see money (via advances and royalties).  These days, the opposite is true.  Never in a million years, did I think things would be as they are today.

Why did you help start “Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors”?

At the time Stephannie Beman and I decided to create the blog, there was no other blog out there dedicated to helping other authors who were thinking of self-publishing their books.  I had searched the internet, and it seemed that every blog I came across was dedicated to helping authors who were looking to find a traditional publisher.  I wanted to educate, inspire, and support other authors who wanted to self-publish their books.  Back then, the big thing was just letting authors know it was okay to self-publish.  There was a lot of stigma associated with self-publishing.  Today, that stigma is still there, but it’s so small that it doesn’t even come on the radar.  These days, the focus is more on educating new writers on how to produce quality books that can compete with (and often be even better) than traditionally published books.

What inspires you the most?

The characters in my stories are the ones that inspire me to write.  If I don’t feel an emotional connection to them, then the book isn’t worth writing.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m usually doing household chores, spending time with family and friends, or reading.  Most of my reading is nonfiction, some for spiritual growth and some for research on how to better write or run my business.  My fiction reading is mostly for genres apart from romances.  I write romances so much that I like to get a break from the genre to read other things.  I love horror the most, probably because it’s a lot different from romance.

What are you working on now?

I always have several projects going on at the same time.  I’m working on two co-authored books with Stephannie Beman and three that are on my own.  Four are historical western romances and one is a contemporary fantasy romance.  See why I like a break from romances when I read?

If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have three books to pass the time till you were rescued, what would those books be?

The Bible, How to Market a Book by Johanna Penn, and Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World by Kristen Lamb.

 

If you would like to find out more about Ruth, you can visit her on Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, as well as on her website, her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter. And while you’re at it, make sure to check out any of her 46 books. I bet you won’t regret you did.

The Leibster Award…Nominated Again!

Posted: April 17, 2014 in Living and Life, Reflections, Writing
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I love these award memes. I should definitely try to revive the one I created a while back. But first, I have to thank Arran Bhansal for nominating me for this award. I really appreciate it. Now onto the rules:

1. Write 11 random facts about myself.

2. Answer 11 questions Arran came up for me.

3. Nominate 11 bloggers (if I can think of that many).

4. Come up with 11 questions for my nominees.

Okay, 11 random facts about myself. Let’s see:

1. I take precautions to keep spirits from getting into my room. Does that surprise anyone? Mainly salt, because it acts as a purifying presence against evil. Works incredibly well. I sleep much more easily these days.
2. I am terrible with names and faces. Sometimes I even forget my own.
3. I once heckled a comedian. I regretted it afterwards and have been occasionally beating myself up over it ever since. Still not sure why I did it. Bad case of judgment, I guess.
4. My most recent date was back in February or early March. It’s someone I’m friends with, but I think I’d like to just stay friends with them on reflection. Still, it was a lovely date and I think we became closer.
5. Today I remembered some animated movies I used to love but haven’t seen in years. Does anyone else remember The Black Cauldron or The Princess and the Goblin?
6. When my sister and I were little, people used to ask my parents which one of us was adopted because we both looked so different. My dad would joke that one of us was actually the mailman’s kid, and he was black. Nobody was sure if he was being funny or serious.
7. I’m a terrible singer. It’s never stopped me from trying though.
8. My favorite animal is a tiger. They’re so big, majestic and yet so dangerous and vicious. What’s not to love?
9. My study abroad group and I want to see a play at the Globe when we’re in England. I hope it ends up happening! It’d be so cool to go there and see an actual play in a recreation of the place where Shakespeare had his plays performed.
10. I once considered getting my hair dyed black. I’m glad I kept my hair naturally blonde, though. It looks better that way.
11. If I were to get a tattoo, it’d be of The Great Red Dragon as depicted in the William Blake painting on my back. Yes, that is a reference to one of the Hannibal Lecter books. Still really scary and awesome, though. Am I right?

And now for the 11 questions.

1. Who has been the greatest inspiration for your writing? Probably Stephen King and Anne Rice. They were the ones who made me realize my love of horror and spurred me on to write deep, powerful stories with ideas of love, fear, growth and reflections of what it means to be human. Of course, JK Rowling and the HP books got me into writing in the first place, so I guess you could say she has had the biggest influence of all.

2. Do you have a specific writing routine? I wish. My life doesn’t allow for it at the moment. It’s mostly when I can find the time to write. That’s when I do it.

3. How do you unwind when you’re not writing? I read, watch TV or surf the net. These days I tend to do less of that though. There’s just only so much you can find on the Internet before it just seems like the same old trash in new forms.

4. How much of you is in your main characters? Depends on the character. Some characters are based directly on me. Others have had my life experiences wrapped into their origin stories or their interests are similar to mine. And others are so far removed from me they’re separate people altogether. But I don’t mind that. After all, it’d be boring if they were all based on me, weren’t they?

5. What are your views on the traditional vs. self-publishing debate? Well, I’m a self-published author and I write for a website that tries to help other authors self-publish, so I guess that kind of tells you my views. If you look at the publishing industry, there’s never really been a point when the industry has been “stable”, because it’s always in flux. If you ask me though, I think it’s great that people still want to go with traditional publishing houses. Good for them. I just feel that those houses are pickier than ever about what books they publish, so they’re sending more people to self-publish and that leads to the publishers facilitating their own deaths. Weird, but it’s true.

6. What are you currently working on? I’m trying to get through Laura Horn, a thriller novel I’ve been trying to write since last year. Because of my life, it’s been an on-and-off project I hope to finish it this summer though, if I can.

7. Is there anyone you can talk to about your work, or do you find that you can’t relate to others? I’ve been fortunate to meet plenty of people online and off who help me every day with my writing, so it’s wonderful that I’ve got this great support network. I hope someday to repay all of them for the help. Just not sure how.

8. What was the last book that truly moved you? I guess that’d be Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s an awesome story. You can read my review of it here.

9. Do you listen to music when you write? Yes, usually classical music and opera. I find I write better with the pure, organic sounds of the greats in my ears. I’ve got a whole playlist on my iPod devoted to them. I call it my Writing Music.

10. If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be? Your worst nightmare.

11. Finally, very random.  If you could be a farmyard animal, what would you be, and why? That is random. I guess a tomcat. So much freedom to just run around and catch mice and curl up in the sun. Of course, I wouldn’t mind being a nice big dog either. Plenty of room to run around and watch sheep and lick faces. Woof!

Okay, let’s see if I can nominate 11 bloggers:

1. Angela Misri.

2. Stories by Williams

3. Writing in a Dead World

4. Quoth the Wordsmith

5. Life and Other Disasters

6. Timothy Pike, freelance copy editor.

7. Therin Knite

8. Osharlequin

9. Lesley Carter

10. Jodie Llewellyn

11. 2bcreativeblog.

As for the questions, here we go:

1. What is your favorite genre of fiction?
2. What scares you the most?
3. When you were growing up, what did you want to be when you were an adult?
4. If you could hang out with one superhero for a day, who would you pick and why?
5. What is your pet peeve?
6. What is something you never thought you’d end up doing but you found yourself doing it?
7. What do you look for in a potential romantic partner?
8. What is something you wish you could change about yourself?
9. What is something you’d like to do before you’re 80?
10. What is your fondest childhood memory?
11. If you found a large brown spider crawling up your leg right now, how would you most likely react?

Okay, that’s all for now. I’ve got a bunch of people to tell that they’ve won an award. Good night everybody!

Reborn City: Reviews, ABNA, and a Big Sale!

Posted: April 16, 2014 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Review, Writing
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Reborn City

I’ve been meaning to write this post since Monday (along with 2 or 3 other posts) but life hasn’t been kind enough to allow me to do so. In addition to classes and work and homework, there was Passover, the Jewish holiday celebrating the Exodus from Egypt. I’ve been to two seders in the past two days, and both of them consumed my evenings, so there was definitely no time to write a blog post.

But today miraculously I finished my homework in the early afternoon, so now that classes are over, the laundry is running, and I’ve nothing else to draw my attention right now, I’m going to knock out some blog posts, starting with this one. And if you’ve seen the title, you can tell it’s about Reborn City.

First, I’m happy to say that RC got its fifth review on Amazon last week (I would’ve posted about it sooner but I wanted to see how things went with the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. More on that below). It’s taken a while to get to five reviews, but I’m happy to say it finally happened. And this one comes from my dad, who despite being my dad is not one to pull his punches and say everything I want to hear about my novel. I’m not kidding, he’s panned some of my early work before.

Anyway, my dad gave me a five-star review, which he entitled A real page turner. This is what he had to say:

As a first published novel, this is a great effort. There are some technical/editing issues, but the story is quite good.
Characters are well-developed and the world that the author creates is quite believable–even with the superpowers of the Hydra members. I am looking forward to the sequel as there is definitely some unfinished business.

Well Abba, I hope to have the next book in the trilogy, Video Rage, edited by the end of this summer, so hopefully we can resolve that unfinished business sooner rather than later. And I’m glad you enjoyed the book and found it believable. I’ve always been the kind of guy who’s believed that a story isn’t good unless the reader can believe it, so it’s good to know that at least one reader does.

Now for some sad news. On Monday afternoon, I found out that Reborn City did not make it to the quarter-finals of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Yeah, I know. I was hoping it would get to the quarter-finals as well. But you know what? This was my first novel, so I wasn’t expecting an underdog coming to the forefront and winning the whole darn thing. And my aunt made a good point on Facebook, that it was amazing that I made it to the second round to begin with. So I’m not too bummed out, though I’m a little jealous of the other authors who made it to the quarter-finals. And there’s always next year. Snake will be out by then, so maybe I’ll have a bit more luck next year than I did this year. You never know.

And finally, I’ve got a big announcement. May 1st is the six-month anniversary of Reborn City being published. In honor of that–and partly because I’ll be out of the country for most of the month–I’m putting RC‘s ebook on sale for the entire month. Instead of costing $2.99 as it usually does, the ebook will only cost $0.99 from May 1st to May 31st. And from June 1st to June 14th, the ebook will cost $1.99, after which it will go back to regular prices. Sounds great, right?

As for the print book…well, Amazon kind of sets the prices for that, so that’s kind of out of my power. But hey, if you want to read the print version, it’s a little less than nine dollars right now, so it’s definitely more affordable than a month of Netflix.

If you would like to check out Reborn City, you can find it on Amazon and on Smashwords. And if you’d like to read an excerpt before you check out the reviews, you can click here. And if you do decide to read RC, please let me know what you think of it when you’re done. I love hearing feedback from readers, positive or negative (just as long as it’s not a review left by a troll. Those are never fun).

That’s all about RC for now. I’ve got 3 more blog posts to write, so I’m going to get on them. Wish me luck and Happy Passover!

Self-Pub Authors: When Trolls Attack!

Posted: April 13, 2014 in Journalism, Living and Life, Social Activism
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There have been a spate of articles, petitions, and organizations and groups popping up lately, all with one purpose in mind: to expose the evil of people who bully authors and others online, leaving hurtful reviews and comments all for the sake of their own cruel pleasure. I thought I’d add my two cents in and write an article about what one should do if exposed to this sort of harassment from “Internet trolls”, as they’ve come to be called.

If you head over to Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, you’ll be able to read my article When Trolls Attack! which has some very good tips on what to do if, God forbid, you are exposed to that sort of bullying. And if you have been exposed to any trolling on the Internet, I hope things are better now. And if they aren’t, I hope that maybe some foo these tips might be of service.

And if you’re a self-published author, I highly recommend taking the time to look through this site. Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors is full of many helpful articles that are designed to make self-publishing not only cheap, but easy and fun. I’m proud to be one of the writers on the blog, and the others are very amazing writers whom I admire for their work and dedication.

And speaking of Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, I thin I mentioned the other day that I wrote five articles coming out in the next couple of weeks on that site before I leave for my study-abroad trip. The first article, Doing An Excerpt, came out last Tuesday if I remember correctly. Today’s article is the second one. On the 22nd we have Creating Character Names. On the 27th we have Creating an Acknowledgements Section. And finally on May 1st we have What Makes A Strong Character? All good stuff, and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

That’s all for now. I’ve homework to do, so I’m going to go and do it. If I get a chance, I’ll write another post later. Until then, have a good day, my Followers of Fear!

Some Good News, Some Bad News

Posted: April 11, 2014 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Reflections, Review, short story, Writing
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Good News: Somehow I managed to get several articles written for Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors, all of which will come out in the coming weeks leading up to my study abroad trip. The next one comes out tomorrow, if I remember correctly.

Bad News: As the end of the semester comes closer, I’ve got a number of exams and papers to prepare for, including a 25-30 page paper for a research seminar! Oy vey! So as much as I’d like to focus on making progress in Laura Horn before I go abroad, I doubt that with my workload I’ll make it to Chapter 35, which would be a nice stopping-point before I go on my trip.

Good News: A short story I wrote for a class assignment got an A+ from the teacher, who “cried at the end of the story” and wanted me to publish it, along with some suggestions on ways to edit it. I plan to submit it somewhere this weekend, as well as submit a couple other short stories to other magazines.

Bad News: Another short story I wrote got rejected from a magazine this morning. I’ll try submitting it somewhere else, but I worry. Some of the criticism the editor gave me made me wonder if this short story is as good as I thought it was.

Good News: Reborn City got another five star review. This, along with a sale I plan to hold next month and the possibility of making it to the next round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award make me hopeful.

Bad News: I won’t know about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award until Monday most likely, and I don’t want to go into more detail about the review or the sale until I have that info. Plus, RC‘s my first novel and I’m up against 399 other books in my category, all vying for 100 spots at most. I hope the excerpt I gave them is good enough!

Good News: I’ve found a camcorder that is within my budget that I can get after I get back from my trip. Creating book trailers and maybe starting a YouTube show or improving my YouTube channel might get easier with one of those camcorders.

Bad News: My local theater isn’t playing a movie I really want to see, a horror film with Karen Gillan of Doctor Who fame. Well, that’s not as bad as it could be. I might know a certain woman (my mother) who’ll want to go see it with me, even if we have to drag her fiancee with us to do it. Forget I mentioned it.

When you get right down to it, a self-published novelist’s life is never easy, especially when you also happen to be a student with a part-time job and a lot of homework. Sometimes, like when I get criticism from magazine editors, I feel a little down. But there’s always opportunity for improvement. There are people who enjoy what I write and let me know when they get the chance to do so.

When I first started writing this blog nearly three years ago, I was just some freshman with one publishing credit to my name, a novel in need of some serious editing, and no idea how I was going to build a following or get my novel onto the printed page. Nearly three years later, I have a few more publishing credits, I’ve got two books out, a third on its way, and two more in various stages of writing/editing. I write articles occasionally for another website to help other self-published authors out, and I’ve made some friends who’ve been invaluable assets in helping me get this far.

So is my life as a writer ideal? I don’t know a single writer who can say that their lives are ideal. Even the biggest names in the industry are wracked by the usual anxieties, wondering if their work is up to scratch or if people will think their manuscript is sh*t or if they’ll ever live up to their childhood idols or if they’ll sell any copies.

I think for where I am at this point in my career, I’m at a pretty good stage. Would I like things to be better? I don’t know a single writer who wouldn’t want that. But I’m a lot better off than I could be, and I have plenty of space to improve, and the resources and friends to allow me to do that.

So as the weekend creeps nearer, I’m going to work to improve, to write and to publish and be the best I can be.

Good News: The future is open, and my Tarot tells me fortune is headed my way. I’m heading to meet it.

Snake: Two Months Away

Posted: April 10, 2014 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Scary Stuff, Writing
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Two months away.

Two months away.

It’s hard to believe. So much time has passed by, but you lose track of it and then these things just sneak up on you. I’m a little in shock. My youngest sister Liat is fourteen as of today. I remember when she was an itty-bitty baby, and now she’s a teenager with a really dark sense of humor. What happened in fourteen years?

But in all seriousness, two months from today my second novel Snake will hit the digital bookstores, where people can download it to their e-readers or order a print copy should they choose to do so. It’s been a very exciting process getting Snake ready for publication, and I’m looking forward to putting it out and hearing what people think of it.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Snake, here’s the blurb I’m using to advertise it:

How far will you go for love and revenge? When a young man’s girlfriend is kidnapped by the powerful Camerlengo Family, he becomes the Snake, a serial killer who takes his methods from the worst of the Russian mafia. Tracking down members of the Camerlengo Family one by one for clues, the Snake will go to any lengths to see the love of his life again…even if it means becoming a worse monster than any of the monsters he is hunting.

Sounds interesting, right? Either that or kind of twisted and creepy. I’ve gotten both reactions before. Anyway, I hope you’re looking forward to reading Snake as much as I am looking forward to you reading it. And if you want to read an excerpt from Snake, you can click here and do so. Or you can scroll down a little and watch the book trailer for Snake. I promise you, it’s veeery creepy.

Have a good day, my Followers of Fear! I know I am, and so is probably my sister. Happy Birthday, Liat. Don’t go too wild on your birthday, okay?

Self-Pub Authors: Doing an Excerpt

Posted: April 7, 2014 in Journalism
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I decided that before I left for my study-abroad trip and got nearly zero-writing done, I’d write several articles for Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors. God knows I have enough ideas for articles. This is the first, Doing an Excerpt, with some helpful tips on picking passages from your latest work to use as excerpts on blogs, in contests, and in the back of your latest released book (there’s something I should try!).

Please take your time and explore Self-Pub Authors. It’s a really helpful website and it’s got articles from several different authors, myself included, on how to do self-publishing for little to no cost. And if you find the articles helpful, feel free to subscribe. We’ve got articles coming out all the time, so there’s never an end to the useful information you can read.

All for now. I’ve got an appointment in a bit, so I’ll get ready for that. Have a nice day, my Followers of Fear.

Laura Horn: Part II Done

Posted: April 6, 2014 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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One of the creatures I think represent Laura Horn. It definitely captures her spirit.

I was starting to doubt I’d get this done before I left for my study abroad trip, but I got through Part II of my novel-in-progress Laura Horn. This brings me a bit closer to finishing the entire novel, and I’m happy to say it’s really starting to take shape.

Laura Horn is a story of a girl who is a victim of sexual assault but never told anyone about it. When she gets her hands on something belonging to elements within the American government, she becomes the one person who can bring down to stop a plot against the United States of America. At the same time, she must also face her past and learn to walk to the future. That was the concept that I started writing with, but since then it’s also morphed into a very different story than the one I originally envisioned. Along with being a story about overcoming the past (with a political thriller plot in the background), LH has also become a story about learning to trust again, about being a true friend in times of crisis, and about being courageous in the face of overwhelming odds.

If this book were written by any other author, it might make for great YA fiction. But since it’s me, I’m not sure it could really count as YA fiction. Heck, Reborn City has plenty of elements of YA, but I doubt you’d call that YA either, given the thematic nature of the novel. And Snake? No way in hell can that be called YA. That’s straight thriller with elements of a slasher film.

So now for the page and word counts. And remember, when I say “page”, I mean 8.5″ x 11″ paper with twelve-point Times New Roman font. That’s the thing with doing these counts: there are those who care more about the page count, and then there are those who measure with word counts, usually other writers who distinguish the differences between short stories, novels, and everything in-between using word counts. It’s a weird dichotomy, and one of these days I’ll write a blog post about it. But now is not the time for it.

Anyway, the page counts for the Prologue, Part I, and Part II were 10, 43, and 107 pages respectively, for a total of 160 pages. And the word counts are 2,190 for the Prologue, 12,019 for Part I, and 29,634 words for Part II. That puts the total word count at this moment at 43,843 words. Wow, that’s quite the increase in page and word count since I finished Part I. We’re well into novella range, which I define as between forty-thousand and sixty-thousand words (60,000+ I define as a novel).

Anyway, I might take a break from fiction writing tomorrow and just veg out on TV. Then on Monday, assuming my homework isn’t trying to bury me, I’ll start Part III, which I’ve entitled “The Ringleader”. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll finish it before I leave for Europe. Not likely, but I can hope.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m going to bed, so goodnight to you, my Followers of Fear. Pleasant nightmares, one and all!

Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Posted: April 5, 2014 in Review
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It’s been a while since I reviewed anything. What was the last thing I reviewed? Oh my God, it was American Horror Story: Coven! That was back in January. It’s been a while. Well, no time like the present. Let’s get started.

Well, Captain America is one of my favorite Avengers (the other is Iron Man), and I was really hoping that this movie would be a lot better than Thor 2 (that one sucked). I got my wish: Captain America 2 was awesome! The story starts out with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finishing up a morning run and making a new friend before heading off on a rescue mission. Or so he thinks: events on the mission take a turn for the dark, and from there things just get worse. Before we know it, Rogers is running for his life with Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen) and they discover a plot that will not only threaten to destroy SHIELD, but possibly destroy the free world as we know it.

Although I’m of the camp that wants less franchises spanning several movies and more original films that bring new ideas and concepts to the screen, I have to say this is Marvel Cinematic Universe at its best. There’s not only action and explosions, but an actual plot where we see character growth and themes that reflect our modern world. The actors were stunning, the story kept you guessing, and the ending made you wish for more (unfortunately, Age of Ultron isn’t due out till next year, and I don’t think Guardians of the Galaxy will have that many connections to the other films in the series). Oh, and near the end of the film, there’s one moment that’ll remind you of another one from Man of Steel. Even Marvel can do that better than DC. Yes, Marvel beat you at your own scene, one you used in advertisements but one Marvel didn’t include in a single ad. Must be sad to know your biggest success in the movie industry ended because the director wanted a perfect ending and decided against a spin-off, doesn’t it?

And if you do go see the film, stay through the credits. There will be two special bonus scenes that’ll contain hints of what is to come in possible future films. Don’t miss it.

Overall, I’m giving Captain America 2 a 5 out of 5. Yes, it’s that good a movie. And if it makes you want more, it deserves that score. I just hope they end the movies in 2028, which is how far they’re apparently planning this franchise. After a while, things tend to get repetitive and boring. God knows it’s just sad to see a franchise that should’ve ended long ago still putting out movies that nobody wants to see (*cough cough* Transformers 4, Jurassic Park 4, Indiana Jones 5, Harry Potter spin-offs *cough cough*).

Now if you need me, I’ll be writing. For some reason, NBC is having trouble broadcasting SNL, so that’s out for tonight. Too bad, too. It was starting to get fun before the broadcast started getting f***ed up.

The Legal Woes of the Haves and the Have-Nots

Posted: April 1, 2014 in Journalism, Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Social Activism
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You know, I think it is appalling when that there is such a huge gap between the wealthy and the poor in this country. And depending on which side you find yourself on, you can find that your treatment varies considerably. And you know what? It sucks.

Just today, I found this article about a man who molested his children and was convicted of it. How much jail time is he serving? None, actually. Why, you may be screaming at your computer? Look:

A Delaware man convicted of raping his three-year-old daughter only faced probation after a state Superior Court judge ruled he “will not fare well” in prison.

In her decision, Judge Jan Jurden suggested Robert H. Richards IV would benefit more from treatment. Richards, who was charged with fourth-degree rape in 2009, is an unemployed heir living off his trust fund. The light sentence has only became public as the result of a subsequent lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, which charges that he penetrated his daughter with his fingers while masturbating, and subsequently assaulted his son as well.

Richards is the great grandson of du Pont family patriarch Irenee du Pont, a chemical baron.

Okay, first off, nobody is supposed to fare well in jail. It’s meant to be miserable on purpose. The whole point is that people will be persuaded not to commit crimes after serving a prison sentence. And sending this guy to a sex offenders rehab program isn’t going to change him or protect his and other people’s children, which is what child molestation laws are for. Instead, Mr. Richards has been taught that with money and a high-powered legal team, you can get away with the worst and get a slap on the wrist. And I wonder, would the judge give this same sort of sentence to another man? One that might be middle class or lower? Maybe even had a public defense lawyer? I seriously doubt it.

This comes only a few months after the case of the “affluenza teenager”, a teenager named Ethan Couch who was driving drunk and killed four people. Normally you’d expect jail time for this example of vehicular manslaughter, but the psychologist called by the defense said that Couch had been so coddled and spoiled by his parents that it had led to irresponsibility, a pseud0-condition of pop psychology known as affluenza. Couch is being ordered to go to a $450K/year rehab facility to attend alcohol and drug rehab and to remain on probation for the foreseeable future.

Maybe I’m no lawyer, but I know there are plenty of kids who are probably just as coddled or not coddled at all and who don’t go doing what Couch did. And there are plenty of people across the nation who have been Couch’s age and in similar situations, or have been charged with crimes of greater or lesser nature. They’ve been given lengthy prison sentences. Do they get psychologists saying that they have conditions that were directly related to the actions they undertook? I don’t think so.

And you know what the biggest difference between Couch and these teens I just mentioned? The latter group are often from poorer backgrounds and are often black, which in our fractured legal system puts them at a greater disadvantage.

Now contrast this with the case of Shanesha Taylor, a homeless mother who is facing jail time for leaving her children in her car while going to a job interview:

A homeless single mother in Arizona who struggled to make ends meet is in jail after she allegedly left her children in her car while she went on a job interview.

Shanesha Taylor was arrested on felony child abuse charges after Scottsdale police discovered her two kids, aged 2 years old and 6 months old, in a locked car.

Scottsdale police responded after a witness reported a child crying from inside a Dodge Durango parked at an office complex on March 20. Police said that two children were left alone in the car with the engine off and the windows slightly cracked. The car was left parked in the sun and all the doors were closed.

AZFamily reports that the kids had already been in the car for 30 minutes when police arrived. Police said 35-year-old Taylor returned from her job interview about 45 minutes after officers came to the scene. She said she didn’t have anyone else to care for the kids while she was on an interview at an insurance company.

“She was upset. This is a sad situation all around. She said she was homeless. She needed the job,” Scottsdale Police Sergeant Mark Clark told KPHO. “Obviously not getting the job. So it’s just a sad situation.”

Yes, it’s a sad situation! Our system constantly rewards the rich and punishes the poor. Ms. Taylor didn’t want to leave her kids in the car, but what choice did she have? She’s living out of her car! She can’t afford childcare. Yes, what she did put her children in danger, but I bet that if she had a choice her kids would be in a preschool watched over by licensed early childhood educators while she went to that interview. Now she’s facing jail time for wanting to provide food and maybe a better shelter for her kids.

Luckily there are good people out there who are raising money for Ms. Taylor’s legal defense, and they’ve already received three times the original goal. But that doesn’t change the fact that Ms. Taylor is living in terrible conditions, that unless there’s some serious intervention her kids will most likely live in a similar situation and be told by others that if they actually applied themselves and tried to pull themselves up by their bootstraps instead of living lives of crime or mooching off the system they could live a way better life. I’m calling BS here, because it’s definitely not that simple. If that was the case, every person who watched me and my sisters growing up while our parents worked would be living in nice suburbs and sending their own kids to wonderful schools with college opportunities (last I checked, that wasn’t the case).

I seriously hope that one of Ms. Taylor’s supporters gives her a job after she is hopefully exonerated, because otherwise she’ll be back to where she started. And I hope the whole nation takes a look at our legal system, because as these and so many other cases have pointed out, our legal system is broken. People who should go to jail are set free or get very light sentences while those who just need a helping hand are sent to jail and vilified before they even get there.

This is what we need to do to our justice system.

This isn’t America. It shouldn’t be America. And while it is America, we can’t call this nation a true land of opportunity or equality. So what we need to do is change it. Make the laws apply to everyone, and not cut deals or give rulings that reward people who are likely to re-offend. Also, childcare should not be so expensive! There has to be options for women like Ms. Taylor, and the lack of options is disturbing, because it led directly to this situation.

And unless we act, things will never change.

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