I don't normally do this. But, hey, if it means massive savings for readers, why not? Here's the scoop.

This special sale started today (January 29th) and ends on Sunday, January 31st and will be valid in Canada, United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. So, there's not much time to take advantage.

Customers will be able to redeem 50% off of any title published by KWL using the promo code JAN1650 an unlimited number of times. This incredible opportunity to stack up on eBooks starts now.

So, if you are an eBook reader, go to KOBO and stock up on all those eBooks you've been wanting to read! (I might mention here that Luke's Tale and Snow Blood Seasons 1 and 2 are there, but that's not the point!)

Grab some good reads while they are on sale!

Happy Reading Til Next Time,
Carol

I have a friend from the South who made a significant statement to me the other day. In her charming demeanor, after listening to me rant about something that had aggravated me, she smiled and said, “Honey gathers more flies than vinegar.”

While I paused to think about it, she told me the story of her 87-year-old grandmother, who also grew up in the South.

Her grandmother, who we will call Frankie for the sake of this article, resides in an assisted-living facility. She lives on the ground floor with two other levels of apartments above her.

She has a small dog that she rescued about 10 years ago, and being on the ground floor affords her the ease of taking her dog for walks on the property. She keeps the dog in her apartment whenever she isn’t with her, and a number of other residents have their dogs living with them as well.

Unfortunately, a woman who lives on the third floor began to yell at Frankie whenever she took her little dog for a walk. Apparently a couple living a few units over on the ground floor has a rather loud, obnoxious dog that barks continuously, and the upstairs neighbor assumed the noisy dog was Frankie’s.

Frankie normally ignored the woman yelling at her as she went about her walks ... until the other day.

While our elderly grandmother was sitting quietly with her dog in her apartment, the woman from upstairs started pounding on and yelling at Frankie through the door. When she opened the door, the angry tenant got up in her face and began to swear at her, complaining about her noisy dog and the problems she causes.

Rather than yell back, get angry or defend herself, Frankie let the angry woman vent. Then, when the woman ran out of steam, Frankie opened the door wider and said, “Won’t you please come in so that we can go over your concerns?”

Surprised, the woman nodded and entered the apartment. Frankie then offered her a bottle of water and a seat on the sofa. Still somewhat taken aback, the angry woman sat down.

Then, Frankie introduced her little dog to the upset neighbor. At first, the woman held back, but Frankie’s dog is so adorable that she couldn’t help but pet her. After a few moments had passed, Frankie explained that her dog wears a bark collar to prevent her from making noise.

“In addition,” Frankie went on, “the couple two doors down has an unruly dog that often keeps me up at night.

“So you see,” she explained, “I’ve been dealing with the same problem as you.”

Then, changing the subject, Frankie asked her upstairs neighbor about herself, and they spent the next hour in a pleasant conversation, learning they had much in common.
And then, the truth came out. The woman was angry because she had just lost her own little dog a few days before she moved into assisted living. Her anger was more from her loneliness and frustration at the loss of her own dog rather than true dislike of Frankie’s dog or anything it had done.

At that point, Frankie suggested that maybe the neighbor could join her on her daily walks with her dog, and perhaps might walk her dog for her whenever she needed help. Then, the neighbor broke down in tears, and it was obvious to Frankie that what she really needed was a friend.

Sometimes anger is just a mask for what is really bothering someone. Frankie could have gotten defensive, angry and started a real feud with her neighbor. Instead, she charmed her, befriended her and extended an olive branch and a way to save face after the uncalled-for explosive behavior of the neighbor.

So it is with all of life. We never know the underlining motives for anger. Instead of confronting and making it worse, try a little charm. It wins every time.

Instead of making enemies, gather friends and supporters in life and work. Understand their needs, frustrations and challenges and offer a helping hand. Those well-made friendships will take you far further than enemies will.

And charm and logic will put you on the winning side of any argument.

— John Daly is the founder and president of The Key Class, the keys to life skills success. Click to learn more about The Key Class, or click here to buy his book. John’s new book, 74 Key Life Skills for a Happy, Successful Life, is currently available on  Amazon. Connect with The Key Class on Facebook and follow John on Twitter @johnjdalyjr. Do you have a question about business or social etiquette? Ask John at [email protected].

Losing someone you love is so incredibly difficult. It becomes even more of an emotional  trauma when family members immediately challenge siblings, or other relatives, over money and possessions.

Fortunately, in my family, that's never happened. All of us love each other and those we have lost so much that any material possessions left behind are inconsequential. What matters is how we respect and treat each other.

Unfortunately, I have observed this behavior in friends. In one instance, the sisters of the deceased challenged the inheritance of the only child. Not only did it turn emotionally ugly but dissolved into an out-and-out legal battle. So not only did my friend lose his mother, but greedy family members continue to put him through the emotional turmoil of not being able to move on with his life. Talk about a selfish, mean act. One wonders how others can be so cruel.

The other instance had one sibling instigating harsh feelings and disagreement for no real reason other than trying to  justify her own greed over what could be claimed over the estate. Sadly, her siblings cared little for the remaining possessions or money, hoping only for a few small momentos of their mother. 

Times of grief call for the unconditional love I speak of in my books. Unfortunately, there are those in this world who only consider themselves and care little for others. I always hold my own brother as a benchmark for how we should all behave during these times. When we lost our mother a number of years ago, I couldn't have asked for a kinder, more generous or understanding brother. I, in turn, offered the same to him. Once we had gone through the grieving process of losing someone so near and dear to us, it was time to figure out what to do with her possessions and the rest of her estate. She had set it up so that it was divided evenly between us. But, because she knew we wouldn't let greed interfere with our love for each other, she left it open, other than asking us verbally to have certain considerations.

So, here's how it went. We looked at each other and said, "Tell me what means the most to you." And we agreed accordingly. There were things that had tremendous sentimental value for each of us for various reasons, and we respected this. We held to our mother's request on specific things and kept it all 50-50. Now, isn't that how it should be?

The love lost between family members over material possessions and money makes me heartsick. You can replace "things." You can't ever replace the love you lose.

Til Next Time,
Carol

"I found my fork!" My friend Gerry exclaimed as he entered  the barn office this morning.

"What do you mean you 'found your fork?" I asked.

And so, he proceeded to explain. About 27 years ago, Gerry had, through the malicious intent of others, become homeless for a period of 14 months. After suffering from a broken neck, he literally lived in his truck during that time until he could recover and get on his feet again. He had been financially wiped out by a heartless ex-wife who abandoned him and left him with nothing.

Gerry is a talented masseur who works on both people and horses. He's a veteran Marine whose life could make for a very interesting book.  But ... back to the fork.

As Gerry began to recover, he learned the art of massage and brought home his first paycheck. One of the first purchases he made was a Noritake flatware set that he found on sale. It was something he had always wanted, because as he explained, his parents stole flatware from restaurants in order to allow the family to have eating utensils! He always envied those who had beautiful silverware. So, this first purchase was very important to him.

As time went on, one of his relatives' children snagged one of his Noritake forks and used it to dig in the dirt in a cornfield. As luck would have it, the kid lost the fork. And afterward, the missing fork weighed on Gerry's mind, until last week. He went on eBay and found an exact replacement for it plus an extra! He smiled at me, scratched his beard and said, "It was one of those things that just bothers all of us for the longest time. Now, I can cross it off my list!"

"One of those things that just bother us!" We all have them. Those nagging little details that might not matter to anyone else. For instance, I had this annoying habit that bugged my husband Mark for about 40 years! We would get in bed, and just as he was about to fall asleep, I'd ask him a question. You see, my brain seems to fill up with a myriad of questions before it shuts down. While all he wants to do is go to sleep, I want to ask questions! "Can we re-glue the broken tile tomorrow? Did you take care of the house payment? What are we going to do for Stephanie's birthday?" Questions that could wait, but I hadn't learned that there's a better time to ask than bedtime.

Fortunately, we finally had a great discussion about it. From Mark's point of view, my questions gave him problems to solve. And you know men; when women ask them a question, it becomes a problem for them to solve if they don't have an immediate answer. And, just when he was trying to go to sleep. Those questions woke him right up, and he'd lie there  for hours thinking about them, while I was fast asleep, I might add. So, we made a pact. No more questions after getting into bed! Problem solved! Fork retrieved. Thank, God!

We all have missing forks that we need to replace. Instead of letting them "bug" you for years, come up with a solution and end the frustration. That's what Luke and Snow Blood would do. If a dog can do it, so can you.

So share what fork you'd like to replace with me, and let's think of a solution!

Til Next Time,
Carol