http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/ Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of- but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards. Robert Heinlein en-us 2010-03-14T18:19:18+00:00 Publishers Marketplace Bill Stephens hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00:00+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/images/PM_rssimg.gif http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20100313130257 I’ve never liked mole sauce since trying it as a young teenager. It was a thick brown intensely flavored sauce spread over chicken. It was bitter and reminded me of scorched chocolate. I’ve only tried it once since and had a similar reaction. Mole translated into English runs the gamut from sauce, to paste to stew, but pragmatically it means to take a combination of ingredients and grind them together to form a paste with initially the constancy of bread dough. It is then thinned to a ... Bill Stephens 2010-03-13T18:02:57+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091219152419 I was five years old and my parents, even though hard working, still had not achieved middle class status. We lived in a rented house, and we never went hungry due to Mom’s creativity and thrift in the kitchen, but they had no concept of discretionary income. With winter coming on, they wanted to buy my father a new pair of winter trousers and my very first pair of church-going pants. My brother could still wear his, so they were not ready for hand-me-down. On several Saturdays we rode the ... Bill Stephens 2009-12-19T20:24:19+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091215104755 I made a major discovery today. I learned how to turn off my electric toothbrush. I’ve had the toothbrush for almost three years. My two previous electric brushes had toggle switches; i.e., you push the button – they come on; push the same button – they turn off. When I bought the current brush the “on” button would not turn it off. I discovered; however, that replacing the brush on the charger turned it off. Deciding there was a congenital design problem or a flaw in my particular ... Bill Stephens 2009-12-15T15:47:55+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091204130350 Que paso, Global Warmers? I’m freezing my nuts off down here in San Antonio, Texas. They’re talking about it snowing. Snowing? It hasn’t snowed here in 15 years. I need you Global Warmers to crank it up a few degrees. But now I learn there has been no global warming since 1995. What’s with that? If I wanted cold weather, I’d live in North Dakota. But then I’d have to talk with a Scandinavian accent instead of a Texas Drawl. Wearing long sleeves is too cold for me. Give me heat. Something ... Bill Stephens 2009-12-04T18:03:50+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091030142300 I take full credit for creating the axiom, “Spontaneity is the Soul of Joy.” Until recently it’s been my mantra. Spontaneity in children is taken for granted, and often adults suffer its results. Then something happens. With maturity, spontaneity fades into consideration. Into concern. To caution. Thence to calculation, carefulness, and finally withers into stagnation and vegetation. Money, health, and both social and political pressure can restrain spontaneity; however, credit cards were ... Bill Stephens 2009-10-30T18:23:00+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091207175623 A New record was set today. From the time of sending an email agent query letter until the form letter rejection returned was 45 minutes flat—a new world record. Forget the old snail mail query and the weeks of waiting for your SASE to arrive with the post card rejection form enclosed. It’s left me wondering which is better. I still remember the daily trips to the mailbox as a six-year old, and the utter desolation I felt when my Captain Midnight Decoder Ring was not there. When it finally ... Bill Stephens 2009-12-07T22:56:23+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/billstephens/index.html#20091002125311 Milk and Crunch Addiction I was shattered to realize I had not one, but two addictions, milk and crunch. I had long felt that my one addition was milk. Don’t laugh; it is an addiction the equal of nicotine or heroin. I’ve tried to kick the habit over the years, but it still lurks there, always whispering to my consciousness, “Got milk?” I mean, you’re talking to a guy whose lips have never touched a cigarette. Eternally overweight, my rationality prevailed on the use of drugs. If I ... Bill Stephens 2009-10-02T16:53:11+00:00