Ban Those Gas Stoves

The country is in a tizzy over Biden’s plan to ban gas stoves. As per usual, the entire nation is playing catch-up to The People’s Republic of Berkeley. Always at the forefront of the most insane policies, Berserkey instituted a natural gas prohibition on all new structures that went into effect this year.

The city’s Green Building Requirements also mandate solar panels and EV chargers for all new homes as well as other, equally ridiculous, conditions for construction.

Green Building Requirements

All the cool kids have already installed solar panels and brag about how their electric bills are close to zero. They ignore that it will be twenty years before they break even on the cost, or that at the end of that time they will need to install new panels, and the old will be buried in landfill to contaminate the earth.

Should I point out the volumes of evidence proving that their Planet Saving efforts are, in fact, more harmful to the earth than fossil fuels, I am ignored. What about all the rare earth mineral mining involving child and slave labor in deplorable conditions? Or the slave camps that produce those lovely solar panels in China? How about the Bald Eagles and many other birds that are being slaughtered daily by wind turbines? And how, I ask, are all those delightful Green Technologies recycled?

It is simply impossible to even discuss the matter. They are right. I am wrong. No conversation to be had.

Berkeley has always led the way in progressive city laws to control the people. There is the Soda Tax and the ban on cigarette sales, to name a few. With all those health measures one would presume that it is a city filled with healthy, happy people. It is not.

From the huge population of homeless, drug-addicted, mentally ill individuals camped throughout the city, to the obese children and adults waddling down the streets, it is not a pretty sight.

But thank goodness they can't buy cigarettes and have to pay a tax on their Coca-Colas. 

The Berkeley Schools Continue to Destroy Lives

I am struck by the profound disparity between the actions taken by cities and countries that oppose masks and vaccines for children, and those of the city in which I grew up. For example, in the UK there is a fight to keep children unmasked in schools and a concerted effort to stand up against forced childhood Covid-19 jabs. In the US, Florida and other states have banned forced masking and Covid-19 shots on anyone, especially children. Yet in the State of California, the governor has mandated the shots for all children in public schools. The two California State university systems have also mandated vaccinations for students. And in the City of Berkeley, CA, they have taken on that task of continuing to destroy children’s lives with uncontrolled glee.

When the Berkeley Unified School District closed their doors in March 2020, a week before the scheduled two-week Spring Break, I had my suspicions that they would not return before Summer Vacation. I was correct. I then wrongly predicted school would reopen after the November 3, 2020, elections. Sadly, it was not until the fall of 2021, when children were finally allowed back into classrooms. And although being in an actual school building was preferable to staring a screen all day, what learners encountered when they returned was nothing short of a torture chamber coupled with harmful, draconian policies.

To this day, children in the BUSD are forced to wear masks the entire day, both inside and out. The sit separated from their classmates, at times behind makeshift plastic barriers, and eat lunch outside. They jog around the track and play soccer fully masked.

With all the hysteria over the Latest Variant, and schools across the nation going back to virtual learning, I assumed BUSD would soon follow suit. Remarkably, they have remained open, at least for now. However, what they subject their learners to is reprehensible.

The latest BUSD newsletter clearly states their goals, as seen in the heading:

                                               Let’s get Vaccinated, Berkeley!

                                                       Free, Safe, Effective

It goes on to state that by January 3, 2022, “All students 12 and over shall be fully vaccinated. Students who are not vaccinated by that date must submit to weekly onsite testing”.

“Additionally, the district will set a date four months from FDA approval, (which includes emergency use authorization) by which 5-11 year olds must be fully vaccinated or participate in weekly testing.”

Although the BUSD guidelines allow for opting out of the jab, it entails much more than weekly testing. Un-vaxxed students are prohibited from participating in any extra-curricular activities such as sports, clubs, and music. They are barred from fieldtrips and graduations, among other activities.

The newsletter goes on to instruct parents on where to get the jab and how to prepare children.

What I find most disturbing, is the section on “Covid Misinformation”. This is followed by:

                                                  “Get the Facts. Myths vs Facts”

“Rumors about the COVID-19 vaccines are circulating online within Californian communities, contributing to vaccine hesitancy across the state.”

“There are currently three different COVID-19 vaccines available to the public. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has full FDA approval for ages 16+, and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been approved by the FDA for emergency use. Only Pfizer vaccines are approved for children (under age 18).”

They then list the Myths, followed by several bullet points falsely labeled as Facts.

“MYTH 1: People who had Covid-19 do not Need to get Vaccinated”

Below this are the FACTS, which are nothing more than a lot of CDC and FDA talking points. All are lies, provable by scientific studies and common sense.

“MYTH 2: Covid-19 Vaccines have not been properly studied or tested.”

This, if fact, is not a myth and provable by Pharma and CDC’s own websites.

“MYTH 3: Covid vaccines don’t work against variants”.

Again, not a myth. If so, why are the majority of people getting Covid fully vaxxed?

“MYTH 4: Covid vaccines are not safe for children”.

This statement is verifiably true and calling it a “myth” is the most horrendous lie the BUSD could make to parents.

I no longer dwell on the people I know who may very well end up with serious complications or death from taking three shots of an experimental cocktail. They are all adults and had every chance to read and study all the information that I have seen.

But harming the children is another realm altogether. I want to scream and yell and beg parents not to submit their little ones to this deadly experiment. Regrettably, here in Berkeley, it is too late. The vast majority of the children over five have been jabbed.

I have written about the disastrous consequences of shutting down schools since the spring of 2020. It has led to irreparable damage to children intellectually, socially and emotionally. And now they have poisoned them.

Digging the Coffee House Scene No More

Cafe Trieste - photo from MessyNessyChic.com

I’m calling on all the cool cats and hip chicks of the Beat Generation to give us a hand. Those of you that hung out at the coffee houses in San Francisco and Berkeley, reciting poetry, sipping java, smoking cigs, playing guitars, and giving the finger to the man.

Caffe Trieste in the city, along with Caffe Med across the bay in Berkeley were among your favored hangouts. Caffe Med is now gone, but you still have Peet’s.

You flocked to the original Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley when it opened in 1965, just as beatniks had begun to morph into hippies. Different names, but with many shared values. Drop by any day and you’d find Mr. Peet talking coffee and brewing cups for a variety of question-the-government hipsters and university professors alike. Personal freedom figured high on your list of priorities in life.

So where are all of you now? Possibly gone from this world, but I would have thought that some of your ideology had been retained. Regrettably, I fear it has all been lost to sheer panic over a false medical emergency.

The other day I dropped by the original Peet’s on Walnut and Vine to pick up my beans. And this is what I found on the door:   

The citizens of Berkeley, the original Stand up to Government Overreach city, are now required to show papers to purchase coffee. And they obediently follow orders. It is only a matter of time before one will not be allowed into supermarkets. (To their credit, no one at Peet’s demanded my papers.)                                                   

This is what happened in apartheid South Africa and the Bay Area locals protested against it. Much later, they protested against the marginalization of those with HIV/AIDS. Yet now it is completely normal to ostracize people who refuse to fall in line with masks and vaxxes.

According to the Rules of Berkeley, the un-vaxxed are now second class citizens. As far as I can tell, the only venues that do not require a vax card are supermarkets and possibly libraries.

In a city with, according to public records, only 55 dead from the virus since the beginning, Vax or be damned is the mandate. Even the Vaxxed-Clean, aged two and above, are  still required to wear masks indoors, and most wear them when outside. 

The poets of the coffe houses are long gone, along with all common sense. They have all lost their way. 

Newsome won.........California Lost

photo: Lucky Thompson, Oakland CA, Laney Tower News

Many of us truly believed that Governor Newsome could be recalled. But The Evil Disney Cartoon Villain* prevailed. (credit:*Dave Rubin) It had been a fair fight until mainstream media and Silicon Valley stepped in to silence those fighting to save our state.

What had been a movement to recall a truly inept, corrupt governor, became a Republican Takeover mantra. Local television stations, which not that long ago were fairly unbiased, began to report on the Newsome vs Elder contest. They echoed the cable news talking points. Stories ran on how Newsome would save us all from Covid, and Elder would kill us. Newsome actually stated that it “…was a matter of life and death.” That one, unsubstantiated lie, kept him in office.

Anyone who lives in California can drive around their city and see that one third of the small businesses are closed for good. Newsome did that. Parents can vouch that their children missed nearly a year and a half of in-person teaching and that schools are is still not back to normal. Newsome did that. Homeless encampments have blighted the entire state. Newsome did that. Forests continue to burn at an alarming rate, the power gird fails, water shortages are at an all-time high. Newsome did nothing to fix those problems.

How, I asked several people, can you possibly not vote to recall Newsome? The answers: “It’s not Newsome’s fault things are so dire. We might get someone worse. I looked at the other candidates and didn’t like them.”

At the time, I could only stare back in incomprehension. Now, possibly I have an answer.

For years, I have not been able to understand why the residents of the San Francisco Bay Area are so completely stuck in their view of Left is Good, Right is Evil. My conclusion: They are so wrapped up in their 1960’s liberalism that they do not realize that that world longer exists.

Back in the 60’s, middle- and working-class families, mine included, made up a good portion of the Democrat party, especially in Northern California. They represented the generation who had lived through the depression and WWII, gone on to build homes and raise families, all while keeping an eye on the world and the powers in charge. They were the party that would represent the downtrodden, prevent another world war, and protect against government overreach. That there happened to be more than a few Democrats in positions of power who were as corrupt as any Republican in the state, went without challenge.

In sharp contrast, they saw Republicans as country club elites. The fat-cats who drove Rolls Royce’s, wore diamonds and gold lamé, and, of course, ran Hollywood. These privileged rich folks had ever picked up a screwdriver or swung a sledgehammer. They looked down on the working class, and anyone who had to scrub out their own toilet. And naturally, they assumed that only they knew how to run the world.  

Over the past few decades, that equation has been turned upside down. The working class is now represented by the right; the elites control the left. However, the old and young hipsters in California have not figured that out. They are just happy that they turned California blue.

The rich and powerful no longer run country clubs but invent technology. The new crowd eschews the old symbols of power and wealth. Tesla’s replaced Rolls Royce’s. Solar panels and wind turbines, despite their severe damage to the environment, replaced a third of the power grid. Tree huggers prevented forest maintenance.

None of this occurred in the dead of the night with secret societies. It happened right out in the open. Those millionaire titans of industry began to dress like the common man, jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers. They were defiantly the new cool kids in town. They spoke of saving the environment and helping the poor. Motivations of power and greed could be ignored if they looked like the average guy or gal, and preached a good line. Hollywood, a true old boys club, slipped right in with the caring Democrat persona. No matter how much of an elitist life they led, they offset any challenge to their privilege by pretending to care about the peons.

It is not that I am against elitists, or millionaires, or working hard to make vast fortunes, as many have. It is the blatant hypocrisy that makes my blood boil. Suddenly, the Tech Oligarchs can decide who has the right to speak and who does not.  Hollywood stars truly believe that their opinions and views outrank anyone else’s. Elected democrats ignore half the country because “they are wrong.”

As to the Bay Area crowd, they appear to be unaware of what is taking place right in front of their eyes. They still believe that if a politician has an R in front of their name, they are the devil incarnate. It is why no one I spoke to would even consider voting out Newsome and replacing him with Larry Elder or any other Republican. Not one of them, I am sure, bothered to look into the qualifications or statements before the election. How could they have done so? Newsome ran on a failed record, and If you vote me out, the Republicans will kill you. Nothing else. No track record, no plans for the future, no solutions to problems. Meanwhile, Elder and others addressed the issues and had actual plans to improve California’s miserable existence.

I have long believed that there is no hope for the State. The recall had given me something to grab on to. Maybe even reverse my views on the death of California. But it failed, and I now know that this state will never, ever be The Golden State of years gone by.

Califronians Need to Stand up

I have been vocal about my opposition to the shutdowns since last April.  As previously stated, two weeks of closure to flatten the curve was acceptable, but nothing after that. Now, nearly seven months later, California is still closed. Schools have not reopened. Small businesses are closed and will never come back. Life has stalled and one would think that the public would have reached the breaking point. Unfortunately, I see no sign of that in the San Francisco Bay area. The mantra remains, We are saving lives. Should I dare breathe a contrary notion, the scorn is palpable.  

The death of small businesses in this area, and all over the State, is profoundly depressing. Drive anywhere and all that can be seen is boarded up store fronts. Proprietors have lost their entire life’s work. How could any enterprise ever come back from seven months with a Temporarily Closed sign in the window?

Equally as sad, and an aspect I find extremely distressing, is what it has done to the old folks. I know of several mid-90-year-old’s who are spending their last days in isolation and in a state of deep depression. Actually, two of them have died, and it wasn’t from the virus. They were old, it was super-hot, and most people in this area do not have air conditioning, so I cannot say for certain that the lockdowns killed them. However, I do know that they spent their last months on this earth in a mental state that no one should have to endure. 

Anyone who has lived to the age of 95, still has their marbles, and is in decent shape, is a life to be celebrated. I am not sad when they go, but reflect on what an amazing life they led. Nonetheless, knowing how depressed all of these people are, because of the mandated rules, is heartbreaking. In conversations, both in person and on the phone, they constantly talk of how sad they feel. Cognitive decline, not noticeable six months ago, is clearly evident. Yet their friends and families are allowing this to happen. I know that my old friends are not concerned about catching Corvid and packing it in.  Afterall, not one of them had ever expected to live to nearly a century. So why should they be left to suffer in the isolation of their homes, or confined to their room in a senior center? I fail to understand how people happily comply with the State mandated rules to keep them locked up and alone. What sort of society does that?

There are countless other negative ramifications of these mandated rulings that have now done irreparable damage to the lives of all Californians, financially, physically, and emotionally.  And all without one good reason. Who, with even a modicum of intelligence, can actually believe that human beings can run away and hide from a pathogen? The virus needs to run its course as viruses have done down through the ages.

California, wake up. Our State is dying.

 

Don't Assume You Know How I Think

My zip code does not define my world view, and certainly not my politics. Yet if one lives in the self-proclaimed Progressive Capitol of the World, the San Francisco Bay Area, people assume they know how the residents think.

Stand in line at the grocery store and the person in front of you will invariably turn around to make a disparaging remark about Trump. Conversations in front of Peet’s Coffee, (BLM posters plastered in the windows), often involve similar accusatory proclamations about the President. I could challenge their statements but there is no benefit. There is, in fact, possible retaliation.

Several months ago I received a call from a Nancy Pelosi campaign worker asking for donations to defeat Trump because of all the horrible things he has done. How did you get my number? I asked. The person said I must be on a list of democrats. I said I was not. He continued that it must have come from another concerned democrat who cared about the future of this country. At that point, I stated that if Nancy was so concerned about the country, why had she remained silent when they tore down statues in San Francisco? Where was her voice regarding all the violence and looting? I waited a second, got no reply, and hung up.

Last week I got a letter from Nancy’s office. Opening lines: Someone had to do it. Someone had to stand up to the bully in the White House…

Apparently, Nance thinks she is a hero and deserves your money for Standing up to Trump. She included a postcard of her having a tantrum when she stood up and pointed at him during a meeting a year ago. I believe that was right before she stormed out of said meeting like a petulant child.

The entire letter, filled with Democrat talking points, could be easily countered should any of the True Believers care to listen. Nancy continues on in her letter to say that, …Trump “cannot do Vladimir Putin’s bidding.” It would even be laughable were it not that most everyone in this town still believe Trump is an agent of the USSR.

Nancy goes on to bring up the ACA, gun control, the environment, women’s rights, tax cuts for the rich. Who honestly believes all her misrepresentations? To me, this is what is so shocking; in this university town, populated by Nobel Laureates and Intelligentsia, no one seeks the truth.

Possibly I am wrong. Possibly people here actually do the research to find out where the truth lies. But I doubt it. This has become a town full of lemmings. They drive cars, ride bikes, and walk in the park all masked up twenty-four hours a day. Businesses and schools remain closed after more than six months.  I can only conclude that their concept of self-determination got lost in a haze of weed and commune mentatlity. 

How I long for the days when one could debate topics that impact our society, a time when people accepted another’s point of view without screaming at them and calling them names. Regrettably, I am unable to envision a time in my life where I will ever be able to do this. At least not in Nancy Pelosi’s California.

 

Kamala, Busing, & BUSD

Kamala Harris has misled the public on her years in the Berkeley Schools. She did not grow up in the big bad ghetto, only to be saved by busing.

It is important to first point out that Berkeley, California is not a large city. It covers about eighteen square miles stretching from the east side of the San Francisco Bay, up into the hills. The current population is approximately 122 thousand. This is significant because those not familiar with the region might confuse the entire metropolitan area of the East Bay as one city. Berkeley is basically a small town. There is no, and never has been, an inner city, or housing projects in Berkeley. Kamala would have you think otherwise.

Then there is the need to clarify Kamala’s integration narrative of the Berkeley Unified School District. She leaves out a lot. Berkeley schools first implemented integration plans in the 1964-1965 school year. (not 1968, as she claims.) Prior to the schoolyear of 1964, there had been three Junior High Schools, (grades 7 – 9). Willard Jr High had always been integrated. Garfield had been predominantly white. And Burbank was mostly black.  Burbank was closed, with kids shuffled to either Willard or Garfield. Stage one integration accomplished. Also of note is that a vast majority of students were never within walking distance to either the junior highs or the high school. They were always “bused”, but it was on public transportation.

Further clarification on an already semi-integrated school district is that Berkeley High School is the only high school the city has ever had. It has always been integrated. There are currently eleven elementary schools in Berkeley. At the time Kamala was a student, there were fifteen. Even prior to busing, many of these schools were integrated.

If I hear the clip, one more time, of Kamala railing about the poor little girl who was bused to school, I will scream. She was the daughter of highly educated parents enrolled in graduate programs at UC Berkeley. There is no way she would ever have fallen between the cracks and turned to prostitution and drugs. She would have the American public believe that she was bused from an area like South Central LA to Hollywood. In reality, it was less than three miles from what would have been her neighborhood school, Columbus, (now Rosa Parks), to Thousand Oaks. Although Thousand Oaks, at the time, was a pricier area of the city, it is not in the “well-to-do Berkeley hills, overlooking the bay.” (as claimed in many an article.)

As to those houses in the Berkeley Hills, times were different in the 1950’s and early 60's. Many houses built on the hill were done so on the GI Bill. These were not wealthy families. New homeowners were often middle-income and lower middle-income young couples, starting a new life after the war. It was the cheapest property in town, no stores, no public transportation, and no close by schools.

The media often refers to Kamala as a strong, independent, woman. As a strong, independent woman myself, I would consider any comparison to that political opportunist as an insult. Strong women have no need to mislead, lie, or use men to get ahead. Strong women speak out against violence even if it does not fit their narrative. Strong women are honest. Kamala is none of these.

 

A Neapolitan Intrigue - Free Kindle Download

Download a free copy of A Neapolitan Intrigue, July 26 & 27.
Amazon Free Download


Present day Naples, Italy, and Berkeley, CA, circa 1969; what could possibly be the connection?

It's a question Letty will have to answer if she is to survive her recent retirement from the CIA and Interpol. 

Great summer read.  Mystery, Cozy Thriller, and a little bit of history.

More about "A Neapolitan Intrigue"

The historical backdrop of my new novel A Neapolitan Intrigue, takes place in Berkeley, CA, in 1969.

I have searched through the archives and found more photos from the events of May, 1969.  One photo in particular played an important part in plot development.  Any guesses? 

(All photos and stories are copyright protected. Please see sidebar for details.)

Provo Park 

City Hall 1969

People's Park 50th Anniversary

It has been nearly 50 years since the People's Park protests in Berkeley, California. The National Guard took over the streets, along with law enforcement from throughout the state, all stemming from a small patch of University owned land.

Berkeley, CA 1969

Teenagers in Berkeley protested alongside university students and the city.
People's Park & 4 Teenagers     This article is included in the HeyDay Press upcoming book
The Battle for People's Park, Berkeley, 1969

And then there's the fictional account of Letty White, who also took part in the protests while still a student at Berkeley High School. (before the CIA recruited her.)

Release Date 25 March 2019

Ancient Roman streets, superb coffee, excellent clothes, and lush sea breezes; Naples, Italy has it all. Letty may just have found the perfect place to retire after a hectic life with the CIA and Interpol.

She’s enjoying her new life when, out of nowhere, a photo of her as a teenager in 1969 winds up on a dead body. How could the People’s Park protests of fifty years ago, in Berkeley, California have anything to do with her life now? And why are so many Russians after her?

It’s clear that the answers to her questions lie in the picture taken decades in the past. Her high school years of protests, sit-ins, and civil disobedience are so far from her life as a CIA agent, that she doesn’t know where to begin.  

Luckily, former agents and friends, Taylor and Jim, step in to assess the situation and protect her from an ever-increasing number of bad guys that are bent on doing her harm.

Hoping to get back to a restful retirement, Letty must revisit that long-ago life to figure out what in the world is happening now, half a world away. 

A Neapolitan Intrigue

Coming Soon:    A Neapolitan Intrigue 

Ancient Roman streets, superb coffee, excellent clothes, and lush sea breezes; Naples, Italy has it all. Letty may just have found the perfect place to retire after a hectic life with the CIA and Interpol.

She’s enjoying her new life when, out of nowhere, a photo of her as a teenager in 1969 winds up on a dead body. How could the People’s Park protests of fifty years ago, in Berkeley, California have anything to do with her life now? And why are so many Russians after her? 

It’s clear that the answers to her questions lie in the picture taken decades in the past. Her high school years of protests, sit-ins, and civil disobedience are so far from her life as a CIA agent, that she doesn’t know where to begin.  

Luckily, former agents and friends, Taylor and Jim, step in to assess the situation and protect her from an ever-increasing number of bad guys that are bent on doing her harm. 

Hoping to get back to a restful retirement, Letty must revisit that long-ago life to figure out what in the world is happening now, half a world away. 

Available on Amazon, 25 March 2019

Quiet Before the Storm

Tonight, at 7pm, Ben Shapiro will speak at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. I would have liked to have been in Sproul Plaza to document the Antifa thugs that I am sure will be there. However, I don’t want to be out there at night so I went down to see what was happening this afternoon.

Where Free Speech Started: Sproul Hall

They have already blocked traffic to Bancroft Avenue, which runs by Zellerbach Hall, and the crowd barriers are already up. At 3:30, they will start to restrict entrance into the heart of the Free Speech Area, Sproul Hall Plaza.

For now, there are a few people out with the requisite tables and flyers protesting the right of anyone with a conservative viewpoint to speak, and referring to them with vile labels. I had no intention of getting into a discussion with any of these folks, but my inner flower-child took over.

Crowd Blockers

One non-student, surrounded by Cal students, was getting quite worked up about an Yiannopolous poster announcing his coming speech. He had ripped it off a wall, insisting that it was offensive. The students he was addressing were adamant that Yiannopolous had the right to speak. Granted, “Yiannololous is cumming” is rather crude, but not compared to what was scrawled in chalk on lower Sproul Plaza in front of Zellerbach. At this point, I could no longer keep my mouth shut. I said to him, “Sir, what is offensive to me is the Fuck the Police that is written on the ground.”  And then I walked away.

Next, I stopped by the big table and big posters set up on the Northside entrance to Sproul Plaza. I certainly did not want to get in any sort of conversation with them. But then I walked around the other side and started to listen in to a conversation that an older man and woman, most likely UC profs, were having with the Resistance table-minders.

They kept asking the resistance folks to clarify what exactly was a fascist and why they thought all conservatives were fascists. One young man started to spout something nonsensical that was so convoluted I can’t recall anything other than it was not a definition of the word. They only thing that did come across is that the likes of Ben Shapiro, Steve Bannon, and Anne Coulter did not have the right to speak at CAL.

Bancroft Ave 

Once more, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I said that I had grown up in Berkeley, that I had protested in the 60’s, and that back then we respected the right to have differing views. I said I was sad seeing what had happened to my city, that tolerance for differing views was no longer acceptable.

The woman explained that she followed Shapiro, and that he was not all the ugly names the resistance people called him. To which she got the response, “You’re wrong so I’m not even going to talk to you.”  To which I added, “She is not wrong, she just has a different opinion.”  The guy walked away.

Zellerbach Hall 

I turned to the man and woman – both had accents so I assume they had grown up in another country. I said, “These kids have no idea what it is to live in a country where you do not have rights. They do not realize how lucky they are and do not understand the freedom of speech.”

I said a few other things to the resistence-ers regarding the error in labeling people with different opinions as white supremacists, and left after one of them was getting into why Antifa had a right to bash heads. …They all really have drunk the Kool-Aid.

While walking through the area, I made sure to thank every police officer I saw for protecting the people and the city. They were truly appreciative of my words, especially when there were anti-police sentiments chalked into the ground where they stood.

There will be trouble tonight. I only hope it is nothing too serious.

Success at the Fair

One day I really will get a decent picture of Kate the Author

My first outing at a book fair went quite well. I got there in one piece, was able to set up all by myself, and sold a few books. The weather was great, I enjoyed myself, but I did miss walking around and seeing all that was on offer.

The Avenue of Author's was home to a whole block of independent authors; all really great people. I was able to make a quick run done the lane and introduce myself to my fellow clansmen. I only really got to know the people right around me.

Next to me was Kristine Balog , author of Caravaggio; of Oil and Blood. I had looked briefly at her website before the event but didn't read any details about her book. I could probably pick out a Caravaggio painting from a lineup, but that is about the extent of my knowledge of the artist. It wasn't until I started listening in on Kristine's conversations with fair-goers that I became completely enthralled with her story. Connections to the Pope, The Knights of Malta, intrigue and history. It turns out the author is not only an artist herself, but a professor of art history who has been round the world researching the topic. I can't wait to sit down and start on her book!

I also met Sherri Leigh James , author of Girl with a Past -- quite apropos for our setting since her mystery takes place in Berkeley, CA. (Set in the present with ties to Berkeley's hippie heydays of the 60's.) Another book I need to read.

And although I did not run into that elusive Hollywood agent that was going to buy the rights to one of my books, I still have not lost hope. I may just hit the streets again with my own mini-book festival. I had to register for a 90 temporary sellers permit with the state, so why not use it to my advantage?

It always feels great to meet fellow authors who spend their free time pounding out stories for the love of it and in the hopes that they might also be discovered.

I just know that someone on the Avenue of Author's will make the big time!

Bay Area Book Festival

Book Festival 2015

The Bay Area Book Festival will be held on June 3 & 4 in downtown Berkeley, CA.

And this year, I will have my very own table and umbrella. (But only on Sunday, June 4th.)

I hope to run into the writer friends I met over the past two years, as well as all sorts of new people.

It really is a fun weekend. If for no other reason, it is a true delight to walk the streets of downtown Berkeley that are closed to traffic.

Please drop by and say hello!

Bay Area Book Festival

Berkeley, CA June 6 & 7



Eco Alley

 
How could it be that I hadn’t even heard of the Bay Area Book Festival until two weeks before it happened? After all, I live quite close by and yet the first time I read about it was in a pop-up ad on Goodreads. Apparently, it had been well publicized in the SF Chronicle, but who even reads that paper anymore? And even they only started carrying information about it less than a month ago. I must not be hanging out with the right crowd….the festival was quite well attended.
The book festival website boasted hundreds of authors and a ton of free talks about everything you could imagine: current affairs, culture, entertainment, memoirs, tech, spirituality, writing, publishing, and more. There were areas for children’s books, teen books, radical writers, and environmental warriors. Even after carefully going through the website program, and noting the talks I wanted to attend, I had no idea just how large and comprehensive it was to be.

Downtown Berkeley is relatively small but always crowded and a general mess to get around. And it isn’t what I would call a pleasant place to take a stroll – too grungy for my taste, especially when I recall years gone by when it was rather lovely. Having said that, with several blocks cordoned off for pedestrian traffic, thereby not having to dodge all the hazards that are generally present, it was quite enjoyable.

And here is where I found out just how cool the whole deal was. I turned the corner at Shattuck, onto Addison, (renamed Literary Lane for the weekend), surprised to see the street lined with booths of booksellers and authors. The first few booths held places like The University of California Press, and other small publishing houses. But just a few steps further along and I ran smack dab into a couple of ladies that sure looked like fellow independent authors.




sidewalk poetry downtown Berkeley

Lori Hart Beninger and SabrinaRawson stood side by side, books on the table, business cards out front. I quickly ascertained that they were in fact fellow members of the Tribe of Struggling Authors.

Huh? I could have had a booth at the Fair? I had thought it was just for the Big Guys and not folks like me. Suddenly, I no longer felt the pangs of intimidation I had experienced while reading about all the known authors and deep thinkers who were to be featured at the festival. All those self-doubts that had surfaced telling me things like who do you think you’re kidding….real authors actually get invited to give talks, quickly vanished. These women were definitely real authors and they were part of the Book Festival! It was absolutely wonderful to exchange thoughts, ideas, marketing tips, and experience with others like myself.

Maybe it was better that I hadn’t known of the possibility of having a stand at the fair because I now had the leisure to cruise around and talk to lots of other indie authors. I met Kristin Fulton, Barbara Hawkins, James Robinson, Alina Sayre, and Mandy Rowe, all of whom had wonderful books just waiting to be discovered by the world at large.

The plan had been to attend a bunch of the talks, but I soon realized it would be more of a hassle than I was willing to put up with. First, one had to stand in a block-long line to pick up the free tickets to a lecture. Then one would have to stand in a long line outside of a venue. Crowds, and the subsequent florescent lighting, sealed the deal; I stowed my list of events and simply continued to walk the circuit. 

Literary Lane

While walking down Literary Lane, I noticed a man with an official author’s badge around his neck, seated in front of a booth, holding a book. I glanced more closely and saw that it was John Scalzi, the science fiction author whose lecture I had wanted to attend.

In my younger years, sci fi was my preferred genre. I dreamed of being a spacer although, realistically, I knew that that could only really take place a few centuries after my expiration date. The next best thing was reading it, and I had big dreams of writing it. Somewhere along the way, reading sci fi got lost. Maybe it was because the books I picked up didn’t appeal to me, or maybe it was because no one I knew read it so recommendations were scarce. Whatever the reason, my sci fi fix turned to tv and movies.

I approached Mr. Scalzi and mentioned how I had hoped to attend his talk but would probably pass on it due to the long lines. He wasn’t bothered in the least. I told him of my love for sci fi books, but that I just hadn’t read anything in quite a while, and asked about his latest book, Lock In. As he began to tell me about it, I remembered why I love science fiction. I will be reading his work very soon. Someone that pleasant, who takes the time to talk to an unknown like me, (the lady who couldn't be bothered with waiting for his talk), has to be a good author. He also told me a little about his life as a writer which gave me hope for my own career.  What a very pleasant man! Heck, he was even kind enough to take my card.

Maybe next year, if I am still in the area, I’ll be on a panel….though I can’t imagine what panel….local girl makes good? I actually think I’d prefer to do what I did this weekend, just walk around and talk to authors and enjoy being surrounded by books, thoughts, and happy people.