​Please enjoy the 100-page sample of the newest Life After War book. Happy reading!

Hello, Eagles! Another year has passed. For me, that means making career choices for the next twelve months. I’d love to have your opinion. Please answer the one-question survey if you have a minute and thank you. I always listen to readers when making big decisions about my writing.
The start of a new year can be sad. It can also be frustrating when you don’t see a way out of where you are or if you’re struggling to make a change. There’s a temptation to just stay the same because it’s easier. Whichever way you go, I sincerely hope you get the happiness you deserve. I want you to smile more, laugh more, enjoy yourself more. Life can be amazing. I hope you get to see that side of it often.
Happy New Year, my friends. As always, I’ll think of you with a smile and a deep warmth.
Waving,
Angie

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I have been fighting with my teeth for a very long time. They started rotting out in my late teens. I don’t qualify for most insurance plans because I need so much work done, and I can’t afford the payments for the plans that will take me. (I love my job, but royalties for writers aren’t great. Unless you’re famous, you don’t make a lot of money. A $7 book gives me about $4. I have to sell hundreds of books each month to pay bills and cover expenses and that doesn’t always happen. Most months, I barely make ends meet, but I have been saving small amounts to get the surgery I need.

Unfortunately, my teeth are getting too bad to keep saving and waiting. I’m always in pain from pieces cracking off. I don’t sleep well because it hurts to lay on either cheek and I always have a headache now. Most of my food is applesauce, mashed potatoes, and yogurt. I haven’t been able to eat anything hard, pointed, thick, crunchy, sticky, or chewy in years. Now, I can’t even handle soup or bread.

So I went to the evaluation appointment and there’s no way I can afford what I need done. The picture on this page is the treatment plan. As you can see, it’s over $16K. (The dentist I picked is specialized because my teeth are so broken, and my health isn’t great.) They’ll go ahead and do the surgery with half of the money down, and then I have to have the balance paid within 6 months. I’ve saved up 4155.00 so far. Can you please help me? I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t so miserable all the time. If you’ve ever had a toothache, you know how rough it can be. Just multiply that by 16 broken teeth and you can see why I’m begging for help.
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Anyone who donates $100 or more will receive free eBook copies of all my current and future books for life. If you donate $300 or more, I’ll send you a signed hardcover of any of my books, plus give you free eBook copies of my current and future books for life. There are no signed hardcovers of my work in existence right now, so you’ll have a rare item!
 
I will keep you all posted here, including on the day of the surgery. Have to admit, I’m terrified of it. I haven’t had anything major done like this since my last C-section 19 years ago. As I mentioned, my health isn’t great and there’s already a risk with any surgery. This one will have me on the table for about 6 hours while they cut out the teeth and remove bits of the infected bone and gums. Please send me good thoughts.
 
For those who would rather not use GFM, you can also use PayPal. Just send it to my email address: cloudninepublications@yahoo.com
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Thank you, and if you have a fundraiser in the future, please send me the link and I’ll do what I can to help you too!

​Labor Day seems like it isn’t as important anymore. I’ve only noticed a few mentions about it so far this year even though it’s only a couple of weeks away. It occurred to me that some people may not know what it is if they’re just entering the workforce. Here are the basics.​

​What is Labor Day and Where does it take place?
Labor Day is an annual American holiday that celebrates and recognizes the hard work and achievements of workers all across the United States. In other countries, it is called international workers’ day and happens at a different time.
 
When does it happen?
In the United States Labor Day is always on the first Monday in September. It comes with a three-day weekend that coincides with summer ending and fall starting. Many people also consider it the time when school goes back in, though most U.S. schools start back in August. Others look forward to it because it precedes the start of the yearly football season. Labor Day 2022 is on Monday, September 5th.
In other countries, it is called May Day or International Workers’ Day and it happens on May 1st.

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​Why is it a holiday?
Labor Day was a victory for activists who wanted workers to be recognized and appreciated for all their hard labor through the year. The labor movement was pushing to reduce most work shifts from 12 or 10 hours down to the 8 that most Americans now do. Various events and protests happened across the country from 1850-1886. Then the Haymarket Affair came, forcing employers and the government to realize the labor movement wasn’t going away. It resulted in 8-hour shifts being adopted as the norm for most businesses and government jobs. It still took almost another decade of states celebrating Labor Day individually for the government to make it an official federal holiday.
 
Who started Labor Day
There are conflicting reports on that one.  Some documents claim it was the Secretary of new York’s’ Central Labor Union, Matthew Maguire. Others claim it was Peter J. McGuire, the co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. The similarity of their last names may have caused this confusion.

​Who celebrates it?
Labor Day is celebrated by American families and employees throughout the country. Other nations also celebrate their workers, though it is called by a different name. Labor Day recognizes the achievements and hard work of the people who keep their country running and the families who miss them while they’re gone.
 
How is it celebrated?
Most American cities host parades and firework shows, drawing in tens of thousands for a good time where street vendors sell treats, and the city still makes money even though their workers are off. American families get together for picnics and barbeques where they spend time with the workers they don’t get to see much because they’re always working. Others take the day to rest and relax with their favorite activity.

The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day was Tuesday, September 5th, 1882, in New York City. It wasn’t an official holiday then. It took 12 more years of other states recognizing it and giving their employees that day off for the government to officially declare it a national holiday. That happened June 28th, 1894.
 
Oregon was the first state to make it an official holiday in 1887. Four more states (New York, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New Jersey) followed the same year. Other states added it over the next 7 years, making the government understand how much the people wanted it.
 
I hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend. Maybe spend it with a good book or a classic film, like the ones below or in the sidebar.