An Ode to My Hat

Have you ever bought a hat that you absolutely had to have but once you got home and tried it on, it just didn't quite fit like you thought? So you cast it aside and reach for the frumpy one, tatooed with stains from all your travels. You know the one that you had to carefully pry from the dog's mouth so as not to turn the tiny pinhole into a button hole. The one your family uses to fan away insects. The one that you are always picking up off the floor. The ONLY ONE that crowns your glory to perfection, with a slight hint of royalty, complimenting every thing.

Looking around, I guess I've collected quite a few myself. Each one, with it's own memory and moment in the spotlight. Oh yes, I've fancied some more than others but none of them suited me like the one I'm wearing now - My Writer's Hat. At first, when I put it on, I thought that it would be too big for me. But then, without having to poke and prod and bend and twist, it naturally conformed to me. It was like magic!

Ever since, me and my hat have been everywhere together. Let me tell you, I've fought for it, I've cried in it, I've slept with it, I've been rejected in it, I've snatched it off and thrown it, only to pick it back up again, and protect it. I've stretched it, I've shrunk it, I've dyed it and even lost it but never stopped until I found it.

What can I say? I LOVE IT! It's my favorite hat!

Be Good!
ABT

The Hell-Bound Train

A sinner man lay on a bar room floor,
having drank so much that he could drink no more;
so he fell asleep with a troubled brain
to dream that he rode on a hell-bound train.

The engine with murderous blood was damp
and was brilliantly lit with a brimstone lamp;
an imp, for fuel, was shoveling bones,
while the furnace rang with a thousand groans.

The boiler was filled with lager beer
and the devil himself was the engineer;
the passengers were a most motley crew--
church member, atheist, gentile, and jew,

Rich men in broadcloth, beggars in rags,
handsome young ladies, and withered old hags,
yellow and black men, red, brown, and white,
all chained together--O my, what a site!

While the train rushed on at an awful pace--
the sulphurous fumes scorched their hands and their face;
wider and wider the country grew,
faster and faster the engine flew.

Louder and louder the thunder crashed
brighter and brighter the lightning flashed;
hotter and hotter the air became
til all their clothes were burned from each quivering flame.

Then out of the distance there arose a yell,
"Ha, ha," said the devil, "we're nearing hell!"
then oh, how the passengers all shrieked with pain
and begged the devil to stop the train.

But he capered about and danced with glee,
he laughed and he joked at their misery.
"My faithful friends, you have done the work
and the devil, never can, a payday shirk.

You've bullied the weak, you've robbed the poor,
The starving brother you've turned from the door;
you've laid up gold where the canker rust,
and have given free vent to your beastly lust.

You've justice scorned, and corruption sown,
and trampled the laws of nature down.
You have drunk, rioted, cheated, plundered, and lied,
and mocked at others in your hell-born pride.

You have paid full fair, so I'll carry you through,
for it's only right you shall have your due.
As a laborer always expects his hire,
I'll land you safe in a lake of fire,

Where your flesh will burn in the flames that roar,
and my imps will torment you forevermore … Ha Ha!"
Then the sinner man awoke with an anguished cry,
His clothes wet with sweat and his hair standing high

He prayed as he had never prayed til that hour
to be saved from his sin and the demon's power;
his prayers and his vows were not in vain,
for you see he never rode the hell-bound train.

--Author Unknown

This Tell - Tale Life

In the midst of penning my second novel, I am bombarded with distractions ~ ringing phones, barking dogs, endless messages and emails, outside bathroom breaks for the doggies, regular household activities, etc. Meanwhile, the clock continues ticking and before I realize it, I've made very little progress.

I tell myself that if only I had a little hideaway I could escape to, I'd be certain to get more accomplished. If I could just get a little peace and quiet.

But would I really be productive? In fact, with all that silence going on around me, I would probably end up getting writer's block. If there were no phones, no dogs, no messages or emails, no outside bathroom breaks, then there wouldn't be much to tale(no pun intended).

All these distractions ~ all this life, going on around me, to think they're there to filter through my imagination, leaving fabulous ideas and stories to tale so that readers can escape from their lives. Funny how that works.

That being said ~ I embrace my distractions and continue to allow the Universe to send creative inspiration, in and through my life!

Ooops, the phone is ringing, I gotta go!

Be good.

~Angela Bolden-Thompson

A Tribute to Myself

This is my favorite poem!(May differ slightly from the original version.) Enjoy!

I have to live with myself and so I want to be fit for myself to know

I want to be able as days go by always to look myself straight in the eye

I don’t want to wake up with the setting sun, and hate myself for the things I’ve done

I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf, a lot of secrets about myself

And fool myself as I come and go into thinking that no one else would know
The kind of woman I really am, I don’t want to hold myself in sham

I want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect

But here in the struggle for fame and pelf I want to be able to like myself
I don’t want to look at myself and know that I’m blunt and bluff and empty show
I could never hide myself from me; I see what others may never see

I know what others may never know I have to live with myself and so

Whatever happens I want to be, self respecting and conscience free.

~Edgar A. Guest

Some Q & A with Author A. Bolden-Thompson

What is your book about?

When Company Comes takes a provocative look at how we attract misery and end up becoming one of her guests.

Give us a brief summary of “When Company Comes.”

Narrated by eighteen-year-old Mattie Cordell, we embark on a journey back to her childhood where she absolutely adores two things, her father and her books. After her father loses his job, he makes some life-altering choices that profoundly affects his entire family. Desperate and unsure, he uses his home to entertain family and friends in an effort to take his mind off his misfortune. Misery makes her entrance on the heels of these guests who bring deep dark secrets to the table. As a result, Mattie’s world is affected and begins to unravel. She and Richard become estranged and end up on a trip down the rabbit hole where they find themselves eveloped in a sea of betrayal and scandal. At the height of the story, we experience what could be Mattie's breaking point. In the end, we discover that if misery loves company, then triumph deserves an audience.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

The book was actually inspired by a poem called “I Too Sing America” by Mr. Langston Hughes. It resonated with me as a child and remains one of my favorites.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. I wanted to be an Actress and I wrote plays so that I could have something to perform. Turns out, I liked writing more than acting and the rest is history!

How do you go about writing a book?

My experience has taught me that it takes passion and discipline to write a book. I have to be dedicated and willing to “burn the midnight oil” sometimes.

What is the inspiration behind your writing?

My inspiration comes from poetry, plays, and life in general.

Do you have a favorite Author or Title?

No. But there are many whose work I admire and respect.

What are you working on now and when can we expect to read it?

I am currently working on something that hints at romance. I'll have to wait until it is done before I can know for sure. I don’t have a release date as of yet but I hope to be complete this spring!

What Lies Beneath?

What is the cause of vomiting? Sounds disgusting, I know. But for me, it's a necessary evil-so to speak. I'll explain why, if you can hang in there with me.

The cause of vomiting can range anywhere from sickness to poisoning to a viral infection-all indications that things aren't properly balanced within.

Have you noticed that when you allow your body to purge itself, in most cases you feel better instantaneously?

But sometimes, thinking about the pain that this purging produces, will cause you to resist a little. However, there is a part of you that knows when you allow this process "to just happen," you'll feel so much better.

What are you holding on to that you need to let go? A grudge? A habit? A person? A thought? A feeling? How is it serving you? Take a moment to get honest with yourself. Will you gain relief from letting it go?

Think about it.

Don't fight it-you will only cause yourself more pain.

Just release it.

NOW...LET IT GO!

Going...Going...Gone.

Feedback

Since When Company Comes's opening debut, I have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. Some personally and some via email. As with any book, no two responses are ever quite the same. One person may experience inspiration while another may experience empathy. Both are good because it is my intention to evoke some kind of emotion. But the real bonus comes when a reader receives more than just emotion. They actually get the message and it changes the course of his or her life.

I love it when that happens! For me, it is what makes writing worthwhile. (Ooops, did I say that out loud?) Okay. I guess this is the part where, those of you who think that my job is pretty easy, you should probably cover your eyes. Don't worry, I'll wait,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, no peeking,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.

The truth of the matter is that while writing can be fun, it can also be stressful, mindbending, lonely, frustrating, long, compulsive, impulsive, nailbiting, hard, dramatic....did I mention that it can be fun? That being said- it's no different from the average 9 to 5. It takes commitment and discipline. If you still think it's easy then you are officially my hero!

Now...as I was saying before....

For me, it's moments like those that make it all worthwhile. I never know how my work will affect people or even if it will affect them at all. What I do know is that if I can reach one, and that one reaches another then the world becomes a better place because of it and I am grateful.

Readers, thank you so much for your generous feedback. I am always humbled by it.

I gotta get back to work! Be good.

--Angela Bolden-Thompson