For all the bad things happening in the world today, it is refreshing to know that sometimes good things happen to good people. On Wednesday, October 28, one of my firm’s pro bono clients, Dewey Bozella, was released from prison after spending the last 26 years incarcerated for the 1977 murder of 92-year old Emma Crapser in Poughkeepsie, New York – a crime that he did not commit. Dewey was released from state custody directly from a Dutchess County courtroom after an Assistant District Attorney announced in open court that the prosecution did not have any evidence available to re-try Dewey. In the presence of CBS News television cameras and photographers from the New York Times and several local media outlets, Dewey’s shackles were removed, he embraced his family and friends, and he walked out of the courtroom a free man. Dewey’s fight to clear his name took 32 years. However, now that he is free – for the first time in 26 years – he faces a new set of challenges. Dewey has never had a job. We are confident that Dewey will be able to find one, but the reality is that Dewey will likely start at the bottom and it will take time for him to gain responsibility and increase his compensation. Although Dewey is fortunate to have Trena by his side for emotional support, Trena is unable to work after recently undergoing a series of major surgeries. Dewey left the courtroom last week with nothing but $153 dollars and a suit on his back (purchased by our firm). How We Are Helping Dewey. Our team is determined to stand by Dewey’s side during these challenging times. We are working tirelessly to find media to spread Dewey’s story. We engage in such efforts not only to raise awareness about the injustices that Dewey has suffered, but also to help Dewey find financial support to enable his family to live comfortably during this critical time of his readjustment into society. We are looking into a potential civil lawsuit against the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office (and potentially certain individuals) on Dewey’s behalf. But, there is no guarantee of success, and even if Dewey does prevail, it may take years until he receives any compensation from such a lawsuit. We are also reaching out to universities and other institutions seeking to obtain paid speaking engagements for Dewey. However, these speaking engagements cannot be set up overnight, and are not a permanent source of income. We are working with the Osborne Society to help find Dewey a job, enroll him in social service programs, and ensure that he and his family have appropriate medical care. Finally, our team members have reached into their own pockets and made personal donations to help Dewey get back on his feet, to get him some suitable clothing, and to help Dewey and Trena move into a slightly larger apartment. How You Can Help. While it is difficult for most of us to make ends meet in today’s economy, I ask that, if you can, please help Dewey. We have set up the following ways to contribute to Dewey’s transition: You can make a donation by credit card via PayPal (use the email address trena1002@msn.com), or make a purchase off of Dewey and Trena’s Wal-Mart registry (which our team helped them set up and includes Wal-Mart gift cards for sale). Please feel free to share this with others who may support Dewey’s cause and wish to help.

Change of Seasons

Where did the summer go? It seems like only yesterday that I was looking at the calendar and counting the days until I could pack away the sweaters and break out the sunscreen. Mother Nature decided not to cooperate and, instead of sending summer, sent the rainy season instead. Dreary days followed one after the other and an umbrella took up permanent residence in my briefcase. Don't get me wrong, there were some sunny days mixed in, but they were few and far between and hardly ever on a weekend. I fondly recall the Saturday I was digging in the mud to save the plants I had bought from dying a slow death in the garage. And then presto, the rain was gone an the sun appeared for more than one day in a row! It was summer at last! That was mid-August. A few paltry weeks later and the temperature took a dangerous dip. This morning I left the house for work, lulled into a false security by a few pleasantly warm days, only to be hit by a cool breeze on my bare arms. Maybe it's a good thing that I never got to pack those sweaters away, but I still want to know . . . where did my summer go?

Travel Agents Speak Out on Elected Officials

A DC airport ticket agent offers some examples of why our country is in trouble! 1. I had a New Hampshire Congresswoman (Carol Shea-Porter) ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn't get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!) 2. I got a call from a Kansas Congressman's (Moore) staffer (Howard Bauleke), who wanted to go to Capetown.I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ''I'm not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts .'' Without trying to make him look stupid, I calmly explained, ''Cape Cod is in Massachusetts , Capetown is in Africa '' his response -- click. 3. A senior Vermont Congressman (Bernie Sanders) called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried t o explain that's not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.He replied, 'don't lie to me, I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state!'' (OMG) 4. I got a call from a lawmaker's wife (Landra Reid) who asked, ''Is it possible to see England from Canada ?''I said, ''No.''She said, ''But they look so close on the map.'' (OMG, again!) 5. An aide for a cabinet member(Janet Napolitano) once called and asked if he could rent a car in Dallas . I pulled up the reservation and noticed he had only a 1-hour layover in Dallas . When I asked him why he wanted to rent a car, he said, ''I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between gates to save time.'' (Aghhhh) 6. An Illinois Congresswoman (Jan Schakowsky) called last week. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:30 a.m., and got to Chicago at 8:33 a.m.I explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois , but she couldn't understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went fast, and she bought that. 7. A New York lawmaker, (Jerrold Nadler) called and asked, ''Do airlines put your physical description on your bag so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?'' I said, 'No, why do you ask?'He replied, ''Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said (FAT), and I'm overweight. I think that's very rude!''After putting him on hold for a minute, while I looked into it. (I was dying laughing). I came back and explained the city code for Fresno , Ca. is (FAT- Fresno Air Terminal), and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage. 8. A Senator John Kerry aide (Lindsay Ross) called to inquire about a trip package to Hawaii . After going over all the cost info, she asked, ''Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii ?'' 9. I just got off the phone with a freshman Congressman, Bobby Bright (D) from Ala who asked, ''How do I know which plane to get on?''I asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, ''I was told my flight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.'' 10. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D) called and said, ''I need to fly to Pepsi-Cola , Florida . Do I have to get on one of those little computer planes?'' I asked if she meant fly to Pensacola , FL on a commuter plane. She said, ''Yeah, whatever, smarty!'' 11. Mary Landrieu (D) La. Senator called and had a question about the documents she needed in order to fly to China . After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded her that she needed a visa. 'Oh, no I don't. I've been to China many times and never had to have one of those.''I double checked and sure enough, her stay required a visa. When I told her this she said, ''Look, I've been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express!'' 12. A New Jersey Congressman (John Adler) called to make reservations, ''I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York .'' I was at a loss for words. Finally, I said, ''Are you sure that's the nameof the town?'''Yes, what flights do you have?'' replied the man. After some searching, I came back with, ''I'm sorry, sir, I've looked up every airport code in the country and can't find a rhino anywhere." ''The man retorted, ''Oh, don't be silly! Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!''So I scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, ''You don't mean Buffalo , do you?''The reply? ''Whatever! I knew it was a big animal.'' YES, THEY WALK AMONG US, ARE IN POLITICS, AND THEY CONTINUE TO BREED.

From Diary to Publication

Okay, you can throw some things away especially if they get smelly; but I’m thinking about all those journals and diaries you kept as a kid. Come on, I’m sure there are a few people out there who still have a locked diary containing an entry of that first kiss. Perhaps, many of you keep a journal currently. Hello, I'm Judith McGuinness, I'm a romance author and I keep a journal. I started keeping a diary way back in third grade. Yes, I still have it too. As I grew older, my mom could not understand the time I spent writing in the marble notebook that I kept hidden under my pillow. If I had a dime for every time she said, “Why are you wasting your time …” I’d be rich. Anyways, I continued to write. I would write poetry, short stories, paste pictures or other’s works I found inspiring into my notebooks. I’d even write down the lyrics of songs. Some ideas were written on paper bags or napkins and I would later rewrite it. I also enjoyed writing love stories. In high school, my friends would ask me to write a little romantic tale of them with their latest squeeze. Funny, it got to the point where even guys were coming up to me and asking me to write down their exploits. (Maybe that’s how I learned to write erotica?) In 1989, my darling hubby (boyfriend at the time) happened upon me writing one day while we were vacationing in Italy. As he read my interpretation of the past few days, including the steamy midnight activities, I expected him to start laughing at any moment; I never took him to be the mushy, romantic type of man. He didn’t. In fact, he thought it was rather good. “Not Jane Austen, but a real page-turner,” I think were his exact words. Inspired by this review, I began writing more and more short stories. As each new idea popped into my head, I jotted the thought onto paper. There were times, over the next ten years, when I had four or five stories in various stages of completion. I would write them in longhand on the train on the way to work, on planes when my work took me far from home. Eventually, they were painstakingly transcribed onto my computer. Then, in 2005, I was on disability for an extended period. I spent a lot of time reading my stories, adding to them, reworking some of the plots. As I worked on one, a character who had been near and dear to my heart for many years, I began to wonder if it could be published. Having a book published had always been a dream of mine, but none of my stories had ever been complete enough. Perhaps it was time to complete one. By 2006, I had the 122,283-word manuscript for the story of my favorite character, “Macy”. At the end of writing this slightly paranormal romance, I knew that some of the secondary characters deserved to have his own story; thus the birth of a miniseries. iUniverse Publishing offered me a contract in 2007 and Macy was released later that year. Before the Applause is scheduled for release in 2010, and If I Should Love Again in 2012. My advice to you … never throw a diary or journal away; you just never know where it might take you. Now for a little treat. Leave a comment and I will send you the complete short story that has been running on my website.

A Day at the Bookstore

As I wander through the bookstore, I see many different types of readers. Everyone is unique, but they do fall into categories. Below is a brief description of some of the people I've seen.

• Seekers – those looking for a specific book. These include students of all kinds and those who heard about a book (TV, radio, magazine, friend) and want THAT book.
• Grazers – those who love bookstores but don’t really ever plan to buy a book. They wander the aisles and just gaze at the shelves and displays, occasionally picking up a book to read the cover and then go back to wandering.
• Browsers – those who don’t need a specific book, but are content to roam through the aisles of the genre or topic they are looking through, i.e. sci-fi, romance, self-help.
• Campers – those who come into the book store, set up shop and stay there. This includes students who think the book store is their personal library, the homeless, those who set up their drinks, food and laptops and don’t move all day.
• Clueless – those with little to no specific information about the book they are looking for and frazzle the nerves of the clerks. "I don't remember the name of the book or the author, but I think the cover is red. Do you have that one?"
• Independents – those shoppers who would rather use a computer terminal than talk to a bookseller.

When I go into a bookstore, I try to be as prepared as possible, armed with as much information about the book or books I am looking for. If I am just browsing, I do my best to stay out of the way of the other buyers and booksellers. I step around those randomly sitting in the middle of an aisle, the ones snoring in the wooden chairs, and try not to squeal too loudly when I see a new book on the shelf by one of my favorite authors.

How about you? Do you see yourself in the categories above? Do you think there are other types of buyers? Leave a comment and let me know!

Come Rain or Come Shine

In a burst of energy, I’ve been doing a lot of writing this past week due to the incessant rain and gloominess in this part of the country. Waking this morning to yet another grey day, I sat at the computer with my cup of tea and turned my attention to writing the next chapter of my new book. As the words appeared on the screen, it occurred to me that the weather was becoming a part of the story. Many scenes in the last fifty pages have been as dark and dreary as the scene outside my window. Curious, I looked back on some pages written in fairer days and found them definitely more upbeat and cheerful. How much of our surroundings do we as writers put in our work? It’s a well known fact that Mary Shelley penned her famous Frankenstein story during a particularly cold and dreary summer in Geneva, weather conditions that are obvious in every page. For us contemporary writers, what do we bring to our work from our daily lives? When we have an argument with a spouse, do the characters in the story quarrel as well? Do we choose to keep them part of the story or re-work them into something different? I can’t say for certain how much of me and my family I’ve brought to my characters in the past, no doubt more than I think; but I’ll be looking a bit more closely at it in the future.

While riding on the train this morning, I counted three women of varying ages completely engrossed in reading “Twilight”, and it occurred to me that the villain of novels past has become the hero. Not so long ago (I refuse to date myself here), vampires were loathsome creatures we cowered at the sight of, pirates were swarthy brigands, and the hero was always the guy in the white hat who vanquished said vampires and pirates. When did the lines blur? Did I miss the news flash announcing that the hero could now be the bad guy? That he could be more than a little rough around the edges and not be one-hundred percent squeaky clean. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a villain who looks like Johnny Depp, Robert Pattison, or even Hugh Jackman. You might think that I am complaining, but au contraire! For years (again, I refuse to date myself) I have endured mockery for rooting for the sidekick who never got the girl even when he really deserved to, for the tragic figure of the misunderstood ruffian. Now, I can finally hold my head up and say to all who laughed at me – I told you so!