January Musings and Reading Recommendations Captured

These are the January section from my Website, saved as I start penning February.

Welcome
I overheard a sad conversation today. I was sitting on the battered leather couch in a great local coffee shop, JJJ's, writing, when a woman at a table just over my shoulder leaned in and asked if I was a writer. I said "Yes, I write science fiction and fantasy," and they asked if I was published and I said I'd sold a few short stories, and turned back to the scribbled-on novel pages I'm in the middle of going over for awkward phrasing before I send it off to my agent.
Anyway, the woman's female table companion said, "I'd like to write," and the reply she got was something like "Why waste your time? The only people who should write are the people with natural talent. It's too hard to get published."
Ouch. Talent is training and desire, not something innate. No gold medal gymnast started out even able to stand neatly on a balance beam.


Reading Recommendations:
Not much for this month...I've been writing rather than reading. And re-reading old fantasy's I like. I did run into a book that gave me a good belly laugh at a friend's house:
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction
by the writers of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart
Very good poke-fun humor.
We did go see the Lemony Snicket movie today, and liked it very much. Yes, it was over the top - as critics say. But what the heck -- so were the books. It was very fun, and I thought the cast did a great job. Violet, particularly, seemed like herself.
Meantime, we are having trouble waiting patiently for the next book, and have already ordered out Harry Potter from the local independent bookstore, Park Place Books, which throws just great Potter parties. We'll be there at midnight!