Marshall Flippo · My Thoughts · square dance

A Negative Comment About the Flippo Book! What?

A negative comment about the Flippo book I wrote—what? Yes, and I’m proud of how I handled it!

Last week, at Hot August Nights Plus Square Dance Weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a woman hung around my book table Saturday afternoon, especially looking at the table with the biography I wrote about Marshall Flippo.  So, I walked over to see if she had bought his biography.

When asked if she bought it, she replied, “Yes.” Nothing more.

So I asked her eagerly, “What did you think?” I’ve had such a great response from readers in the square dance world, I wasn’t prepared.

“It wasn’t written very well.”

Surprised, I said, “I’m the author.” She stared at me, unblinking, like I was from another planet. That shocked me she didn’t know I wrote the book. My picture is on the book—I haven’t changed that much since 2020. I have an unusual name—come on! Her partner joined us and I asked him if he had bought a copy. He had helped me with information on one specific event in the book.

He said, “Not yet,” which surprised me.

I said, “Well, your partner has.”

Then he said, “I’ll read hers.”

As this conversation continued with no more reference about the Flippo book, I stayed calm and collected which is unusual for me. Usually, I react—get defensive, get angry— but I didn’t. I listened to my internal dialogue: “Look at the cover. Look at the book awards.” But then I realized I didn’t need to defend it. I watched her stand there, offering no explanation, so, I circled back to the book.

“So, what was wrong with Flippo’s biography?” I asked sincerely wanting her feedback.

“It was in pieces—scattered” is all she said—nothing more. I waited for her explanation. She looked away and had nothing else to say. We danced together for the rest of the weekend and I quickly forgot this incident. But on Tuesday morning, I retold it to my book coaching group, and it generated a lot of discussion. My book coach shared his wisdom, “Take neither the positive 5-star review or the negative 1-star review to heart. Stay somewhere in the middle.”

As a writer, I know not everyone will like my books. I’ve written six books in a variety of genres on less popular topics like country living, grief and losing your parents, surviving the pandemic and the biography of a square dance caller. These are not hot topics—no sex, drug and rock ‘n roll, yet I’m proud of each book.

A friend of ours told Lin I should write more steamy books and they’d sell better—sorry, folks! Not my topic!

So, the take away from this incident for me:

  • I kept my composure when she made her comment and then asked a probing question to try to get clarifying information to help me as a writer.
  • When I first released the Flippo book in 2020, someone emailed there were too many typo errors in it and she wouldn’t buy it. I had worked hard on it for three years. I had it professional edited, and this comment crushed me, so I didn’t respond. With some distance and time from it, I realized she probably had just thumbed through it and didn’t realize I had used Flippo’s Texas accent in his responses, so it would like look words were spelled incorrectly. But since then, I have lost her email, so I couldn’t explain or ask her any questions. I just reacted—hurt!
  • I realized how blessed I’ve been over the last nine years to receive so much positive feedback about each of my books

Obviously, this isn’t the first negative I’ve gotten nor will it be the last, but I felt it worthy to write about.

For readers, I have some suggestions:

  • Review any book you read and you don’t have to give every book a 5-star review
  • Email the author with your thoughts about the positives and negatives so we can have a personal exchange and possibly grow from the experience

Yes, everyone has a right to their opinion. I love each of my books in a different way—they’re my babies—yet the Flippo biography has a special place in my heart. I felt it a privilege to spend the hours interviewing Flip and then felt proud of the job I did in writing it. By writing it, I recorded and honored his place in square dance history.

In fact, if you are one of the people who reviewed this book on Amazon, thanks so much. If you bought it and haven’t reviewed it, now is the time to do so!


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Pre-order my new book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming and Humorous Christmas Memoir, ahead of the Christmas rush. To be released in September for your early shopping pleasure!

Listen to my twenty-three minute interview on Masterfesto Media Podcast with Isabel Elias about my book Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uRX60sDFWbejTg7rZAiLn

Get your free 50-minute audio recording of Flippo! Click here for easy access!

Albuquerque · My Thoughts · square dance

We Danced the Weekend Away!

We danced the weekend away at the 17th Annual Hot August Nights! Thanks to a fantastic staff who kept our feet moving: Mike & Lisa Seastrom, caller and Mitchell & Chelsea Thompson, cuer.

Friday, August 18, 2023

We started dancing Friday afternoon at 3:00 PM with an hour “Welcome Dance.” People have just arrived from travels far and near and five squares jumped onto the floor to get their feet wet!

Our annual Friday Night Beach Party had beach balls sailing around the dance hall. Instead of traditional square dance attire, dancers wore anything appropriate for the beach. The relaxed but fun-loving atmosphere set the tone for the weekend. Mike’s high energy calling and songs kept the dancers hopping and Mitchell’s cuing had the round dancers enjoying every song. We ended the night with the traditional root beer floats and lots of casual conversation, a time to get acquainted with dancers you met on the dance floor.

Saturday, August 19, 2023

On Saturday morning, the round dancers came out for the round dance workshop to learn a level four cha-cha that kept us moving.

Then Mitchell and Chelsea offered an introduction to rounds, and the dancers learned how to waltz.

For lunch, a group of dancers went to Millie’s Restaurant close by to visit and enjoy their delicious food. We had the pleasure of talking about square and rounding in Colorado with Mitchell & Chelsea—always a treat to hear what’s happening in other areas.

Then Saturday afternoon we featured square dancing: singing calls, a Plus workshop and then high energy. Whew! My feet ached afterwards, but my heart sang!

Saturday night dancers donned traditional square dance outfits. Our committee wore our gorgeous Hot August Nights outfits.

A few women from the Hot August Nights Committee
A few women from the Hot August Nights Committee

The fun continued with great square and round dancing. We added a new feature to our evening: Mitchell and Chelsea danced a beautiful demonstration for the enjoyment of the crowd! What a beautiful job they did!

Sunday, August 20, 2023

On Sunday morning, we ended the event with a Trail Out dance and had five squares again of hardy dancers. Traditional on Sunday, we scatter promenade and lots of shenanigans happen. The tradition continued, and we danced to the end!

When the event ended, I received lots of hugs and farewells and thanks for a great weekend. That always makes it worth all the hard work. The committee quickly cleaned up and then had a feedback meeting with Mike and Lisa Seastrom joining us. We considered what went well, what we need to improve on and how to improve. We so appreciate everyone’s input, especially Mike and Lisa.

The Hot August Nights Committee & Mike & Lisa Seastrom at Fuddruckers.
The Hot August Nights Committee & Mike & Lisa Seastrom at Fuddruckers.

To end the festive weekend, part of committee and Mike and Lisa headed to Fuddruckers for lunch. During lunch, we enjoyed a heady conversation about square dancing and promoting squares. Again, I appreciated the opportunity to talk about our activity with a national caller.

Highlights

As always, one highlight of the weekend is the people who attend. We had dancers/friends from Mississippi and Virginia.

Square Dance Friends from Mississippi! We Danced!
Square Dance Friends from Mississippi!

We had the short and the tall.

The short and the tall! We danced
The short and the tall!

And especially we had Freddie Franks, one of the three original couples who started Hot August Nights in 2007. She lost her husband, Bill, less than a year ago, and it was so good to give her a hug.

Freddi, Lin and Larada! We danced!
Freddi, Lin and Larada!

Tonight, I’m tired but satisfied. After the pandemic, our attendance has gone down. In 2019, we had twenty-two squares on the floor for Saturday night. In 2022, we had about the same as this year. This year we had ten squares that filled the Albuquerque Square Dance Center with energy and laughter.

And what a committee we have! We worked together smooth like silk, according to Mike Seastrom. It is sheer pleasure to work with this group!

What a success we had! We danced the weekend away! It isn’t always about the head count, but about the laughter and joy on the dancers’ faces. We look forward to next year—we will grow and get it back to where it was!


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Pre-order my new book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming and Humorous Christmas Memoir, ahead of the Christmas rush. To be released in September for your early shopping pleasure!

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme. We Danced
Take a trip & my book with you!

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Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme. We danced.
Relax outside with Flippo!

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Dancing · My Thoughts · square dance

Two Weekends of Dancing: Tired Feet!

Tired Feet - Two weekends

Two weekends of dancing: I love it. Today my feet hurt and my lips curl into a smile, remembering the fun we had at USA West Square Dance Convention and Hi Country Weekend. Both offered lots of dancing and both differed, but rewarded us in a variety of ways.

First of the Two Weekend Dance Events: USA West, Albuquerque, New Mexico

From July 26-29, 2023, 450 dancers came from all over the USA and other countries to enjoy USA West. This square and round dance festival began in 1997 in Denver, Colorado. It occurs anytime the National Square Dance Convention is east of the Mississippi. Since 1997, it has been held every year except three years—one year was for COVID.

This year, Albuquerque’s own Randy and Lorraine Pratt organized this event and did a great job.

During the convention, I sold my books and had a significant response. While selling them, I rekindled relationships with many dancers I hadn’t seen in years. What a splendid chance to see friend/dancers!

During USA West, the day began at 10:00 AM and ended at 10:00 PM, with After Parties that lasted until 11:00 PM or later. You can see that many square and round dancers love to party!

Each of the four evenings, we danced the night away to the possibility of 38 callers and 21 cuers from all over the country and Canada. We followed one caller we love around from hall to hall. That’s the option you have at a big event like this.

Often, we found our favorite high energy dancers and danced a fun square.

Also, we thoroughly enjoyed several exhibition groups that performed:

  • California Heritage Dancers
  • River City Riders
  • High Country Dancers
  • The Colorado Dancers

A couple of these groups highlighted the history of square dancing. One group, the River City Riders, had a fun presentation, with the dancers appearing to be horseback.

After so much dancing, we ended the weekend with tired feet and happy hearts! We thoroughly enjoyed the first of the two weekend dance events. USA West was a smashing success, yet we wanted more!

Second of the Two Weekend Dance Events: Hi Country Weekend, Pueblo, Colorado

At the USA West Trail-In dance on Wednesday, the Hi Country Weekend organizers asked if we planned to attend their dance coming up. They regularly attend our festival, Hot August Nights, and one said, “You know, we support you regularly.”

So, on August 3, 2023, Thursday afternoon, Lin and I headed north with a detour to Branson, Colorado, to spend a night there and saw my brother. That evening, we put a window air conditioner in my house in Branson. Afterwards Lin and I visited our 94-year-old friend who always is a joy to see.

Then, on Friday, August 4, we drove to Trinidad and met my brother for lunch and shopped around Trinidad. Afterwards, away we went to Pueblo for Hi Country Weekend for the weekend. Each evening had a different theme: Hawaiian Friday night and Cowboy on Saturday.

Each evening started with thirty minutes of round dancing, then thirty minutes of Plus dancing. The rest of the evening they had SSD (Social Square Dancing) dancing, with Plus dancing and rounds sprinkled throughout. So see—the focus was SSD dancing.

I really enjoyed their unique vision for a festival with the focus on SSD dancing. SSD is a relatively new program that focuses on the most popular fifty Mainstream calls. An entire weekend dedicated to a beginner level of dancing! Never once during the weekend was I bored as an experienced dancer. How about that! Other event planners should take note!

Unlike USA West, this event had two featured callers: Joe Saltel and Mike Hogan and a cuer: Peter and Chama Gomez. What a talented staff! The callers mixed up the SSD program so well, I never felt bored. This part of Colorado has several new SSD dancers that had a blast at their first festival.

Friday night we attended the “After Party” in one of the committee’s hotel room, overflowing with food and drinks and dancers. One tradition of this group is a “Bed Picture.” They get as many people as possible onto the bed in one of their hotel rooms for a selfie and they post the picture on Facebook. Their record is 24 people, but we only got 17! I always laugh as we jam as many people as possible on a hotel bed.

On Saturday morning, we took part in a challenging Plus workshop and then headed out to get gas and wash the car. We returned to the dance hall for a delicious barbecue lunch. Peter and Chama had a great workshop on Saturday afternoon, focusing on lower level round dances and then a jive workshop. We thoroughly enjoyed Peter’s excellent cuing and his hilarious sense of humor all weekend.

What a wonderful group of dancers come from southern Colorado—so warm and welcoming. Plus, high energy who thoroughly enjoy dancing and each other.  

The second festival of our two weekend spree has left me exhausted and satisfied!

Finally,

Two weekends of amazing dancing! Two weekends in a row—fantastic for those of us who love to dance! Each satisfied my dance needs, and each made my heart smile! In two weeks, we host our dance festival, Hot August Nights, in Albuquerque! So, yes, more dancing, more laughter and more friends in our near future!

Do you square dance? Dance of any kind? Do you dance this often, two weekends in a row?


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Pre-order my new book, Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming and Humorous Christmas Memoir, ahead of the Christmas rush. To be released in September for your early shopping pleasure!

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme - Two weekends
Vacation with my book and heal!

Listen to my twenty-three minute interview on Masterfesto Media Podcast with Isabel Elias about my book Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uRX60sDFWbejTg7rZAiLn

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme - Two weekends
Find some shade with a cold drink & enjoy Flippo!

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family · Friends · My Thoughts · square dance

Stop! Let’s Celebrate My 70 Years!

70th birthday - Stop

Stop! This week, on June 27, 2023, I celebrated my 70th birthday, and I have interrupted my Scotland trip-focus with a celebration of me!

A Poem I Wrote About My Birth

In my book, This Tumbleweed Landed, I wrote a poem about my birth story. I don’t know about you, but I heard this story often, and it naturally became a poem. Key phrases throughout the poem I heard from my parents frequently and swelled with pride. The repeating of my birth story cemented in my soul and spirit how much my parents wanted and celebrated me. Enjoy!

Larada Reading Her Poem, “I Was Born Dancing”

A Ring to Celebrate My Heritage and Me

Last week, I went to Branson, Colorado to visit our family ranch, my brother and friends. On Tuesday, my brother walked into my house, moved to the breakfast bar and handed me a small unwrapped box, saying, “This is your birthday present from me and my kids.” That’s the way he does his gifts—no wrapping, but a lot of thought and love put into the gift.

I gasped—it was a ring with reversible stones. On one side was my dad’s brand and on the other was my granddad’s brand! But in my fuzzy stupor from the pain pills I’m on, I thought it was a slide for a necklace.

Fast forward to Thursday, we went to the Walmart in Trinidad and then had lunch to celebrate my upcoming birthday. While in Walmart I looked at silver necklaces for the slide.

After shopping, I said to my brother while eating, “I looked at necklaces for the slide you all gave me at Walmart, but I found nothing. I’ll go to a jewelry store in Albuquerque and buy one.”

Not looking at me, he stated, “It’s a ring, not a slide. Remember, I asked you if you wanted to try it on when I gave it to you!”

Again, I gasped! I apologized and asked him about how crazy I must have seemed to him!

More to This Ring Story!

How foolish am I! In March, my brother and I had looked at Calvin Begay’s jewelry in Trinidad, and he had reversible rings like this. I have been a Calvin Begay fan for years! I have one of his rings, and we just finished buying three beautiful expensive pieces from Calvin! It all made sense now.

He added, “It is from me and my three kids. They helped pay for it!”

Quickly, I texted my nephew and two nieces and apologized for the delay in my thanking them and told them the story. They got a big laugh out of it, and Cheryl added, “Lol! Now it will always make you smile for sure!”

Seventy, yes, but this brain fog came from the pain medicine, I know. So, I went to my house in Branson and put the gorgeous ring on and marveled at the fit—like Calvin Begay made for me! LOL! He did!

My brother and niece had texted me early in June with a bet between them on whether her ring finger was bigger or smaller than mine. I thought nothing about it! When I texted my apology, she added, “The story about our ring size being the same was a fake!”

My Delightful Day

After returning home to Tijeras on Monday, I woke up to my husband, Lin, singing happy birthday to me. Then he presented me with a beautiful bouquet, card and a generous gift to help finance my part of our trip to Germany in September.

I had a delightful morning. I led a meditation group on Facebook Live I love and shared my poem about my birth and a Mary Oliver poem about being 70.

Self-Portrait

I wish I was twenty and in love with live

            And still full of beans.


Onward, old legs!

There are the long, pale dunes; on the other side

The roses are blooming and finding their labor

No adversity to the spirit.


Upward, old legs! There are the roses, and there is the sea.

Shining like a song, like a body

I want to touch


Though I’m not twenty 

and won’t be again but ah! seventy. And still

In love with life. And still

Full of beans.

Mary Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver, (2017): 117.

Then I attended a weekly book coaching session on Zoom. Afterwards, Lin took me out to lunch and we had delicious Mexican food in Cedar Crest at Mariachi’s. After lunch, we went next door to the Paris Bakery, and he bought French pastries for dessert.

When we got home, we ate those delicacies, watched a TV show, and I fell asleep—a deep relaxed sleep like I haven’t in a long time.

A Surprise Square Dance Party

Lin had warned me a couple time not to look in the Tahoe—I figured it was more birthday stuff. He also told me he had a hearing aid appointment at 4:30 PM, so we’d have to drive separately to the square dance that night in Albuquerque.

He left while I was sleeping and I slept for over two hours, forcing myself to wake up and get something to eat before the dance.

Happy birthday banner - Top

When I got to the hall about 6:50 PM, Lin met me at the door and I knew something was up. Then I saw a “Happy Birthday” banner over the door. He guided me through the door, and the people said, “Surprise! Happy Birthday!”

Shocked with my mouth open, I realized what this was—a surprise square dance party for me! I received hug after hug and lots of well wishes.

Lin’s smile and twinkling eyes made me laugh—he was proud of himself for getting me—for surprising me! I couldn’t stop smiling.

Lin’s color selection for the tables had sweet, poignant reasons—purple for my mom (her favorite color) and purple for our wedding.

He guided me to the food table to show me a beautiful Pastian’s bakery cake. It had on it, “Happy Birthday Larada, Greg and Lynn.” Greg and Lynn Tillery—a square dance caller in Albuquerque and his wife also turned 70 this year! Lin explained he had invited them to, but he had to tell Greg about the surprise. But Lynn didn’t know.

When they arrived and received greetings from the group, Lynn said, “It’s not my birthday!” So my Lin explained it to her about the surprise for her.

But the surprises weren’t over for me! Someone tapped me on the shoulder and it was Bob Osse, Lin’s best friend, from Arizona. He had his wife on FaceTime to share her greetings. She wanted to join us but had a family tragedy during the week and was attending to that.

Gordon, Gloria, Larada, Lin and Sandra - Friends from Utah! Stop
Gordon, Gloria, Larada, Lin and Sandra – Friends from Utah!

Then dear friends Gloria Schwab and Sandra and Gordon from Utah came in. On their way home from the National Square Dance Convention, they contacted Jerry Gilbreath about a Tuesday night dance. He told them about the surprise party! Whew!

During a break between square dance tips, Jerry sang the George Strait song Lin had played to me at our wedding, “I Cross My Heart.” So we got to do a little two-stepping!

Here’s a funny part—I handle contracts for dances at the dance hall. Jerry usually calls on the first and third Tuesdays, but about a month ago he called and asked if he could add a dance on the last Tuesday, June 27, my birthday. Because it was open, I said yes and thought, “Yahoo! We will get to square dance on my birthday!” Little did I know. . .

So, let’s stop here. I’d like to end with some haikus I wrote on my 70th birthday and the wisdom.

Seventy is here.

Yesterday sixty-nine, so?

Does one day change me?


Did I change in my

sleep? A decade older now.

I’m still Larada.


How should I act now?

Does seventy deem me old?

The same and hell, no!


I can’t hold on to

My youth, but I can stay young!

It’s my choice, so YES!


So stop! I will get back to the end of our trip to Scotland next week, but I couldn’t pass this celebration up!

How do you see someone at seventy? Is that old? Do you have a birthday story? Share it with me!


News, News, News!

Listen to my twenty-three minute interview on Masterfesto Media Podcast with Isabel Elias about my book Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uRX60sDFWbejTg7rZAiLn

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo
Grab your iPhone and lounge on the beach with Flippo!

Get your free 50-minute audio recording of Flippo! Click here for easy access!

Marshall Flippo · My Books · My Thoughts · square dance

Gone But Forgotten: Flippo? Really?

Just Another Square Dance Caller hardback cover - gone
Hardback Cover

Gone but forgotten? Really? Flippo died on November 4, 2018. Yes, five years ago this year. And It might appear people have forgotten him. In my mind, Marshall Flippo was and is a legend in square dance history; therefore, this book is not only a biography, but a history book. It’s not old news; it’s timely news! How could people forget him so quickly?

Recently, I had a booth in the vendor’s room at the International CALLERLAB Convention in Reno, Nevada April 23-26, to sell Marshall Flippo’s biography. Yes, I wrote it in 2020—three years ago—but I thought this would be the place to make lots of sales. My mission: to get the word out about the life and times of Marshall Flippo! Not only square dance history, but World War II history, Texas history and the life in the 50s and 60s.

Here’s some history of this book & CALLERLAB!

I released Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo mid-May 2020 and with the pre-order sales and the sales on Amazon.com and IngramSparks.com, I enjoyed an acceptable amount of sales.

The coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020, canceling all dance festivals and events for a couple years, so after my original release, the book sales have plummeted. Somehow, I thought I could maintain minimal sales even though we weren’t dancing.

I had originally planned to release the book at the 2020 CALLERLAB convention in Reno, Nevada, but they canceled it. Then I thought I’d have a major release party at REVCO Festival in Indio, California, a festival Flip called at for years. They canceled it. ALL DANCE EVENTS—CANCELED. Then CALLERLAB 2021 in Grapevine, Texas, occurred, but as a virtual convention, so I had no book sales there. I missed CALLERLAB 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania because I still felt leery about the coronavirus pandemic.

So, 2023 would be the year, and anticipation filled me. Before the event, I followed the suggestion of my book coach, and prepared a fifty-minute audio of highlights of my conversations with Flippo to offer FREE for interested people. Listening to his voice once more when I created this, I snuggled down in my chair and relished the storyteller he was. He talked about how he started calling, about his amazing recording of “The Auctioneer” (such a piece of history) and a bonus of his sleeping with another caller and the practical jokes that followed! Interesting and funny—Flippo at his best! And to hear that raspy Texas twang once more! Looking to CALLERLAB, I saw, in my imagination, people rushing to my booth to get the free audio and buy his book.

The Auctioneer recored - gone

The days before leaving for Reno, I put three labels of awards the book won on each book I took. I ordered more of my other books not about Flippo because I was sure I would sell out of the number I had—the eternal optimist.

As we neared the departure date, I had a glitch in my travel plans. My husband came down with shingles, so my brother pinch hit for him to help me drive. After a delightful trip there and a mini-family reunion with his family from northern California on Saturday, the anticipation grew! Yet a nagging doubt whispered in the back of my mind: gone and forgotten? What would the sales be like?

On Sunday morning, my brother and nephew helped me set up my booth, teeming with my six books and three cookbooks—Flippo’s book took center-state though! We opened from 1:00-5:00 PM to start the conference. Callers and callers’ wives slowly dribbled in, and I realized my fate! Maybe gone and forgotten was the truth!

On Monday and Tuesday, the lack of interest continued. I sold a few books, but eleven people said, after I asked if they had bought Flippo’s biography, “Not yet.” The sad thing—the “Net yets” never came back!

But the most disturbing part for me, more than the lack of sales—the lack of enthusiasm about Flippo. Yes, I had several people stop by my table and share. They bought the book and enjoyed it—several had stellar comments to make. That blessed my heart because this was the first opportunity I had to get that kind of face-to-face feedback in such numbers.

But the lack of enthusiasm shocked me! In Flip’s biography, thirty-four callers, cuers and dancers told stories about him, remembering great tales to tell. As I thumbed through those stories today, most of those people bought the book early. Several have posted reviews on Amazon and three wrote thoughtful blurbs I used for the covers and promotions.

Flippo Loved to Tell Stories About Other Callers & Cuers

From the beginning, Flippo wanted to tell stories about the callers and cuers he worked with. In fact, we started the book with “A Tribute To Those Who’ve Gone,” identifying ten specific callers and cuers who helped him get started.

He also told stories on fifty-three callers, cuers and dance influencers in another section. Many of them have passed, but their names ring in the mind of any square dance historian: Jerry Haag, Beryl Main, Frank Lane, Ed Gilmore, Joe Lewis, Arnie Kronenberger, Dave Taylor, Dick Jones, Hotsy & Joan Bacon, Jerry Helt, Al and Bob Brundage, Earl Johnston, Al “Tex” Brownlee, Bill & Phyllis Speidel, Ray & Harper Smith, Jerry Story, Randy Dougherty, Singing Sam Mitchell, Max Forsyth, Charlie & Bettye Procter, Ted Frye, Bob Yerington, Bobby Newman, Chuck Goodman, Johnnie Wykoff, C. O. Guest, Billy Lewis, Pancho and Marie Baird, Jim Brower, Joe & Cricket Young, and Bob Fisk. Whew! What a list of the stars of the history of square and round dancing!

One more thing! I worked hard to add an index at the end of the book. Why spend a week putting it together? I saw the historical value of it and I wanted people to look up famous names, familiar names easily.

Gone but forgotten? I had a conversation with Darryl Lipscomb. He told me that Flippo had told him when he was retiring people would forget him because of his absence at festivals and different events. Interesting prediction for sure!

Finally,

Gone, but forgotten! I took way too many books to CALLERLAB in my enthusiasm. The lack of enthusiasm for Flippo astonished me there, but I look to the future and festivals coming up to sell at: USAWest in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cool Mountain Fling in Show Low, Arizona and Hot August Nights in Albuquerque, New Mexico, too, to name a few.

Gone
Forgotten-gone

Flippo! Gone, but not forgotten for me and many! Be one of us! 


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Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme - gone
Grab your iPhone and lounge on the beach with Flippo!

~Get your FREE Fifty minute audio recording of “Highlights of My Conversations with Flippo.” Learn how he started calling, how he recorded “The Auctioneer,” and a bonus: which caller did he sleep with? Click here for easy access!

Friends · My Thoughts · square dance

Kathi Raver: Another Woman to Celebrate

Kathi Raver comes to mind as another woman to celebrate during National Women’s History Month, focusing on the women in my history. I end this celebratory month for women with her and her powerful place in my life.

We met in 1995 when she started square dancing with Duke City Singles in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and she became my best girlfriend in the square dance world. We were quite a pair—me five feet three and she a stately five eleven!

One similarity we shared was teaching: I taught my entire career in the middle school. Kathi taught in the middle school and high school. She was a P. E. instructor and coached volleyball and basketball.

Another similarity we both shared: hard-headed and opinionated. Interestingly, these lively traits caused only one disagreement between us.

Katherine (Kathi) Raver was born in Hobbs, New Mexico on May 22, 1950 and had two brothers.

For many years, as an adult, Kathi lived in the South Valley of Albuquerque and enjoyed a large garden. In 1997, her brother built her dream house in the east mountains. She fell in love with the mountains.

When I met Kathi, she had two big dogs and one lap dog, Babe. For many years, she spent the summers in Alaska at an active gold mine. I loved to hear her tales from that faraway place.

Kathi struggled with melanoma twenty years before I met her, went into remission, but it came back when I knew her. I so respected her for how she dealt with its reoccurrence. She continued working and daily gave herself shots. She lost her hair and kept smiling.

Because of her leadership skills, she soon became president of Duke City Singles and chaired the Fling, our spring square and round dance festival. We worked on the Fling for several years together. What a duo we were working on it! Many of the favors she gave us on the committee as a personal thank you were items she had made.

Kathi thanking me on stage for helping with the Single Fling!
Kathi thanking me on stage for helping with the Single Fling!

In 2003, we hosted DAR (Dance-A-Rama) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was partially her idea! Kathi, Wanda & Cecelia, three friends, went to Oklahoma City in 2000 for their first DAR, the national singles square dance festival. When they got home, Kathi said to me, “We want to host one here, but you have to chair it.” So, I did it. After our successful event, Kathi and I promised each other we would go into the same nursing home in our twilight years and reminisce about DAR, 03 and all the fun! Sadly, that didn’t happen!

One of my favorite memories of Kathi happened at the Dance-A-Rama we hosted. She hated practical jokes, but I loved them. One of our callers, Mike Bramlett, had started a silly string war the first day of our festival.

Kathi relaxing at DAR03! Not feeling great!
Kathi relaxing at DAR03! Not feeling great!

I encouraged Kathi to join me in spraying him with the silly string while he called. What we did: ran by him and pretended to spray him a couple times, then we unloaded two cans on him. Her musical laughter still rings in my ears. Her contagious laughter always filled the air when she was tickled. And you need to know she was doing chemotherapy then and didn’t feel well when this craziness happened.

Many women pride themselves in having a unique square dance outfit that no one else has. Whenever we were at a festival, Kathi and I looked for look-alike outfits from the vendors—me in the small section and her in the large. When she passed away, we had thirteen outfits alike. What fun we had when we found one in both of our sizes that we both liked. For years, we did an outfit check before a dance weekend to see what we would wear each night.

Kathi and me in poodle skirts she made for our theme dance at the Spring Fling
Kathi and me in poodle skirts she made for our theme dance at the Spring Fling

Also, Kathi made several of my square dance outfits when she was chairing the Fling. She always felt that it helped me out because she liked to sew and I did the computer stuff for us for the Fling.

One year, we went to the TASSD (Texas Area Single Square Dance) festival in Amarillo. Our new club caller, Art Tangen, was one of the callers. We decorated our petty pants on the backside with, “I heart Art!” So, when he called Saturday night in the big hall, we went up in front of the crowd and flipped up our dresses so he could see our devotion. Unknown to Kathi or me, someone took a picture and her bottom appeared in the TASSD newsletter the next month.

When Kathi and I were in a square together, the fun began! We loved to have fun, making noise and enjoying ourselves. She called it, “hooting and hollering.” One of our favorite activities was “touch a quarter,” a call we added some physical contact to, and it became the focus of many of squares we were in.

Kathi measuring an inseam for the 50/50 drawing
Kathi measuring an inseam for the 50/50 drawing

Kathi loved to do the 50/50 pot and measure the inseam of guys to decide how many tickets they received for a set price and kidded with them–it added a lot of fun to any event! Remember, this was a single club and single event!

Me with Kathi and Lin at the Spring Fling
Me with Kathi and Lin at the Spring Fling

Kathi met Lin Miller, a square dancer, in 2003 at Festigal, a square and round dance festival in Gallup, New Mexico, and her single life ended. In 2005, I witnessed Lin asking her to marry him on stage at Festigal. He shocked her and the crowd, but what a beautiful moment. They married August 2005 in Alaska at the gold camp.

We traveled a lot together to Norfolk, Nebraska, to a dance festival to promote DAR 2003. She drove her Tahoe full of women. How she concentrated with all the chatter and laughter is beyond me! Another year, Kathi and I flew to Omaha, Nebraska and spent the night in my ex’s van at a casino, then on to Norfolk the next day. Then another year after DAR 2003, I went with Lin and her to Norfolk, driving all night, laughing at her antics with her GPS.

My ex and I spent many late nights playing cards with Lin and Kathi after dancing at Duke City Singles. We traveled to many festivals and danced together.

In 2008, Kathi, Lin, my ex’s daughter-in-law, and I went on a square dance cruise to Alaska. It was our first cruise, so we were all excited. Kathi and I enjoyed grabbing a hot dog off of the kids’ buffet every time we went through the cafeteria. When we selected excursions, Kathi specifically wanted to do the zipline, which became our favorite excursion.

I became a redhead because of Kathi. In 2007, we stood in line for breakfast at a restaurant in Norfolk, Nebraska. Kathi tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out a fiery red head a few people ahead of us.

“Go ask her what color she uses. You would look great in that color!” So I did! The color’s name: Hot Tamale! I dyed my hair as soon as we got home but went back to my original color after a few months. After my Mom died in 2013, I dyed it that color and have been a redhead ever since—all because of Kathi.

When I divorced my ex in 2008, Kathi went house hunting with me, helping me find a beautiful townhouse ten minutes from the dance hall. When I moved in, she hooked up my gas dryer. Her brother instructed her on how to do it. She climbed behind the dryer–her tall frame barely fitting there—to save me $85!

My heart shattered on November 25, 2009, the day Kathi died. I stood by her bed with Lin, her sister-in-law and other close girlfriends, and witnessed her last breath. Mom and I had visited her a couple of days before at her house. Her death came so quickly.

Here, fourteen years later, I see Kathi every day. Why? Because Lin and I married in 2011 and live in her house! In 2009, Kathi’s cancer returned repeatedly. At a dance festival we started in August, she told a friend of ours, “When I’m gone, I hope Lin and Larada get together. They would make each other happy!” Did she know her time here was ending? Was she prophetic?

Square dancing intertwined our lives together for fourteen years: teachers, dancers, game players and friends. My life will never be the same because of Kathi Raver!


News, News, News!

All available at my website: laradasbooks.com or Amazon.com

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme
Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a chapter!

~My new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? WON the 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Body, Mind & Spirit Category. Have you bought your copy yet? Vist my website: laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo
Grab an apple and your iPhone and be ready to laugh and cry at the smae time!

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been three years. History and humor go hand-in-hand! Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Grief · Marshall Flippo · Mom · My Books · My Thoughts · Prejudice, Mistreatment, Mexican, immigrant · Ranching · Spirituality · square dance

What Ties My Six Books Together?

Someone holding up things that connect - ties

What Ties My Six Books Together? As I pondered this question this week, I wondered: three books about my rural childhood in southeastern Colorado, one about my grief in losing my parents, one a biography about a square dance caller and the last one about my reaction to the coronavirus pandemic. Then I saw the tie that binds them: relationships and connection to people. So, here’s how I see the tie that ties my writing together:

My First Book

This Tumbleweed Landed book cover

This Tumbleweed Landed, a memoir written in poetry and prose, focuses on people, places and events in my small rural community during my childhood. I fashioned it after Cynthia Rylant’s children’s book, Waiting to Waltz, who wrote poetry about people, places and events in a fictional town. In my book, I celebrated my childhood relationships with many notorious adults in town—Virgie Firestone and the Warners. Also, what I wrote about many of the places and events, places and times I connected with my family and friends—Branson dances and stories my dad and his school years, told sitting at our round table.

My Second Book

When Will Papa Get Home? book cover

When Will Papa Get Home?, a historical fiction, focuses on a Mexican immigrant family’s perilous times during the 20s in southeastern Colorado. Maria, the daughter, tells the story of her family’s plight. She weaves the tale of those people responsible for her papa’s false accusations.

I centered this book on familial and friend relationships and connection to people. Sadly though, this book also shows the prejudice of the time and the misconnection some people had with certain races. But her deep connection with her family wins in the end.

My Third Book

Let Me Tell You a Story book cover

Let Me Tell You a Story, a nonfiction account of how my granddad put our family ranch together during the depression when many other ranchers lost theirs, focuses on the three generations of my family and our ranch. My dad, mom and I had previously released this booklet in 1992 at my dad’s 75th birthday party. It overflows with the relationship between my dad and his dad and my granddad, and the relationship my dad and granddad had with the ranch they loved. Yes, you can have a relationship and connection with the earth! Even though it focuses on the ranch, the underlying topic is our familial relationships.

My Fourth Book

A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter's Grief Memoir

A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter’s Grief Memoir, a memoir about the loss of my parents, shows the foundation of my life and relationships: my parents. Of all my books, this book hurt to write, yet I love it the most! In talking about my loss, I feature the unique relationship I had with each parent. First, I connected with each of them, making it easier to connect with others in the world.

My Fifth Book

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo, a biography of the most famous square dance caller in the world’s, first and foremost highlights relationships and connections with people. Yes, it tells Flippo’s life story from Texas to Japan as a young man and then later in life, but a major part of his life story was his connection with his family and friends. So much so, he required a section in the book telling stories about his square and round dance friends. After fulfilling that request, I connected with callers, cuers and dancers and featured their stories about Flippo. Yes, he truly understood relationships and how to connect with just about anyone.

My Sixth Book

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?, a spiritual self-help book written in poetry and prose, focuses on many of the perils of the coronavirus pandemic with an underlying theme the opposite of my focus: isolation. Yet this theme emphasized the extreme need I had and many others had to connect with people, to be with people, to relate with people. Thankfully, Zoom met some of those needs—a monthly get-together with two women friends I knew in Loveland, Colorado, a Christmas concert with our local caller, and many recovery meetings. But I’ll never forget the first time I went out without a mask and actually hugged someone besides my husband. Something deep inside me healed.

The lack of connection truly became the hardest part of the pandemic for me, and I see now how that appears throughout this book.

Finally,

This topic came up because I’m a multi-genre author which makes it difficult to market my books, my brand. Current training I’m attending wrestled with this dilemma. But I have no qualms about this! I love poetry and prose. Also I relish historical fiction. Writing Flippo’s biography was a privilege and an honor. I love the variety!

Relationships and connections with people feed my life and my writing. I did not know when I wrote each book that those themes laced their way through each work, hiding in a poem, a story, or my prose. Actually, taking the time to identify the tie between my six books opened my eyes! I’m so glad I wrote this blog to see the common tie that binds my work together. I have a feeling this meandering around and through my six books will help me in my future writing!

If you’ve read my books, did you see this theme? If not, did you see others? Let me know.


News, News, News!

A wintery day is an invitation to read! meme of five of my books
All available at my website: laradasbooks.com or Amazon.com

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?
Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a chapter!

~My new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? WON the 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Body, Mind & Spirit Category. Have you bought your copy yet? Vist my website: laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme
Baby, it’s cold outside! Read about Flippo inside where it’s warm!

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been three years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Marshall Flippo · My Thoughts · Self-publishing · square dance

Flippo Wanted a Hardback Version!

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo hardback cover
Hardback cover

Yes, hardback copies! When I was writing Marshall Flippo’s biography, he emphatically wanted a hardback version, so this is how I did it and the state of my supply now of hardbacks!

I had previously published my four books as paperbacks and e-books with kdp.com, an affiliate of Amazon. Originally it was called createspace.com. So far, I have been happy with their copies and production. Before changing to kdp.com, they provided some marketing and editing services I used and liked. They no longer do that.

When Flippo said “I want a hardback version,” I didn’t panic because I had already researched this possibility. IngramSpark.com, another self-publishing site, did hardback copies, so I published Flippo’s biography as a hardback, paperback and e-book with them.

Also, I published a paperback and e-book on kdp.com. That may sound crazy, but look at the price below—it costs me nothing to do it. Both companies offered different market focuses, as seen below. Also, I love having it on Amazon immediately, so I published with kdp.com first, then with IngramSpark.com.

Here’s the difference between kdp.com and IngramSpark.com:

 KDP (Amazon)IngramSpark
FeesFree upload; free changes$49 upload fee; additional charge for change
Available FormatsPaperback and e-bookPaperback, hardcover, and e-book
ReturnsNo returnsCan make books returnable
DistributionsBetter for Amazon and online saleBetter for bookstores and libraries
Proof and Author CopiesProof copies only before pubAuthor copies available before pub

https://www.bluepenbooks.com/2022/08/ingramspark-vskdp#Quick_Comparison_of_IngramSpark_vs_KDP

Since this table was creating, Amazon does print a hardback version, but it was after I released Flippo’s biography.

When my first shipment of the hardback version arrived in May 2020, I had a disaster—IngramSpark messed up the covers! They had not centered Flippo’s iconic picture on the front; therefore, everything else on the front and back was off. I chatted with IngramSpark, and they sent me new covers in twenty-four hours. But, I had to fold each cover for each book.

Then I realized it was the way they were folded. I still have to refold or replace the covers for most of them because they haven’t gotten it right!

Yes, I fulfilled Flippo’s request, and he died before I published the book, which broke my heart. He so wanted to read this book about his life and see how I organized it, and I wanted to see the look on his face when he saw the cover and opened it to read about his life. I have a hard copy on my shelf for him I can see daily.

So, the sad part for me is I self-published Flippo’s biography in May 2020 after the pandemic hit. At that point, we did not know how long it would last. The sales had boomed until then because I hadn’t taken pre-orders, but because all the major dance events stopped for a couple years, the tidal wave of enthusiasm has waned for all versions.

A couple years ago when the pandemic seemed to subside, I thought we would host our annual Hot August Night’s dance, so being the optimistic person I am, I bought more copies to sell to those enthusiastic readers I envisioned clamoring for this outstanding book. We canceled the event because fear of COVID still ran high among the dancers because of the proximity of our activity. And I still had all those books.

As a result, I have a storage shed with shelves of over a hundred paperbacks and almost a hundred hardbacks. I thought callers and dance enthusiasts would want a hardback copy to place on their bookshelf along with other great square dance history books because it’s about more than Flippo’s life—it’s the history of square dancing from the mid-1950s to when he completely retired on New Year’s Eve, 2017. He saw so many changes through those years and realized the impact!

This weekend I sold my books at a square dance festival in Albuquerque, NM, where I live, and the attendees were mostly older dancers. Again, I thought I would sell a stack of books—I sold two paperbacks. This makes little sense to me. Yes, I wrote it, but it’s about the most famous square dance caller in the world!

Finally,

This is a brilliant book with lots of marvellous stories about square dancing and Flippo’s life.

Marshall Flippo's Navy picture

Did you know he enlisted in the Navy at seventeen years of age?

Nudist Colony - Hardbback cover

Have you read about him calling at a nudist colony? Yes, these stories and more are in this book.

Have you bought your copy yet? If not, why not? Go to my website, https://laradasbooks.com and buy from me directly so I can reclaim shelves in my storage shed, but more so than anything, to get Flippo’s biography and amazing life out in the world.


News, News, News!

All available at my website: laradasbooks.com or Amazon.com

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme
Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a chapter!

~My new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? WON the 2022 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards in the Body, Mind & Spirit Category. Have you bought your copy yet? Vist my website: laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme
Baby, it’s cold outside! Read about Flippo inside where it’s warm!

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been three years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

Albuquerque · Dancing · My Thoughts · square dance

Looking Back—Hot August Nights 2022

Hot August Nights banner - looking back

Looking back a week later, I sigh with relief and marvel at the success of Hot August Nights 2022. We hadn’t had this event since 2019. This year, we required the vaccine to attend, so we wondered how many would support it.

Excited, we had eleven squares pre-registered but received emails from dancers telling us they were attending USAWest in San Diego instead of our event. So, in reality, we did not know.

The Recycle Shop Work Beforehand

The saga began the week before the event. Lin came up with a great idea—every time we drove to the dance hall for a club dance, bring a load of clothes from the storage unit for the Recycle Shop. See, our stash had grown over the two and half years we didn’t dance because we kept getting donations.

Duke City Singles and Doubles’ Spring Fling and our event share the clothes for the Recycle Shop, and they sold lots at the Spring Fling, but dancers kept donating since May. Then it took three vehicles to get the clothes to the storage unit near us in Tijeras, NM.

So, on each of the three—four trips, we swung by the storage unit, packed the Tahoe full and completed the last trip on the Thursday before Hot August Nights.

Looking Back at Our Busy Friday

At 9:00 am Friday morning, we started the arduous task of setting up the Recycle Shop with several helpful volunteers. Immediately, we realized we had to purge the over-abundant supply of clothes or we wouldn’t have enough room. We filled six boxes and put those boxes out Saturday morning, free for the taking.

We finished the Recycle Shop, did minimal decorations and enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Millie’s. While we dealt with the Recycle Shop, Lin picked up Mike and Denise Hogan at the airport, so they joined us for lunch—I love these informal times where dancers really get acquainted. It was especially great to have Denise here with us!

Our event opened with a Welcome dance at 3:00 pm. Pre-rounds began at 7:00 pm for the evening dance with Mitchell and Chelsea Thompson. For many years, Friday night’s dance has been a Beach Party with beach balls and casual dress beach attire. This year, the balls flew across the dance floor and Mike and Mitchell had chosen beach music to dance to. What a fun-filled way to begin the weekend.

Looking Back at Saturday & Some Surprises

On Saturday morning, we focused on round dancing. The morning began with an introduction to rounds with the waltz rhythm at 9:00 am, and several couples enjoyed Mitchell’s easy way of teaching. Then at 10:30 am, Mitchell and Chelsea provided a Foxtrot clinic to help dancers move up from a level three dancer to four. Super-informative.

Several dancers began going through the boxes of free clothing. One dancer from Sierra Vista, Arizona, took several garbage bags home for their new dancer class. Such a better way of using the clothing instead of giving them to Goodwill.

Sadly, we canceled our tradition potluck luncheon because our committee member who headed that had to quit the committee. We organized all the round dancers to go to Jimmy’s Cafe, another favorite restaurant near the dance hall, and wanted to sit together, but the group was too big, so we had to split up.

On Saturday afternoon, we focused on square dancing. The afternoon started with Mike Hogan doing singing calls for one hour and we thoroughly enjoyed his gorgeous voice. Then he did a plus workshop for an hour and a half, focusing on calls he noticed we needed help on—thank God! Then he did thirty minutes of high energy and hot hash. He ended the hot hash portion with Lin’s favorite song, “Fisherman’s Luck,” and had the place rocking. We wondered about putting the high energy section at the end of the afternoon, but the dancers jumped in and enjoyed it completely.

Saturday evening began with an hour of pre-rounds with Mitchell and Chelsea—such a wonderful round dance cuer and a wife/partner who loves to dance and jumps in and dances with any single either part.

The evening continued with Mike Hogan and his exceptional calling and Mitchell cuing. A highlight of Saturday night with Mike Hogan always is his rendition of “Pink Cadillac”—this year was no different, but he added help. Mitchell joined him and the crowd went wild.

Looking Back at Sunday & Our Hilarious Shenanigans

On Sunday morning, Hot August Nights has a reputation to uphold with shenanigans galore and Mike added to it. He did progressive squares, Sicilian Circles, and Air Raid. The dancers jumped in and did Scatter Promenade on their own.

We had eleven squares both nights and felt this was a tremendous success after the two-year hiatus. The dance commitment overwhelmed us this year. In 2019, we had twenty-two squares and twenty couples preregistered for 2020 (which was canceled, so we rolled them over). This year with eleven squares, we had twenty couples preregistered, so we gave away two free Hot August Nights registrations and two free room nights at our host hotel. Our Hot August Nights dancers are the best!

Finally,

Looking back, the laughter, the smiles and the hugs from Hot August Nights marked it a success for me more than anything else. Dancers seemed so ready to be out and dancing again.

Have you been to a big dance event recently? How did it go? Did you laugh a lot? Smile? Give and get hugs?


~NEW ONLINE WEBINAR BY ME—Would you be interested in an online class about writing a life story, either yours or someone else’s? I’m planning on doing a webinar in September on this subject. Let me know if you’re interested at larada@icloud.com. Specific information next week.

~WATCH MY NEW INTERVIEW on Douglas Coleman’s show dated August 5, 2022.

~MY FIRST AUDIOBOOK IS AVAILABLE: Go to Audible to buy my first audiobook, Let Me Tell You a Story. I’m working on Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? but have gotten stalled with shingles.

~Do you listen to podcasts? Here are three podcasts with interviews about my new book & some Flippo stories:

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme
There’s still time to grab beach time with Flippo’s e-book!

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been two years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

~Wish You Were Here: A Novel by Jodi Picoult, one of my favorite authors, deals with the COVID pandemic in fiction as opposed to my nonfiction book. Check it out! Interesting story!

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? mem
Read, reflect and respond—and heal!

~What happened to you in 2020-2021 during the coronavirus pandemic? Do you care? Are you on a spiritual path? Do you want to heal from the horrible effects of the pandemic of 2020? Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com

My Thoughts · square dance

Exhausted!

Exhausted

Exhausted and ready for bed! Yes, I am! We just finished the 16th Annual Hot August Nights Square Dance Festival in Albuquerque, NM. Because of the pandemic, this was our first since 2019! I don’t know if it’s my age, being idle for a couple years and not chairing this event or what, but I felt overwhelmed by everything this time.

So, next week, I will give you a full report of the event and the stories. Thanks for being understanding and stay tuned!

Exhausted But Still Promoting

Even though I’m exhausted, here’s a plug for my One-Year Anniversary of the Release of Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? Zoom Party on Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30 PM MST. The pandemic affected us all differently—how did it affect you? If you’re interested, email me at Larada@icloud.com for the Zoom meeting information.

Finally

I’m exhausted yet so satisfied with the results of our event.


~NEW—Join me for my One-Year Anniversary of the Release of Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? Celebration on Zoom Wednesday, August 24, 2022 at 7:30 PM MST. Email me at larada@icloud.com for the Zoom meeting information.

~WATCH MY NEW INTERVIEW on Douglas Coleman’s show dated August 5, 2022.

~MY FIRST AUDIOBOOK IS AVAILABLE: Go to Audible to buy my first audiobook, Let Me Tell You a Story. I’m working on Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? but have gotten stalled with shingles.

~Do you listen to podcasts? Here are three podcasts with interviews about my new book & some Flippo stories:

Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo meme

~Have you bought a copy of Flippo’s biography yet? Believe it or not—it’s been two years. Go here for your hardback or paperback: https://www.laradasbooks.com or at Amazon.

~For me, it’s Christmas all year long! Here’s a variety of Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When It’s Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A

~Wish You Were Here: A Novelby Jodi Picoult, one of my favorite authors, deals with the COVID pandemic in fiction as opposed to my nonfiction book. Check it out! Interesting story!

Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? meme

~What happened to you in 2020-2021 during the coronavirus pandemic? Do you care? Are you on a spiritual path? Do you want to heal from the horrible effects of the pandemic of 2020? Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com