Welcome to The VERB!

Traditions abound in our home. But of all the traditions we've created over the years, none exceeds those of the Fourth of July. You're probably the same. When a special time comes around, you do certain things year after year to help celebrate it.

Ours begins a week before the big day when we pile into the car and visit several fireworks tents. Tradition dictates that we start with a few tanks, Saturn Missiles, fountains and sparklers before we move on to the big stuff. Since we are practically the only ones in our neighborhood to shoot fireworks, we also like to grab a few things we know the neighbors will enjoy. When we return home, tradition dictates that our son set out everything on the dining room table such so. When he finishes, it is a spread worthy of a department store window. Never mind that we can't use the table for several days. It's tradition, y'see.

Once the fireworks have been procured, the focus shifts to the menu. Tradition dictates that we dine on hamburgers, hot dogs and barbecue chicken. Which hubby grills to perfection. The drinks? My homemade lemonade and beer. This year, we went with Miller Chill, a tasty brew.

Side dishes and desserts, however, vary from year to year. In our tradition-making fervor, we forgot to set rules for these particular items. This has turned out to be a good thing, allowing our guests to incorporate their traditions with ours. This time around, we ate sour cream potato casserole, fresh garden salad, deviled eggs and a variety of chips. Dessert consisted of cold watermelon and homemade ice cream.

So the big day arrived. The lawn, nicely mowed. The picnic table, nicely dragged to the front. And all those fireworks in the dining room, nicely moved to a fold-up table outside. Everything proceeded without a hitch. We sat around the picnic table, enjoying the food and the conversation and the unusually cool July breeze. When the sun slid beneath the horizon, and the neighbors appeared on their porches, our son began the show.

Then something extraordinary happened. Fireworks exploded all around. North, south, east, west. There wasn't a direction we could turn and not see "the bombs bursting in air." And I'm not talking about little pop-pop-pop thingamajigs, but the loud mortars that rumbled like a cannon and blossomed wide across the night's sky. The sounds were so deafening, we were forced to shout at one another.

Kinda like a 5-piece band suddenly backed by a 100-piece orchestra!

This went on for at least an hour, and the message came through loud and clear. Despite the depressing economic news out there, folk who had not bought fireworks before felt compelled this year to do just that. Because America—she's still a great country.

It's tradition.

HORN-TOOTIN' TIME
Send us your writing news!

Maggie Grinnell's children's book, The Ketchup Bottle and the Takeover soon will be published by Living Waters Publishing. This is a story about Tommy Tomato, a ketchup bottle who tries to take over the refrigerator. Does that sound like a hoot, or what? Check for updates on her site.

Editor of KUDOS, formerly Competitions Bulletin, and Orbis International Literary Journal, two of the leading Small Press magazines in the UK, Carole Baldock announces that issue #71 is hot off the press. Every issue lists around 200 competitions, some with free entry, at least 50 for poetry, around 40 for short stories. Contact her for a free back issue, emailed as a PDF.

If you're anywhere near New York City in mid July, bestselling author Gayle Lynds would like to invite you to ThrillerFest. ITW's International Festival of Thrillers is for readers, authors and publishing professionals. On Friday, July 11, she'll autograph books, appear on a panel, interview Brad Thor and generally hang out. So if attending only one day appeals to you, sign up for Friday so she can be sure to meet you.

And now, without further ado ... let's turn the page.

Elizabeth Guy
Editor
 

 My recent interview at LongRidge Writers Group...

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This issue 
was published 
under the musical 
influence of...

EDITH PIAF
La Vie En Rose
soundtrack