Cathy C. Hall Writes

Wheee! I found a BIG surprise in my mailbox!

Okay, not technically big. Puppet Plays for Libraries is a slim little gem. But in spirit, it was HUGE.

You see, it’s been over a year since I was paid for my play, “Oh, Dear! Oh, Deer!” I hadn’t heard a word from the editor in ages. And I’d just about decided that this worthy project was a no-go.

But, wheee! I opened the envelope this month to find my swell book! And as it happens, my play has a Christmas tie-in, what with Santa Claus making an appearance. But it’s mostly a funny, mix-up kind of play explaining the concept of homonyms to little kidlets.

When I saw this call out for plays to be included in a book for use by libraries, I wasn’t sure I could manage an entire play. But I thought it would be fun to try. Plus, you know how I love libraries (and that goes for those puppet plays,too!). And you know what? I found that play-writing tapped into my favorite aspect in story-telling: dialogue.

You can find a sample of the book here. And you can find out more about the program and the librarians who came out with this idea (plus how to order Puppet Plays for Libraries) here.

Oh, and I also found myself in Bethlehem today. But if you want to know more about that trip, you’ll have to go see Cathy-on-a-Stick for her tasteful take on the day.

Yes, tasteful. It’s Bethlehem, y’all. (Okay, it’s mostly tasteful.)

You know how I feel about my laptop computer, right? No offense to the desktop computer (who’s listening as I type away here) but my precious is so zippy fast! And so easy to take along, no matter where I roam. And did I mention fast?

But thanks to the latest virus (imagine me saying that with a snarl), I am laptopless at the moment. I’m so distraught that I’m even making up words like laptopless. And what really frosted me was finding out that my old reliable desktop computer (with a veritable treasure chest of anti-virus jewels on it) is just as susceptible to this virus. Why, you may ask?

Because it takes awhile for anti-virus software to catch up with new viruses. So, I’m a little nervous here. But I wanted to pass along a tip that may save you BIG bucks.

According to The Computer Guy, this virus (called System Tool) is in advertising on popular sites, like social networking spots and video-sharing hangouts because these sites carry heavy advertising. You don’t have to necessarily click on an ad (I didn’t); if your mouse rolls over one, the virus can get in. Keep your mouse in the center of the page.

On a related note, remember to back up your files on a regular basis. Fortunately, I found the article I needed to work on in an email. But that novel I’d started in November, with 7 or 8 chapters completed? Hadn’t got around to saving that yet. So I had to pay the premium price to debug my precious, the price that would keep my files intact.

On another related note, guess what the Beneficent Mr. Hall is giving me for Christmas?