Part 1 Guess Who I Met at a Conference:  Look who I met at the Northern Ohio SCBWI conference! Two dino-mite illustrators – Mike DeSantis and Barry Gott. They both love to draw dinosaurs, and they both have books out about them. My writing friend, Aileen, and I ate lunch at their table, and she got this picture.

Part 2 Meet Mike’s New Dinosaur Book: Remember Mike DeSantis from yesterday? I’ve known Mike for a long time thanks to the Northern Ohio’s SCBWI chapter. Mike is a former president and a fantastic illustrator. I know . . . I draw stick people. I admire anyone who can draw something as intricate as the page he’s holding up.

Would you believe you can get it free, or that  it’s the cover to his Dinosaur Puzzle Book? Would you also believe Mike’s cover isn’t in the book? I’ll show you how to get it, free!

Step 1 – Click on this link and take a trip to Mike’s web site:
​       Mike DeSantis – Mike DeSantis illustration
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​Step 2 – When you get to Mike’s page, look for the Instagram symbol, and click on it.

Step 3 – Once you’re on Instagram, this is what you’ll find. The top part of the page has the directions on how to get Mike’s cover FREE.

Ready? Click on this link. It will take you to Mike’s publishing house. Publishing your own book is hard to do, and it’s even harder for people to find it. I know, I’ve published three books myself. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I hope I can help a few more people find Mike’s book.

PS – If you know someone who loves hidden objects, this book would make a perfect gift! Do you see the two green order buttons? Click on one of them if you want to buy the book. My suggestion, the first. If you pick Amazon, they get part of Mike’s profit.

Part 3 Meet Barry Gott and his Dino-Mite Work: I was shocked to see Barry’s newest book on display at SCBWI’s Illustrator Showcase. I’ve had his books since 2012. That’s because he illustrated Lisa  Wheeler’s dinosaur books. She critiqued my dog story back in 2012 so I had to buy one. My second graders loved them too, so  I bought more, until I retired in 2015.​

Imagine my surprise when he was introduced during the conference. I had to say hello! How many chances do you get to tell someone how much you admire their work? And on the other side of the coin, who doesn’t like to hear they have fans in second grade . . . my students loved his work too.
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Then lunch came, and I joined my conference buddy, and guess who was sitting beside me? If you guessed, Bary, you’re right! I decided to take this opportunity to let you meet him too!
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​If you can’t meet Barry in person, head to his website. It’s the next best thing! Here’s his link: Barry Gott illustration, and a screenshot of his homepage. If you click Illustration, this is also where you’d land.

If you move down to Books, you can see some of the stories Barry has illustrated, or written and illustrated. If there’s a star in the left-hand corner,  that means you can click, then peek inside. The first one is for the cover of Dino-Dancing.​

​And the finale . . . Barry’s newest pair of books! Both of them just came out on September 5th. His Hanukkah book is brand new, but his Christmas book came out in a new form . . . a board book! If you have littles who love dinosaurs, sports, and holidays, Lisa and Barry’s board books are perfect for them! 

Part 1:  It was Saturday, and I was video-taping a read-aloud on Zoom. I finished my book, and I went to listen to it, to save it . . . but IT wasn’t there! There was no link. I couldn’t listen. I couldn’t save it or load it into my Meta planner.
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So . . . I tried again. I video-taped. I went to listen, AND I got the same result! No link! I was dead in the water. It was 3:30 Saturday afternoon, and I didn’t have a video to put up for my 4:00 deadline. 

​ So . . . what did I do? Well, I didn’t panic. I thought about solutions, what CAN I do? I needed a video of me reading a book. Obviously, I couldn’t read the one I’d planned. That’s the moment when I realized I have a treasure chest of read-alouds saved in my computer. I have 78 titles! All I had to do – pick one.
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That was easy! I wrote about technophobia, and I could have had a really bad case of it that Saturday afternoon, or I could use it. I decided right then and there to use it as Sunday’s Vlog. For Saturday, I already had a picture book to match . . . Nanobots. It was perfect, and it was an easy fix, but it wasn’t the end of this story.

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Part 2: What Next? On Saturday I scheduled the vlog that matched NanoBots right after the read-aloud appeared. The title, Technophobia – It’s for Real! And that Sunday it was far too real, again.
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I went in like usual at 4PM to find my vlog. Time to post it across social media . . .  But it wasn’t there – the video had an error and wouldn’t play. My heart raced as I tried to figure out what to do.

I thought for a moment. Then I pulled the error down and put up the video from my computer again. I hoped it would work, but I didn’t know for sure, so I posted notices on social media that the video would be up soon.

​It was! By the time I finished my second notice, the video was up and running. I posted the links for it and deleted the notices. By 4:30 my vlog problem was over.

                        But I hadn’t figured out the Zoom issue that started my problem in the first place.
                                                                               

Part 3: Remember my original issue? That I couldn’t videotape on Zoom – well, it got worse. I couldn’t even open a meeting, and that’s a problem. Every Friday I host my critique partners on my Zoom account. We’re all over the country . . . from New York to Connecticut, from Ohio to Tennessee to California.

It was Monday so I wasn’t really worried. I thought I could work things out. I opened a meeting, then recorded another. I thought the problem was fixed. Nope! By midnight on Monday, I had six security alerts from our Aura protection system, and I’m not a techie. YIKES!

My husband was out of state so I texted him late that night for advice. His answer Tuesday morning, call Aura. I did. I was on hold forever. OK, it was more like 2 hours. They explained that Zoom and Aura were butting heads, and they gave me a work around. I tried, but it failed like everything else. I still had the same problem, and more security alerts.
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​So, I reached out to Zoom. I have a free account that I’ve used for over 2 years. I’ve never had a problem, until that Saturday. I tried calling, but they don’t answer phone calls from customers like me. I tried putting in a ticket for tech help, but they don’t answer tickets like mine. They did send me an email with ten links to try out. YUCK! Who knows what kind of an answer I’d get, and when?  

I knew where the problem was – with Zoom’s executive command. Whenever an error message popped up, that’s what it said. I tried deleting my old account, then adding new ones. Zoom worked right away when I downloaded it, but stopped whenever I clicked out and tried to return again. The problem – that darn executive command. No matter what I did, Zoom refused to open, or it deleted itself from my home screen. By now I’d spent most of Tuesday trying to solve my problem, and I was no closer to solving it. URGH!!!
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Part 4:  Late Tuesday I messaged my husband about my frustrations. I thought I was dead in the water with Zoom for another week, but he surprised me and drove home Wednesday.

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​Would you believe he had the problem fixed in under an hour? The solution – He clicked on the error messages, then on ignore, and the problem disappeared. I couldn’t believe how quickly he fixed it, especially after I waited most of Tuesday for tech help. My hero!

PS – I thought my computer troubles were over. Almost! I forgot to bring my power cord to a writing conference., but all’s well that ends well. My critique group exchanged notes using email instead of meeting on Zoom, and I cut my computer time way back.
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The silver lining – I took a break from writing. It turns out that taking time off is a good thing. It rejuvenates you, gives you a fresh take on your work, and it’s fun. ​

Growing up, I never thought of myself as being creative. I was a worker bee. I loved getting things done, and I still do. But when I started writing, I began to recognize that I have an imagination, that I connect the dots differently than other people do.

As I started writing I began to create more things than I ever imagined. This post is all about those things. It’s also a call to you – to recognize your own creativity, that you  see the world differently from anyone else.

​​                                                                  The things I create most days of the week . . . 

#1. My Blog – I wrote the first one back in November of 2016. It was about swimming with dolphins. That was even the title. I thought I knew what I wanted to write, but it bombed. It didn’t work out the way I planned. Reality showed me what really worked.
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                                                 Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/archives/11-2016   
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This is the one I wrote last night about OSU football trivia. I started the original post last year, but now I’m into my second season.

Over the last seven years, I’ve written over 445 posts. If you compare the first to the last, I’ve changed a lot as a writer since 2016.

Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/trivial-pursuit-the-ohio-state-football-way-season-2


​                                                                               The things I create once a week . . .
                                                                                           (There are six of them.)

#2. My Reads – Once a week when my blog is done, I pick a book to share. In the early days,  they didn’t match. I just picked a book I loved from my local library and reviewed it. Sometimes I pick picture books. Sometimes chapter books. I post them on my website under the button, My Reads, and I also post it on Amazon. Did you know whenever you review a book online, it helps the author, the illustrator, and the publisher. It’s a great thing to do!

​Fandango Stew was the first picture book I reviewed back in October of 2016. Think Stone Soup, but Tex Mex style.                 Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/fandango-stew-review
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Stick and Stone is the last picture book I reviewed this September. It’s about two opposites who discover that a common enemy can turn them into friends. Would you believe I’ve done over 235 picture book reviews in the last 7 years?  
                                     Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-stick-and-stone

The Extincts was the first chapter book I reviewed back in September of 2016. I still remember it! It was that good! Imagine getting a job at a farm that specializes in extinct animals. I HAD to read it!
                                          Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of

The Peddler of Wisdom is the last chapter book I reviewed back in July. I read it a few years ago,, and it finally matched one of my blogs. Imagine traveling back in time to 17th century France, AND you meet the ultimate fortune teller, Nostradamus. Would you believe I’ve done over 106 chapter book reviews in the last 7 years?    Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-the-peddler-of-wisdom


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​​#3. Vlogs – Once a week I take a blog and turn it into a video. Behind the scenes, I write and revise a script, make the slides, and finally practice and record the video. I post it on social media every Sunday at 4PM. You’ll find it on Facebook, Instagram, and X, but not on my web site. 

The first screenshot is from my first vlog. I recorded it back in May of 2021. It’s about the things I remember from visiting the Madison’s house in Virginia. I shared two links – the video and the original blog.     Video: https://fb.watch/5PUG1rUGDC/          Blog: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/the-things-i-remember-from-my-visit-with-james-and-dolly-madison

​The second is from last weekend. It started when I heard a song in an Amazon Prime ad, Always Something There to Remind Me. I did some research, and then I shared its story.  Here are its links:
                           Video: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=264622939816322
              Blog: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/always-something-there-to-remind-me

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#4. Saturday Reads– I also look for a picture book that goes along with my vlog. I write and revise a script. Then I practice and record it. Every Saturday at 4PM I post it on Facebook, Instagram, and X . Sorry, but it’s not on my web site.

I did my first read-aloud in November of 2021. I used a real book, but I didn’t like the way it looked. I shared the screen with it, but the book should fill it, not me. The title – Twenty-One Steps. It’s about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. If you’d like to see my first try at reading online, try this link:            Video: https://www.facebook.com/BeachGirlPress/videos/677802673204597
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​​​I did the second one last weekend. I use eBooks now because the book fills the screen. I’m tiny, except for the beginning and the end. I picked Lupe Lopez – Rock Star Rules. It’s about the first day of school, when a Kindergarten drummer meets her new teacher. Oh, no!
                                          Link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=332318882605065​

​#5. Your Newsletter– I work on one newsletter over the course of a week until it’s ready to publish. This is the original I started with. I would cut and paste it into an email. It looked great with its words and illustrations, but it was a real pain to set up.
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I moved on . . . I sent the letter as an attachment, and I didn’t have to reformat anything, but I ran into another problem. Some addresses have programs that won’t accept attachments for security reasons.

​Don’t worry! I still use this form. It’s my writing template for my blogs and book reviews. I write and revise here before I post anything online. It has served me well for seven years. 
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​​ This is the newsletter form I use now. It’s not pretty, but it’s easy to glance and find the links you’d like to check out. I’ll stay with it, until I find a better way to serve my subscribers. 

#6. Pinterest– While I’m working on my newsletter, that’s when I add new posts to Pinterest. If you’re looking for specific content that I’ve written, this is a great way to find it. I have boards set up by curriculum content and standards.

​#7. Google Spreadsheets– I add new posts to my spreadsheets while I’m working on my newsletter. You’ll never see it – it’s just for me. It’s how I track my content. I add each blog, book review, and video so I can find it and use it again. And you can use it too. How?
If you’re looking for something for your classroom or for your child, email me. I’ll use a key word to see if I can find what you’re looking for. If I do, I’ll send you the link. If I don’t, I might decide to write a post, just for you.

 
                                         The things I create and hope will be published, someday . . . 


​​#8. My Unpublished Manuscripts – I have eleven manuscripts stashed away in my computer . Someday I hope they’ll be published traditionally. I listed them below in the order they were created.

I have two manuscripts featuring bats. The first is awful. I dragged in Herman the German, and the second is a chapter book that combines fantasy with what really happened with my bat. Someone suggested a third version, a middle grade fantasy, but it’s in the idea stage for now. None of my bat stories are ready for submission.

​I wrote about ants next. It started as a chapter book and somehow morphed into a middle grade novel. It’s gone through three rounds of revision, and I’ve sent it out on a few queries, but nothing yet – maybe someday 😊

My dog story came next. I started with what really happened, but it didn’t work so I fictionalized it to move the story. It started and stayed a picture book, but it’s my least successful manuscript. Something’s missing, but I haven’t figured out what . . . yet.

My safety story started as an idea for a chapter book, but it became a picture book. It’s been sent on many queries, but it really needs the right publisher to take it on, and I believe in my heart ​someday that will happen.  

​The duck manuscript is done, but it needs the right publisher to take a chance on it . . . so it’s still waiting in the wings of my computer.​

​I’m writing a middle grade novel about the founding fathers. It’s historical fiction, but it still demands tons of research. It will be 57 chapters long. So far I’ve drafted 13 and polished the first three. My goal is to polish the first 50 pages, then submit it to agents and publishers. My fingers are crossed it will find a good home.

#9. My Published Books – I have three published books. They’re not sitting in my computer . . . they’re on Amazon and in local bookstores. It’s lovely when your writing turns into a real book.

​Neil came first in 2019. He’s in a chapter book that’s all about his first dream . . . to build a wind tunnel like the Wright Brothers. (For grades 2 - 4)
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Lake Fun came out in 2020, and Zoe in 2021. They both allow kids to read a story, then journal about their own experiences. Zoe is a chapter book, and Lake Fun is a picture book. (For grades 2- 4)

Did you watch college football on Saturday? I did! The Buckeyes were playing so I had to watch. I also had to shop, especially after that first quarter . . . YIKES! It’s how I help my team 😊
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​Did you catch the commercials during the game? I didn’t know, until I started working on this post, that there’s a new set of commercials to promote the Big 10.

If I saw their commercial once, I saw it two dozen times. I didn’t mind . . . it made my toes tap every single time. And it brought back memories of my days as an OSU student in the Shoe. Funny, I discovered I love the commercial, and I only like the song. There’s a difference . . . Hmmmm . . . 

​​Part 1 – The Fall Out Boys: I’ve heard of them, but they’re not one of my favorite groups. I looked them up this weekend . . . actuallly I looked up the song title. You can too. If you want to hear the Fall Out Boy’s video, look for a link with Shazam on the end.
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Sorry, I can’t share the link. It’s probably copyrighted which means Shazam would want money if I shared it. But, I can share the screenshot . . . that’s free.

If you play this video, don’t expect the football commercial. The Shazam video doesn’t even come close, but look for the one that’s linked to football, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. (I’ll show you how to find it tomorrow)

 Part 2 – The Commercial vs The Music Video: This was the last screenshot I captured. . . it’s the one for the commercial.  I googled ‘here comes Saturday night commercial.’ When I checked tonight, I found two more versions. Scan down the page to find them.
Why is the commercial better? It’s shorter, like 30 seconds, a minute tops. It showcases the chorus, the part that repeats. Add in a video, and you’ve got a hit that features the best things about Big 10 College Football like . . 
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The Players . . .​

​The Cheerleaders . . .

The Marching Bands . . .

Here comes Saturday Night and the Big 10!

PS –There’s more!! Coming in 2024, four more teams. . . USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington!

Do you recognize this song title? I started another post with that same question. Last time I asked, it was about an Amazon Prime Ad. The song playing in the background, Say a Little Prayer for You. Here’s the link for that post:
      Link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/say-a-little-prayer-for-me

Well, it’s back! The commercial, that is. It features the same young couple that broke up. They forgot once again, that they share an Amazon Prime account. The song changed, but the directors picked another one, from the same old songwriting team, Always Something There to Remind Me. 
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                                                                             Part 1 – Songwriting and a Demo:
Do you remember this song? If not, google it, pick an artist, and give it a listen. Or, you could wait for the Amazon ad to come on.

This is Dionne Warwick in 1966. She was a star! But back in 1962, she wasn’t. She was singing background, and Burt noticed her voice. He asked if she’d be interested in recording demos (demonstration recordings). He needed them to pitch his songs to record labels. He offered her $12.50 per session. In 2022 money that was $120. Dionne took it! I would too!

It was a perfect fit for both of them. Dionne got record executives to listen to her voice, and Burt got a singer whose talent allowed him to compose the kind of challenging tunes he wanted to write. Dionne was so good at understanding what Burt wanted, she could usually record a song in 1-3 takes. That’s fast! If a song took 3 minutes to sing, Dionne would knock it out in 3 to 9 minutes. Impressive, AND cost effective for Burtt! And no matter how long it took, Dionne still got her $12.50 per session.
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Burt and Hal sold the song. It was covered by five other artists from 1963 until 1995. But when I remember it, I hear Dionne’s voice in my head. She has a style all her own.
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Part 2 – The Five Artists Who Covered This Song:  After Dionne recorded the demo for Always Something There to Remind Me, five other artists and their record companies picked it up. I checked. Dionne never had a Top 40 hit with this song. 
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​1. Meet Lou Johnson. His version of Always Something There to Remind Me reached #49 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 1964. He sang soul, played piano, and was a recording artist during the 1960s and 70s. 

2. Sandie Shaw found the song thanks to Lou. Someone heard his version and sent it to her. She released hers in September of 1964 and got it on a pop music TV show in the United Kingdom. It worked! Sandie took it to #1 in the UK that year.

She also released it around the world, and it was a top hit everywhere, except in the United States. Lou Johnson hung onto his #49, and Sandie only made it to #52.

​​3. The next version didn’t come out until February of 1970. The singer, R. B. Greaves. I’m sorry. I don’t have a photo of him, or of his album, but his version did better than Lou’s or Sandie’s. It reached #27 on the US Top 40 and #3 on the US Easy Listening charts.

​4. Fast forward to 1983, and Always Something There to Remind Me appeared again, 20 years after it was written. Peter Byrne and Rob Fisher recorded it in a group of demos that landed them a recording contract. Their name – Naked Eyes. Their version peaked at #8 in the Billboard Hot 100. Pretty good for an old song!
 

​5. The last hit so far, came out in 1995. That’s when Tin Tin Out, an electronic music duo, recorded their version of this old hit. It went to #14 on the UK Singles Chart and #1 on their Dance Chart. That makes this song a classic!

Over all those years, with all those artists who recorded their song, do you know who got paid for every single version? The songwriters!

Burt Bacharach and Hal David own the copyright to the song, and every time someone records or plays it, Burt and Hal get paid in royalties. That means money!

 And when Amazon used the song on their commercial, they had to pay too. Burt and Hal are both dead, but their royalties still get paid to their estates and to their families. It pays to be a creator! 
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Photo Sources: 
1. Burt in 1972 - By ABC Television - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18250433
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2. Burt in 2013 - By Phil Guest from Bournemouth, UK - Burt Bacharach, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79102167

3. Hal in 2011 - By Pat Padua - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ppad/5713457890/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29999116
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4. Dionne in 1966 – By Anefo - http://proxy.handle.net/10648/aaff1fba-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65537939

5. Lou Johnson - By John E. Reed - Original publication: UnknownImmediate source: http://indeepmusicarchive.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lou-Johnson-At-the-piano-BW-Pic.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73213794

6. Sandie Shaw - By Pye Records - Discogs, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56938537
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7. Naked Eyes - By The single can or could be obtained from its said copyright holders., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10831799

8. Tin Tin Out - By Tin Tin Out featuring Espiritu - https://www.discogs.com, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57077352

​Information Source: 
(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me - Wikipedia

​Have you ever checked out my website? I hope so! Unless you visit every day, you’re going to miss something. Algorithms on social media decide what you see, and what you don’t.

The only way to be sure you’re reading my posts is to subscribe to my newsletter. It comes  out once a week, and it features a brief description and a pair of links for the blog. If you’re interested, click away. If it isn’t your cup of tea, try the next newsletter!


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Part 1 – Links to My Blogs:   ​The heart image is from the newsletter I’m working on for this week. If you catch this post on social media, you’ll get a head start on everyone else. Its title – What Love Can Do – Inspiring Quotes for You and Me. I found 3 great quotes and the people who thought of them first. My blog link is a great way to take a picture walk through the post, and the video link is a great way to listen while you do other things.

 The blog link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/what-love-can-do-inspiring-quotes-for-you-and-me
                                The vlog link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=615693403939931

The two bat images are from a newsletter I already sent. If you missed it, now you can check out the post. It’s one of my favorites. The title – I Am the Bat Lady, Times 4. Would you believe I’ve had 4 close encounters with bats over the years? Here are my true stories.

                              The blog link: http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/i-am-the-bat-lady-times-four
                                 The vlog link: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=58517693043825

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​​The other post was titled, I am Bat Lady, Times 4, and its newsletter has a pair of book links for you. I reviewed the first, Amara and the Bats, with its bat-loving girl. The second came from Saturday Reads, Beautiful Bats. Funny, I never thought about beauty when I met mine.
 
                Book Review: http://www.rindabeach.com/my-reads/review-of-amara-and-the-bats
                        Saturday Reads: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=805185557949975

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Part 3 – Links to the Future: I don’t write my newsletters right away. It takes time to write, research, and find photos to match the story I want to tell you. Then it takes more time to write a script and prepare a vlog. That’s where I turn a blog post into a video for Sundays. They’re similar, but you read a script out loud differently than you’d read it silently. So I have to write it differently than the original post.
 
It also takes time to find a book to read aloud on Saturday. Then I prepare a quick, short script. There’s more! Time to put all of my links into Pinterest, then into a spreadsheet where I save my most important information. I have to find it later, in case you or I need it. When that’s all done, I’m finally ready to send out that newsletter.
 

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You’ll probably see these two posts with a vlog and a Saturday Reads’ book in about a month. Anything good takes time. Their newsletters will come out a week or two after that. If you’re interested in my content, the best/easiest way to find it is to subscribe to my newsletter. I hope you’ll consider a subscription.

​This post started with a search link that was supposed to find the most popular song on the day you were born. When I finally checked, it stopped working. Bummer!
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But I didn’t quit. I used the search bar to ask, “What was the #1 song in May of 1959?” It worked! Follow me back in time, and I’ll share the play list of my life.

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​Part 1 – From Birth to Graduation: These three songs were popular in May of 1959. That’s the month I was born. I didn’t recognize the titles, but when I played them, I remembered two – the first and the last. My sympathies to the one in the middle – I didn’t remember it at all. 
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Fast forward to May of 1977. That’s when I graduated from Wapakoneta Senior High, and these were the songs I listened to on the radio. I had to look up two but recognized them right away.  

My favorites – Don’t Leave Me This Way, Southern Nights, Sir Duke, and I’m Your Boogie Man. They all made my toes tap.
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Fast forward to May/June of 1981. It was time for another graduation. I’d finished college and graduated from The Ohio State University.

I remember every single song, and my favorites have a beat you can dance to – Rapture, Kiss on My List, Morning Train, and Stars on 45 Medley.

​ Part 2 – A Family Affair: My husband and I got married back in June of 1985. It’s hard to believe that we’ll celebrate our fortieth anniversary in two short years.

Looking at both rows of songs, most of them weren’t my favorites. Ballads are OK, but I love dance music. I managed to find three oldies and goodies – We are the World, Everybody Wants to Rule the World (No, I never did), and Sussudio.
 

In May of 1987 I was getting ready to become a new mom. One of my all-time favorite songs was I Knew You Were Waiting because I was waiting, to have a baby boy.

I also loved Head to Toe and I Wanna Dance with Somebody. They both made my feet tap, but I was too tired to dance. I had a new baby to take care of. 

My second baby boy arrived in November of 1989. These songs were on the radio, lots of ballads, but I still found two favorites . . . Miss You Much and Blame It on the Rain.

There was another song that became an all-time favorite, but it’s not on this screenshot – Nothing’s Going to Stop Us Now by Starship. It’s how I felt about my new baby boy. 

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In March of 1992 I was waiting on a baby girl. No radio in the car . . . I had Disney songs on tape playing for the kids.

This screenshot has a lot of ballads, but these three still found their way into my memory – Black or White, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, and I’m Too Sexy (It made me laugh). My only wish – that I had a special song for my daughter.

Part 3 – My Pursuit of Writing: In June of 2007 I started writing, all because I held a bat on a mop in Germany. That experience made me start, and it took me two years to finish the bat’s story.  I was still teaching all week and writing on the weekends.

I knew the songs on this screenshot, but they weren’t my favorites. There were other songs I liked better.

​I finished that bat story in 2009. It was exciting, but I’d pushed it as far as I could with my friends. I needed to find someone who could tell me what was good, and what to work on. I took it to Highlights in July. There was something there, but I had a lot to learn about how to write a children’s book.

I checked out two of these song titles, but it turns out I knew them all from the radio. They were OK, but my favorite from 2009 was not even on the list. The title – Just Dance. It figures a song about dance would be my favorite.
 

​In 2019 I published my first book, Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream. I decided to write it in 2018. That’s also when I decided to self-publish. It was the only way I could get my story out in time for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.  It’s my bestselling book so far!

There was only one song to make it to #1 over the summer of 2019 – Old Town Road. I’d heard of it, but I didn’t recognize the lyrics or the melody. The other song titles were # 1 in the years following 2019. I wish I recognized them too.

Do you recognize this song? If you don’t, that’s OK. You’re probably too young 😊 It debuted in 1966 when I was 7. I’m much older now ☹
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But you might have heard it over the last couple of weeks in a commercial for Amazon Prime. I didn’t notice the ad part. Sorry! I was busy singing along with one of my favorite songs, and now I can’t find the ad information. It was up yesterday, and gone today.  

Part 1 – Where the Words Started:  I Say a Little Prayer started off as an idea in Hal David’s head. He wrote the lyrics to show what a woman was thinking, knowing her guy was far away fighting the Vietnam War. I had no idea when I heard it in the 60’s. I got the woman part, but I never found the soldier in the song. Not until I started researching this post. It puts a whole new spin on Hal’s words.
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If you’d like to read his lyrics, click on the google search link below. It’s the only way I can share them with you, and follow copyright rules. Scan down the page. Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin both covered the song, but the way they used the chorus was a little different. Either way, put yourself in that woman’s shoes, and think about someone you love who’s in harm’s way. Hal did, and he used those words in this song.

Search link:
https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=673&q=say+a+little+prayer+lyrics&cvid=08df26e952c040c7be4b82faff1ed4d7&aqs=edge.0.0l9.9652j0j1&FORM=ANAB01&PC=LCTS
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A Side Note About Vietnam:  This is a map from 1954. The war started in 1955, but the US didn’t get involved until 1960. Fifteen years later we got out. It was 1975. I was a baby when it all started and a sophmore in high school when it ended. My husband was a junior.

At age 18 boys had to sign up for the Vietnam draft, and at its high point 40,000 young men were picked for military service each month. I hope a prayer was said for each and every one of them.

The draft stopped in 1973 because of the huge anti-war movement, but it returned in a new form in July of 1980. Boys had to sign up for Military Selective Services, but they didn’t go to war. My husband never signed up for either draft, but my two sons did, the 1980 way.

Map Source:  By User: SnowFire - Own work. Based on File: French Indochina Phan Xich Long.svg., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63532416

Part 2 – Burt Bacharach and His Mixed-Up Signatures:  I didn’t know Burt liked to mix-up the time signatures within his music. I never noticed it, but maybe that’s what gives it that distinctive Bacharach sound.
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The verses in I Say a Little Prayer start with eight beats in 4/4 time, then a ten-beat section (4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4). Then he finishes the verse with that same eight beat pattern again. When you hit the chorus, Burt sets it up in eleven beats (4/4 + 3/4 + 4/4). If you’re a musician, this makes sense. If you’re not, just keep reading, and enjoy the music link down below.
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A Recording Session: Dionne Warwick was one of Burt and Hal’s favorite singers, and they wrote this song just for her. She was a quick study when it came to recording. Usually, she recorded a song in three takes, but she often did it in one. Not this time. Dionne tried ten times, but Burt was never really happy with it. He thought it sounded rushed, like the tempo was too fast. Maybe it never quite fit the version in his head.

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​They made that recording on April 9, 1966, and it sat on a shelf for over a year, until September 1967. Florence Greenburg from Scepter Records wanted it on his album, The Windows of the World. Disc Jockeys at radio stations around the country heard it, then played it on the air one short month later. It was so popular Scepter released it as a single on the A side, the hit side of a record. They put The Theme from Valley of the Dolls on the B side. Dionne sang that one too, and both songs were super successful for Scepter. And for Dionne, Burt, and Hal too.

It's odd that the fast pace Burt disliked, became a million-selling hit for Dionne. That was a gold record back in the 60’s. It reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. And me, I can still sing the chorus.
If you’d like to listen to Dionne’s version, click on my search link. If you scan down the page, you’ll find Aretha Franklin has one too. She recorded it in 1968, and it went to #2. Either way, pick a video, and enjoy!

       Search Link for the music video: say a little prayer for you dionne warwick - Search (bing.com)

         Tomorrow – How this song from 1967 became part of my favorite movie scene of all time!
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​                                        If you’re curious about the Bacharach/David song list, it includes:
                                            I Say a Little Prayer for You                                  Wishin’ and Hopin’
                                         What the World Needs Now                             I’ll Never Fall in Love Again
                                                                I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself        
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                                                If you want to watch that scene, use this search link:
                                      say a little prayer my best friend's wedding - Search (bing.com)
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​I’d like to welcome guest blogger Gwen Payne to rindabeach.com. If you’re an introvert who’s feeling stress, Gwen has a few ideas and links to help you feel more like yourself again.


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​ As introverts, we often find ourselves feeling drained and overwhelmed in social situations. While some may view this as a weakness, it is important to recognize that introversion is simply a personality trait, and one that can be an asset if we learn to embrace it. With self-care, we can ensure that our unique needs are met and that we can thrive in the world around us.

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                                     1. Find Quiet Spaces
Whether it is a secluded room in your home or a nearby park, finding quiet spaces where you can recharge is essential for introverts. This allows us to step away from the noise and distractions of the world and focus on our thoughts and feelings. Make sure to schedule regular quiet time into your routine and prioritize it just like you would any other appointment.

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  ​                  2. Communicate Mindfully
Introverts often struggle with communication, but it is important to remember that effective communication is key to building strong relationships. Instead of focusing on what you are going to say next, make an effort to truly listen to others and respond thoughtfully. This will help you build deeper connections with those around you and feel more comfortable in social situations.
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                  3. Start a Fitness Routine
Regular exercise has been shown to improve mood and reduce stress levels in introverts. Look for fitness activities that speak to your interests, whether it is yoga, hiking, or simply taking a walk in nature. Make it a priority to get moving every day, even if it is just for a few minutes.



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              4. Embrace Your Unique Nature
One of the most important steps in building a self-care plan as an introvert is to embrace your unique personality trait. Instead of feeling ashamed or embarrassed by your need for quiet time, recognize it as a strength and find ways to celebrate it. This can include setting boundaries with others, saying no when you need to, and prioritizing alone time.
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                    ​5. Prioritize Deeper Relationships
While introverts may not have as many friends as extroverts, the relationships we do have tend to be deeper and more meaningful. Make sure to surround yourself with people who understand and appreciate your introverted nature and who support you in your self-care journey. Focus on building quality relationships rather than quantity.

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                  6. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Introverts are often more sensitive to external stimuli, and alcohol can intensify these effects, leading to feelings of overstimulation and anxiety. Therefore, moderating alcohol consumption can help introverts maintain a sense of calm and control in social situations.

If you are an introvert struggling with drinking too much, cutting back on alcohol consumption can be a daunting challenge. However, it is important to acknowledge that professional help may be necessary to overcome addiction. Look for rehabilitation sites in your state. They can provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals seeking to cut back or stop their alcohol use. Before choosing a treatment facility, learn about their accreditations, certifications, and specific treatment programs available. If affordability is an issue, look for a rehab center that offers payment assistance.

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                      7. Limit Time on Social Media
Social media can be a valuable tool for staying connected with others, but it can also be overwhelming and draining for introverts. Set limits on your social media use and make an effort to disconnect regularly. This will allow you to focus on your own thoughts and feelings without being bombarded by the opinions of others.
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By following these tips, introverts can build a self-care plan that prioritizes mental health and wellness. Remember that self-care is not selfish, but rather a necessary part of living a happy and fulfilling life. By taking steps like building deeper relationships, limiting alcohol consumption, and starting a fitness routine, you will find that you have more energy and enthusiasm for the world around you.

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​ Gwen Payne is a stay-at-home mom with an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, she has mastered raising her two daughters while side hustling to success through small ventures based on her passions -- from dog walking to writing to e-commerce. With Invisiblemoms.com she hopes to show other stay-at-home parents how they can achieve their business-owning dreams.

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An Email: Have you ever gotten a message about something you’d done? That happened on Tuesday, the day after I shared Gwen Payne’s first two ideas. Jacob Bryant emailed that he saw them and found them helpful.
 
Jacob also asked if I’d be interested in adding two links to Gwen’s post. They’re about mesothelioma. It’s a rare kind of cancer, but it doesn’t matter what kind you get. It can wreak havoc with your life. I checked his links, and I think his information about mental health and cancer could help you, or someone you know.

                        -   Mesothelioma and Mental Health – A guide to coping with a cancer diagnosis.

                      -  Mesothelioma – A guide to everything you should know about this disease. ​

If you copy someone’s work when you’re young, you’re called a copycat. You might get in trouble with your teacher. Maybe with the person you copied from, but it doesn’t hurt a lot.
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If you copy when you’re older, like in high school, you might get a bad grade. If you do it in college, it’s serious. The name even changes. It’s called plagarism. Not only will you get a bad grade, you might be kicked out of college. It might stay on your academic record, making it hard/impossible to get into another school. 
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​Part 1 - Meet Ed Sheeran: He’s a famous musician/songwriter, but he’s run into a couple of copyright issues.

I did too, when I found these public domain pictures of Ed. I’m allowed to share them with you, but only if I acknowledge the photographer. If I don’t, I could get into trouble. I don’t like trouble, so I”ll paste their names below the pictures. It’s the right thing to do too, to give creators credit for their work.
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Look at both pictures. Which Ed looks older? If you said the first one, you’re right. It was taken in 2018 in Berlin. The second one is from a festival in 2014. Ed changed a lot, in those four years. 

Would you believe that it was in 2014 that Ed got into copyright problems. Why? What happened? Keep reading. My source:
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                                       Link: Ed Sheeran wins Thinking Out Loud copyright case - BBC News
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​In 2014 Ed was hit with a lawsuit over his hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” The children of Ed Townsend thought it was too close to their dad’s hit with Marvin Gaye. , “Let’s Get It On.”   

Ed Townsend’s children thought Ed Sheeran copied too much from their dad, and the kids sued Ed, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music for copyright infringement. The case wasn’t settled until May 4 of this year, 2023. Nine years is a long time to wait for a judgement. It’s also a long time to pay a lawyer.

The heart of the case wraps around the chords and rhythms. Ed Sheeran’s lawyer says those elements are like the letters of the alphabet. They build words. In music those elements build songs.  The other side says they don’t own the elements, but they own their father’s unique arrangement of them.
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Both sides in the litigation, must have had good points to keep the court case alive. Good pieces of evidence. So what tipped the scales for Ed Sheeran, all puns intended? 😊 He testified, with his guitar. He sang bits of his song and talked about the four chords he used to write it. He probably talked about the four chords in the other song, and how they were different.

Ed talked about writing it in England with his friend Amy Wadge. He said he was inspired by his grandparents, and by a new someone he’d started seeing.

Both sides used musicologists, people who study how music is put together. They use computers to help them analyze it. Ed Sheeran’s witness pointed out those same four-chords in question, they were found in a couple of songs written and produced before Marvin’s song came out in 1973. Marvin and Ed were never sued over those chords, and their hit came out 31 years before Ed Sheeran’s.

During the trial Ed’s lawyer said, “These are basic musical building blocks that songwriters now and forever must be free to use, or all of us who love music will be poorer for it.” Ed Townsend’s children, Ed Sheeran’s, and children yet unborn will never hear that music, or write it either.
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Ed told reporters he’d quit singing and writing songs if he was found guilty. Thank goodness he wasn’t. His talent, his genius would have been lost, forever.
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Afterwards, Ed thanked the jurors, but he said he was also “frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.” He added, if the verdict had been guilty, “we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters.”
Ed is not done with copyright lawsuits. There’s still one hanging over his head for “Thinking Out Loud.” David Pullman is an investment banker, and his company holds the copyright for the Marvin Gaye song too. He has the next lawsuit.

I write for children, and I can see both sides of the issue. I’m just glad I don’t have to sit in judgement on this case, or any others.                                                   ​

​Source: Ed Sheeran wins Thinking Out Loud copyright case - BBC News

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Part 2: Copyright, for Reading a Book:  I started doing Saturday Reads in April of 2022. I was excited about sharing new books and authors with you. I’ve always been a reader, and one of my favorite things . . . reading out loud. This seemed perfect!

A few months later a friend asked about Saturday Reads. I told her I read and record a picture book every Saturday. Then she asked if I had permission from the publisher. That’s when I got a sinking feeling. I hadn’t even thought about it, until she asked. Now, I was worried. Violating copyright is expensive, even if you do it by accident, and that’s exactly what I’d done.

         This is a copyright for a children’s book. It’s mine, so I have permission to share it with you.
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​ Copyright © 2019 by Rinda Beach. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written per-mission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

The underlined part, those are the important words. I asked another writing friend about them. She’s also a small publisher. She said I could still do Saturday Reads, but only if I read part of the book. She explained that by recording it, a reader could get the book without buying it. That’s not fair to the publisher, or to the author/illustrator, and I’m one of those. I had no idea, but now I do, so I changed how I do Saturday Reads.

Now I stop at/before the halfway point, when there’s a question about how the story ends. Then I tell curious readers to check out the book at their local library or book store. I still get to introduce new books and authors, but now it’s the right way. I’m grateful to both of my friends. One warned me about the danger, and the other showed me how to share books correctly.

It all started with a photo, but not this one. It’s public domain, so I’m safe to use it. The one I picked, it wasn’t.

Back in the day when I was teaching, I took some tech classes, and they said it was alright to use Bing images. I thought that was still true when I started my blog in November of 2016. I was writing, but I wasn’t making money from my blog. WRONG!
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This isn’t the photo either, but the original one was of Donald Trump. It was taken back in August of 2017, back when there was a huge eclipse, and it was supposed to be the best one, for a long time. If you’d like to read what I wrote back then, here’s the link . . .
http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/august-26th-2017

But now you won’t find anything about Donald Trump in that post. I’d written about how everyone, including Donald, Melania, and Barron went outside to see the eclipse. They had special glasses on, like everyone else across the country. I wrote about the First Family, and I had a picture of them too.

That photo stayed up for half a year or more. Then one day I got an email from a law firm in Canada. They were representing a French newspaper/magazine. The email asked me to cease and desist. They wanted me to take down the picture, because of copyright. AND they wanted money, almost $200 for my mistake. 
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I wanted to ignore it, but I couldn’t. They had me! They had a photo of the post, with the date, and the photo in question. I didn’t ask any more questions. They gave me a number to call, and I did. I spoke to a lawyer, and I told her my story . . . how I was a retired teacher and an unpublished writer, who wasn’t making any money from their photo, or from my website. I also told them I’d already taken the photo down, per their request.
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It wasn’t enough. I still had to pay a fine, just like you do when you get a speeding ticket. (You have to have a really good excuse to get out of it, like you’re having a baby.) I didn’t, but they took my situation into account. They cut my fine in half, and I learned how to find and use Public Domain pictures.
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I was scared to death for at least six months. I’d been using Bing photos for almost a year, but I lucked out. No one else contacted me, but, I learned my lesson, at least about photos. Now I never search Bing for them. I go to Pixabay or Wikipedia, and I follow their rules (like I did with the photos of Ed Sheeran). Copyright lawsuits are expensive. Ask Ed!
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Part 4: Copyright and My First Book:  This was my first, and worst experience with copyright. I’d done all the work, gone through all the problems that go with writing and publishing a book. I’d lost and found three illustrators. That was the first time I was dead in the water. Then I’d found a friend who helped me with the illustration codes for IngramSparks, my printer. If he hadn’t figured it out, I would have been dead in the water again.

That’s when the third one hit. I was meeting with a local business group in April. I wanted to spread the word that my book was coming out in May . . . Someone asked if I’d talked to Purdue. I looked at them, completely blank. She said Purdue had a foundation that owns the copyright to Neil Armstrong’s name and image. Later a friend said I look shell-shocked. I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t know what to do next, except cry.
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There’s always a silver lining, if you’re willing to look for it. I had a critique group that afternoon, and one of the members is a small Texas publisher. She looked up the copyright and showed it to me. (I couldn’t even find it.) Then I had to figure out what to do next. I’m a retired second grade teacher. I didn’t know anything about copyright back then, but I’ve always known how to ask questions. It’s one of my superpowers.
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​So, I asked a friend, my daughter’s mother-in-law. She’s actually a copyright lawyer. How lucky was that?! I gave her a call. The next day she had the name of the contact at Purdue, and she had gathered information for me. She coached me on what to do, but she didn’t represent me . . . lawyers can’t work outside their own state lines. She helped me figure out what to say. Then she nudged me and got me moving.

It took a month, but I finally got permission from Purdue. Why? How? Money! I negotiated a contract with them (I know . . . crazy . . . for a retired teacher to do). Someone told me this group of lawyers even represented Marilyn Monroe’s estate. OUCH! Lucky them, this time they were working with a retired teacher. Me.

My lawyer friend showed me how to decide if an offer was fair, for me. The first one wasn’t. Every penny I earned, plus an extra nickel, went to Purdue. They had no idea, literally. We went back and forth a few times (I know . . . it still amazes me that I did it.), and we finally came to an agreement that worked for Purdue, and for me too. Thank Goodness!

I didn’t set the publishing date, not until the contract was signed and dated. THEN, I could sell my book. It was the first time I learned writing is a business. If you can’t make money by selling a good or service, you can’t stay in business. According to the IRS, my business is considered a hobby. Why? I don’t make enough money to qualify. Entrepreneurship is NOT for the faint of heart. It’s for businesspeople who can produce goods and services at a reasonable price, pay for their expenses (people and materials) and make enough money to pay for their own expenses (their own wants and needs). If you can’t do that, you are a hobbyist, like me.
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