We hope you enjoyed the September 2024 issue of This Awful Awesome Life.

Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine.

Special thanks to Lisa Reagan for her thoughtful answers to our September Q&A.

Before you read about this issue, please take a moment to reflect on the devastation of the natural and manmade disasters happening around the world. Along with injuries and the loss of human life, pets, wildlife and animal habitats, homes, vehicles, food crops, and possessions have been injured, damaged, or destroyed. Pieces of history, gone forever. Please vet the charities asking for help and make your best decision about where and what to donate. Depending on your beliefs, send prayers or positive energy to the victims and first responders.

Our October theme is “Women’s Health.” We have an update on where we are in the fight against breast cancer and other medical conditions. How do you make a list of ways to stay healthy interesting? You make them into Rebus Puzzles for the October Quiz. Once you solve them, you won’t forget them. Also, we’re celebrating Halloween and all things spooky.

What does Alaska Wilderness Mystery Author Robin Barefield know about the mysterious Alaska Triangle? Join Orlando Bartro for a trip to a legendary horror show.

This year, I’m writing a short story for each issue related to the theme in some way. This month, my short story, “So Much More,” is about the perception of women and aging. How does Amelia feel about aging and why does her family think she wouldn’t want to celebrate her 60th birthday?

Louise Porter who narrated the audiobook of Everything in Between is featured in this month’s Q&A. Find out what it’s like to be an actor, voice actor, and narrator.

For our new column, “Happy Birthday,” our author this month is Tim O’Brien. O’Brien is the author of The Things They Carried. This book was one of Christian’s favorites. Soon after graduating from college, O’Brien was drafted and sent to Vietnam. Many of his books deal with wartime and the postwar lives of veterans.

This month I reviewed Redeem Your Sins by Mystery and Suspense Author Thomas Fincham. He is the author of the Lee Calloway series, the Hyder Ali series, the Martin Rhodes series, and the Echo Rose series.

We are featuring two lists of Halloween films and TV shows  for streaming – a family friendly list and one to watch after the kids are safely tucked in bed. I’m a fan of both lists, and I never tire of the classics.

For October 2024 in “The Twelve Months of Salsa,” I decided to embrace the season with a Pumpkin Salsa recipe. It’s the perfect salsa for enjoying fall and all things pumpkin. Pumpkin isn’t just for desserts. It’s refreshing and surprisingly good with tortilla chips and air-fried vegetables.

We found some great choices for our Halloween reading recommendations for kids and young adults. We also have several horror selections for adults. “October in Pictures” and “What’s in a Word?” are back.

We’re constantly updating our Author Page to include the latest published works of your new favorite authors, and we’re adding authors. Being able to give authors a free place to display their work is a dream come true for me, so please check every month to see who’s new and what’s new.

Don’t miss our new Artist Page where we will be celebrating creatives and providing their contact information. We will be updating and adding to the list during this month and the following months, so keep checking our new page.

Everything in Between is now available in audiobook. The narrator, Louise Porter, does a wonderful job bringing Sabrina and her story to life, and I can’t wait for you to have a listen. You can purchase the audiobook for Everything in Between on Amazon, iTunes, or Audible. https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Everything-in-Between/dp/B0DDR8GRWS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TV0J0HCWYT7T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tdRKc5MxwdOobXZOLckDvQ.0BXe9QYH3JnZOn9j0LC6Yy6gCG9UI3lIcRu4KlRnIPs&dib_tag=se&keywords=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook&qid=1725234363&sprefix=everything+in+between+by+frances+joyce+audiobook%2Caps%2C103&sr=8-

USA Today best-selling novelist, Annette Dashofy has a new book in the Zoe Chambers Mystery series. You can order What Comes Around on Amazon or find it at your local bookstore. It’s also now available in audiobook. Congratulations Annette!

I hope you are carefully vetting the candidates who are running for office in the 2024 elections. The presidency and control of both the House and Senate are up for grabs. Do your research, so we don’t end up with legislators who care more about partisanship than serving the needs of the American people. The League of Women Voters is a reputable and impartial source for information.

Presidential candidates have selected their VPs, and the differences in their choices are striking. Don’t forget to vet the VP’s carefully as well. One of these VP candidates could be next in line to the presidency. Make sure they are qualified. Listen to what they have said and will say. They will show you and tell you who they really are – listen carefully, and don’t be fooled by the spin doctors out there. Please keep showing up and voting. We will never tell you who to vote for, but we will keep telling you to vote and do your homework!

Vet all candidates and insist that all political parties do the same. Which incumbent legislators have actually authored and submitted legislation to benefit Americans? Who’s all talk and soundbites? Who refuses to bring legislation to the floor of the House of Representatives or Senate, so our Representatives/Senators can vote on it? We pay them to conduct the government’s business, not to sit and do nothing. We don’t pay them to do the bidding of political parties, billionaires, or presidential candidates.

Follow the money. Who is the new darling of the billionaires? What will they do, and who will they sell out to keep those dollars rolling in? Vote for the candidates who are the most qualified and who will safeguard our democracy.

Samantha Sayers has been missing for six years since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page, but only after it is verified. Thank you!

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Happy Reading,

Fran