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PEGGY
FIELDING'S NEWSLETTER UH HUH, I WENT TO ARKANSAS Yep, I drove to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for the UFO conference, but I didn't go alone. I took a really strong man, John Davis, of Skiatook, Oklahoma, with me. John is the guy who introduced me to Barbara Bartholic in the first place! (Barbara is the subject of my latest book, BARBARA: THE STORY OF A UFO INVESTIGATOR.) Actually the fact that John accompanied me seems so apropos. I think God or, the Head White Witch, or perhaps the aliens, arranged it all. Read the Foreword in BARBARA for the details of how John Davis fit into the making of the book. Now, 20 years later, John Davis, has decided he wants to be a writer and he has surfaced in my life again through my TCC classes so we're swinging into the same orbits once again. John, an anthropologist and philanthropist, is quite tall and very strong. He loves early rising, organic food and walking or running in the cold morning air. His eyes and ears are failing a bit but he hefted those two leaden weight bags of books as if they were mere feathers. SO HERE'S THE PROBLEM On the first morning in the motel at about five am, I felt the urge so arose and trudged toward the bathroom. As I staggered back toward my bed, John's huge voice sounded from his bed, "I've been thinking about Chapter one..." I tried to act as if i hadn't heard, kept wobbling toward my bed, shot him a silent death ray glance, wrapped my head in a towel and went straight back to sleep without cursing or speaking. I think he got the message. He tried very hard to be quiet the next two mornings, although he didn't quite succeed in that. I'll have to give him credit for trying. The man was a godsend in most ways and although he is too lively in the mornings, he was also forgiving of my little foibles so we rubbed along tolerably well. And he fetched and carried without complaint. John is a talker (and I'm a listener) so he kept me and himself, interested and occupied on the drive down and on the drive back No sex, just in case you're wondering. I just couldn't bring myself to attack him. He is way too big and strong. He might have pounded me into the wet Arkansas earth for such impudence. We got lost coming home. We drove aimlessly for hours, with John entertaining both of us all the way to Skiatook where I left him with his farm animals and his gardens and his hand built rock house... built by his own big and clever hands. CONTEST WINNER Larry Sells, aka, Freakie Frights, guessed closest to the number of sales I made at the UFO conference. If he will send me his name with his US mail address I will give him his choice of either BARBARA or SALLY. What a smart man Larry is! NOW, ABOUT THAT SIDESADDLE Dan Case and I are collaborators on a book, THE SHERIFF RODE SIDESADDLE. It was his idea to start but I have taken it to run with it. I'm waiting for his comments on what Ive done so far. Probably not what he had in mind at all, but when you ask me to do something, generally I'll do it if I say I will, although the actions taken may not be exactly what you had in mind at all.
MY FAVORITE BOOK OF THE THIRTY VOLUMES I'VE READ THIS MONTH I really loved the mystery novel DEATH ON A SILVER TRAY by Rosemary Stevens, from Berkley Publishing. The book is written as if by Beau Brummell (George Bryan Brummel) during England's Regency period. I loved the story written in the first person voice as well as the heft of the book and the dustcover design. Jackie King is the really good friend who leaned the book to me. As they used to say in the Philippines when they were talking about my little Suzy, "Jackie is an good girl." BACK TO THE UFO'S At the conference we were surrounded by more than 300 UFO aficionados. I felt pretty dumb but tried to learn from the experience. The UFO in-the-know persons were all chitchatting about the year 2012. Seems that will be the year in which the aliens reveal all. Maybe I should check with Barbara to see if she thinks the UFO folks will descend upon us? rise among us? or perhaps shout the long hidden truths to us via TV? That is eight years from now. I may be here with you to get the real skinny as it flows from alien lips. (Hey, they don't have lips, do they?) Then, I'll hear it as it flows telepathically from their minds to ours. SIGHTING AT THE CONFERENCE The night we arrived I went to the vendor area to get the lay of the land. I started back to the front door and truly thought for a moment that I was hallucinating. There was a woman friend I'd seen at many and many a writer's meeting. In fact, I've stayed at her house when she invited me to speak to the Oklahoma City Writers. "Kathryn Fanning!" I screamed, and embraced my old pal. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. "I could ask the same of you," she said. "I guess you've been attending the poetry meeting they've just held?" she murmured into my ear as we embraced. (See, that tells you we both expect to see each other at writer's gigs only.) Well, it turns out that in the twenty or more years I've known her, we have talked about men, sex, writing, family and marriage, and the fact that she is one of the MIA widows from the Vietnam war. We have never discussed the paranormal. Seems she is interested. She was there selling books during the UFO conference, just as I was. It was marvelous seeing her. We vetted all the good-looking guys, including Jim, the one traveling with her and John Davis, the one traveling with me. Even though I am years and years older than Kathryn, we have always had greatly similar taste is men. OWFI CONFERENCE Kathryn shocked me by saying she would not be at OWFI this year. I have heard that same sort of bad news from Radine Nehring and Anna Myers, as well. I'll certainly be there, primed and ready. I missed a couple of years of the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. conference when I was caring for Ms. Hazel and since she left me to go on to Heaven, I do not intend to miss any more OWFI conferences. I go for fun, in the hope of learning something and with the expectation that I will be inspired. I'll be looking for Carolyn, Raymona, Inez and my vegetarian friend, Wayne Wyrick as well as others I love seeing once a year...or more if I can manage it. If you haven't attended you must go. I truly think it is the best conference of all and I've been to a ton of them. See you there the last two days in April and the first day of May. AND ON THIS WEBSITE I'll see you here on this page again in May. Love and hugs. | ||
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