The Caja Mountains from my window -- writing from home, as a retiree, is a treat. I retired early and moved to Cuenca, Ecuador to give me the time and setting for writing a book. And it's coming out soon! sk

An update on my book: The Plan is about to go to the editor. Yea! I've been working eight hour days to get the final chapters completed. The wonderful thing about digital publishing is that readers don't have to wait for a year or more to get a book in their hands.

Important News: The Writers in Transition (WIT) group is giving our  monthly reading and you are invited. It's free at the California Kitchen in Cuenca. I'll be presenting Chapter 2 of The Plan, so I really look forward to your presence. Here's more information:

WIT Presentation - Click Here for Time and Day

Just recently, new information about a horrid prison camp in the southern Andes of Chile, Colonia Dignidad, made international news. Former victims and their families are suing the state of Chile over this horrid prison that was allowed to stay open until very recently.And what does this have to do with my new book? Plenty, believe me. So I've needed a little extra time to make updates.

As an expat in Cuenca, Ecuador, I have TIME to work on this new book -- all of the time in the world. I love the freedom of being able to have my own office next to my bedroom, so that I can get up at all odd hours of the night and write. Unfortunately, my best ideas come at 3 a.m. (It's not easy being my bed partner.  Ask my husband, Fred.)

P.S. We had a sad day. Our little dog was stolen.So today will be spent taking around flyers, posting ads, etc.


Here's a quick summary of what this new book is about:

A white Vicksburg, Mississippi private detective shoots himself in the groin while perched on the corner of his bed, cleaning his favorite rifle after a dove hunt. Suicide, concludes the state pathologist, a man nationally known for his amazingly quick (and frequently sloppy) reports. Detective John D. Sullivan’s death takes place one year after leaving his temporary job in New Orleans, where he was working for his old FBI boss and friend, Guy Banister, who dies strangely just six months following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Forty-eight years pass before Clinton Moore, a quiet and effective, gay black Mississippi Delta lawyer, gives a damn about what happened to Sullivan – and only after Moore’s best friend, a black Alabama lawyer, is murdered for knowing too much about what? Mollie Johnson and Sara Mercury pick up on the case IN SOUTH AMERICA , after Moore, himself, is killed – for knowing too much.  About what? Did someone go missing in Colonia Dignidad? Who?

ISBN-10:  0-9826049-7-1

ISBN-13:  978-0-9826049-7-7

The Plan is set for publication in May of 2013. 

Place on the Tallahatchie River where Emmett Till's body was dumped in 1955. This is one of many photos I took in the Delta when doing research for Who Killed Emmett Till? (the basis for my new fiction novel The Plan. I enjoy photography and use my pictures to help give readers a look at the places that I'm writing about. You can do this too when you retire.Think about places you've gone and put the information to writing books, poetry, music, plays! 

What Retirees Do -- in Cuenca, Ecuador

Living in such a beautiful environment, how could you NOT write about it??? Since we moved here last fall, one thing that keeps me busy is writing. I belong to a local group -- Writers in Transition, and we meet every Thursday at 12:30 to share our chapters, short stories, poems. and other written work. We listen to each other and offer criticism (help). Then, on the first Thursday of each month, we give a public reading. People in Cuenca are invited to come have dinner and listen. It's a great opportunity to get  important feedback on our work  Guess what -- you're invited!!

The WIT Group

(Writers in Transition)

presents

An Evening of the Spoken Word

at California Kitchen Restaurante

Luis Cordero 5-65 y Honorato Vasquez

4 April 2013, Thursday, 7pm

Free Admission ~ Cash Bar

Authors

1) "South American Time and Customer Service", by Susan Schenck, author of Beyond Broccoli and The Live Food Factor

Susan will be reading excerpts from her upcoming book Expats in Cuenca: The Magic and The Madness

2) "He's Alive" from Chapter Six of "Methuselah's Promise", by Chris Petersen, author of Methuselah's Secret

The next chapter of my new book about the Longevity Drug

3) "Red Creeper", by Frances Augusta Hogg

A writer learns the importance of being vigilant. 

4) "Life and Death on the Mississippi" First Chapter from the novel The Plan, by Susan Klopfer

This first chapter of my historical fiction novel is set in the Mississippi Delta. Two black lawyers and a white detective (former FBI agent) are separately murdered between the years of 1966 and 1997. Chapter 1 opens with the final murder of Clinton Moore, a 56-year-old lawyer. Two shooters are involved: the first is a young man who Moore has known and defended twice for driving while intoxicated. The second shooter, whose bullet takes Moore’s life, is a professional hit man. Moore tells his story from the grave, and in this first chapter he presents various conflicts that tie all three murders into a mystery waiting to be solved.

5) "Picking Cotton", by Manon Stephenson

It is Manon's continuing saga of her youth and the humorous adventures of her alter ego. 

If you're a writer, you might also want to join us on Thursdays at the California Kitchen. You're invited! Drop by for this Thursday night's reading to learn more.

Susan

Same Ol' Same Ol'?? -- New Retiree Writes About His Life

(at left) -- Forever together ... a man and his dog

by Thomas Peddecord

Cuenca, Ecuador

Here we go again. Same old thing. Up at nine (regardless of how late our restaurant, PANACHE!, was open for service the previous night). Then it’s out the door for a walk around the neighborhood. Maybe the beach is a possibility this morning?  No, no such luck! Rain is coming. Better to return to the restaurant before we get drenched.  

Upon our return home it’s into the Subaru, turn on the ignition, and begin another edition of our daily rounds.  Stops at the grocery store, produce stand, and  Asian market are all on the “to do” list everyday. A double- check of the grocery list is in order to make sure nothing has been forgotten is in order.

CLICK TO CONTINUE ...

If luck is with us and and time allows a stop at Quizno’s for a sandwich is the next order of business.  I really love the Cubano sandwich! Not too spicy and full of flavor. Maybe a sandwich for Linda?...  

I really enjoy the solitude in the Subaru at times like these. Listening to “Fresh Air” on NPR, sharing a delicious sandwich, temporarily insulated from all the craziness of the restaurant (and life in general), and finding time to think about something other than the monotonous tedium that pervades our apartment, our restaurant and our lives.  O.K.  All good things must come to an end. 

Turn on the ignition and head back to PANACHE!  Time to unload the groceries, stock the shelves, the refrigerators, and the freezer.  Check the prep list for dinner service.  Turn on the soup warmers and head upstairs to check on Linda.  She’s fine.  (Catching a few extra winks this morning because she got upstairs really late last night.  That last customer didn’t leave until 1AM!)  Once in the office a check for e-mail and phone messages while being mostly concerned with messages from folks wishing to dine with us tonight.  People seem to think it’s perfectly fine to wait until the “day of...” to make reservations for dinner whether the table is for 2 or twenty. (I never will understand that attitude).  

If the prep list isn’t too long and the first reservation isn’t coming in too, too early we may have time to relax and watch a few minutes of the Anderson Cooper Show.  I wonder what issue Anderson and his guests will be discussing today?  Gun control, rising incidence of obesity in non-white train conductors, animal cruelty, or the perplexing popularity of the Kardashian litter...  

No matter because today the demands of the restaurant require our immediate attention downstairs to begin preparations for dinner service. Somedays I get a chance for a nap before dinner and somedays not.  Unfortunately this is not one of those days.  Juan, Little Juan and Greg will all be in to help in the kitchen tonight!  What a relief!  Maybe we can leave the after service clean-up to the crew so that our walk can begin a little early and end a little later. Our time together at night is much anticipated and greatly valued.  Solitude, companionship, moments to think about “stuff”.  

Particularly so lately since it has been decided that I am going to be moving to Mom’s ex-husband’s 150 acre farm in rural Missouri.  I can’t wait!  No more short walks around the neighborhood, no more grocery buying excursions every morning of everyday of every week, and no more wondering if the nightly walk will be a short one or a long one. 

Don’t get me wrong!  I love Dad and Mom to death but the life we have all been  living for the past eight years since the opening of PANACHE! cannot be considered “living” by any stretch of the imagination.  I am deeply sorry that we are going to have to spend the rest of our lives in different parts of the world but retirement, hopefully, comes for us all. 

I will be living on a 150 acre parcel in the middle of the country chasing horses and rabbits, sticking my nose in the babbling creek behind the house, sleeping on a homemade quilt in front of the fireplace and riding in to town with Don (Mom’s ex) in his old Ford pick-up. Dad and Mom will be living their dream in Cuenca, Ecuador.  

Someone once said, “Never underestimate the capacity of the human heart for love.”  The same can be said of the canine heart.  I know I will forever live in their hearts and, believe me when I tell you, they will forever live in mine.   

*****

(Tom gives permission to reprint this article, as long as you include his bio and don't change the content. He may be reached at cheftomp.peddecord1@gmail.com )         

Editor's Note: This IS the place for publishing your retirement stories! Author Thomas Peddecord, was born in Wichita, Kansas. He and his wife Linda have lived in California and Oregon. Mr. Peddecord is a 1998 graduate of Western Culinary Institute Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon. After working in the food industry for a number of years Tom, Linda, and their dog Ginger, opened their own restaurant in Newport Oregon in 2005. 

PANACHE! was a fine dining white tablecloth restaurant that specialized in menu items which utilized fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, wild seafood, and chemical and hormone-free beef, lamb and pork. After enjoying great success for a number of years PANACHE! was sold in 2012. The author and his wife moved to Cuenca, Ecuador shortly thereafter and have been enjoying their lives in South America ever since.   

Have a retirement story? Send it to me -- Susan Klopfer -- sklopfer@gmail.com and see it in print. Please include your bio and a photo, if possible.            

Merry Christmas from Cuenca, Ecuador

Please enjoy this Christmas video! We spend eight hours at the Christmas Eve Parade! What an experience. Happy holidays to all.

Susan and Fred Klopfer

Retirement Ideas That Work -- For Those Scared Sh*tless!

I am putting together a group of reference books for an eBook I plan to publish in mid December –

Retirement – It’s Not Just About the Money How to Have Fun, Get Healthy and Make Extra Money When You Retire

It is a going to be a fun and helpful book, I promise. 

Meanwhile, while doing my research, I have run into several wonderful retirement books that I want to share with all of you, and here is the first one:

Retirement ideas that work, by author Ken Bodnar

55 And ScaredSh*tless

Now, surely you can picture what its author, Ken Bodnar, had in mind when he wrote this eBook. Bodnar is an obvious Type A Racer who was facing what he believed to be complete ruination, if he did not come up with a chunk of change for retirement.

This is a great book. Bodnar shares his personal experience, and it is a rags to riches story about coming to grips with retirement. Anyone of us can read this book and come up with multiple ideas that work.

Bodnar writes briefly about moving to a less expensive place to live, something that Fred and I have already done. It works. We will make up the entire loss of our retirement account that we lost when Wall Street went South.

I also e-publish, another one of his topics, and this gives us an ongoing income.

Ken Bodnar is a type A racer, and many of us will never match his pace. He is a speed freak—

Nevertheless, there is something here in 55 And Scared Sh*tless for every reader, whether retired or still waiting to take the plunge.

Thus I give his book 5 stars.

It is a great read and I’ll be listing it in my references, for sure.

You can find it here -- and even download a free sample.

Susan

Don Colon Restaurant in Cuenca, Ecuador - great food, great service, and a wonderful story for retirement (not!)

There's a new restaurant in Cuenca, Ecuador (where I live as an expat), Don Colon. Owner and chef Colon Campos came out of retirement, from Naples, Florida to bring his talents to Cuenca. 

Colon is rapidly making friends and new customers because his food is great, the setting spectacular, and he is just fun to talk to.

I'll be interviewing Colon today, and will share some of his story soon on Retirement Monologues. So come back. You know that you can subscribe to this blog -- take a look over on the right.

Susan

P.S. Visit Don Colon's website at http://doncolon.com and view his new Youtube video!

He features a great Eggs Benedict for breakfast, fresh fish and Mexican specialties for lunch, and a wonderful filet mignon for dinner! Great prices, too. He should soon be featured on Frommer's and Lonely Planet -- keep your fingers crossed.

Tell About Your Journey to Sell Your Books

Susan Klopfer lives and blogs from Cuenca, Ecuador where she is currently writing a historical fiction novel based on civi rights stories of the Mississippi Delta -- but the story will take readers into South America, too. This photo was taken in a Panama hat shop in Cuenca where she also blogs about her new retirement life.

YOUR BOOK OR EBOOK IS written and an audience surely awaits. But now you must capture readers. How do you get the word out and sell those books?

Of course, there are the usual first line strategies: news releases, media interviews, direct sales, giving seminars and so forth. But here's another consideration -- why not go on a journey to the "seat" of your book and blog along the way. Everyone is talking about blogs and blogging, but what does that have to do with your book and why should you care? Internet blogging can bring in the readers, especially if you combine it with a real adventure.

If you have not been blogging, don't be afraid. It isn't so hard to do. You will need to have some Internet experience, but that is all.

*****

A BLOG (short for web log) is a website where entries provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. Readers may leave comments if you choose. Most blogs are simply text although some focus on photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

Blogging can be free or you can pay a small fee to use a blogging site. I happen to use Blogger, which is owned by Google. Several years ago, I wrote a book on Mississippi Civil Rights and at the same time set up several blogs that bring daily visitors. The blog has links, of course, to various sites where the book can be purchased.

ONE SUMMER, I went on a blogging journey to do more research, take photos and visit the people I met in the Mississippi Delta when writing the book Who Killed Emmett Till, (and eBook) and my Blog visitors were invited to come along. Here's the news release that I sent out announcing this blogging journey:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Bloggers Set to Revisit Mississippi Delta Civil Rights People and Places

Mount Pleasant, Iowa (USA), May 29, 2007--Two friends from Cleveland, Mississippi and Mount Pleasant, Iowa, are spending ten days roaming and blogging the Mississippi Delta while visiting civil rights people and places. Their pictures and stories will be placed daily at http://mississippimurders.com on the Internet.

Margaret Block, an early civil rights advocate, and Susan Klopfer, author of Where Rebels Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited, plan to roam the Mississippi Delta starting June 1, visiting people and places of the modern civil rights movement. "We'll be traveling in and out of the Delta for ten days as we photograph important spots and talk about the region's history," Klopfer said.

"We plan to visit the towns of Money, Drew, Glendora, Greenwood and other spots connected to the murders of Emmett Till, Birdia Keglar, Adlena Hamlett and Cleve McDowell, among others who were killed for their civil rights activities or just for being black."

Block, an early SNCC volunteer, spent her first years out of high school in the small town of Charleston where they will kick off their blogging venture by attending a program June 1 honoring Keglar. The NAACP leader was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in 1966 on her way home from a Jackson meeting with Sen. Robert Kennedy. Keglar once saved Block's life by moving her out of Charleston in a hearse from the funeral home that Keglar managed.

"We have very few scheduled stops, but we will also leave the Delta to attend the funeral of Mrs. Chaney, James Chaney's mother in Meridian," Block said. The two also plan to visit with Unita Blackwell, Mississippi's first black woman mayor, and will take pictures as they roam the historical Brooks Farm, Parchman penitentiary, and Clarksdale, home of Aaron Henry, an early civil rights leader whom Block also knew.

The two women met when Klopfer was researching a book on the civil rights movement, "Where Rebels Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited." Klopfer was living on the grounds of Parchman at the time, where her husband was the chief psychologist.

(Contact details were given at the top of the release.)

So... I was contacted by several reporters before we left on the journey for interviews and a stories . . . looks like this idea was a winner, and could be for you, too.
*****

Susan Klopfer writes on civil rights history and current issues, including retirement and diversity. She is the author of several civil rights books and ebooks that related to the Mississippi Delta, including her newest book, "Who Killed Emmett Till," available in e-book, audio book and print.

Contact the Author

Susan Klopfer
civil rights, cold cases, Emmett Till
sklopfer@gmail.com
Susan Klopfer's web site