The Clearing is Clearer!

I slept in a hammock in the back yard last night because two of Jackie's granddaughters (my grandnieces) insisted that they wanted to sleep outside in a tent. Jackie doesn't "do" tents or hammocks, so I was their designated Mother Bear in case of attempted kidnappings, hijackings, bad dreams, raucous raccoons, odious opossums, or what-have-you.

By the time the girls were ready to come out to the tent at 10 or 10:30 (after watching the Disney Channel for an hour or so) I was already shakily ensconced on the hammock -- wondering if I'd be able to keep from rolling myself completely over in it during the night and knocking myself senseless on the ground underneath... It seemed a risky venture!

One of the girls decided not to sleep out after all; the other one still wanted to. It never even occurred to me that since one of the girls flaked on the idea, I would have fit into the tent with the other one and wouldn't have had to risk life and limb in the hammock. Oh, well... I survived!

I slept so well that I was awakened by Jackie, working away in the clearing nearby, at 8:40 a.m. I'm usually up at 6 this time of year! I missed church altogether because I didn't want Jackie out there flailing away with machetes and rakes and hatchets without someone to dial 911 if she did an oopsie.

I was a little (probably a lot) dehydrated most of the morning (from all of the work we did yesterday without drinking enough water) so it took me about three hours to bring my hydration level up to where I could sweat again and stopped feeling a wee bit dizzy. I raked small stuff and placed it into yard waste barrels until I felt ready to truly take on the world again, then I sawed down some small trees with an electric saw. By this time Jackie was tired (raking branches, vines and other detritus away from fallen logs) so she started mowing the lawn (very large lawn) with the riding mower... which kept getting plugged because the grass was still damp.

After a time I took over for her so she could set up the Slip n Slide for the girls. I, too, ended up under the tractor as often as I was on it, digging out large swaths of wet grass. At the end of this task, my hands and forearms resembled those of the Jolly Green Giant or the Incredible Hulk, so to the bathtub I went to reclaim my more characteristic skin tone (pale-or-scalded with freckles).

When I got out, Jackie was back in the clearing, clearing! I told her to knock it off; it's Sunday and she needs to have some kind of "downtime" before she goes back to work tomorrow. (She manages two bank branches. Managing one is more than a full-time job!) She listened -- eventually.

I sat down at my PC and found 25 emails. Gads!

Tomorrow I'll start writing a white paper for a client and hope to land a few more projects, too. I have six more blog articles to write for a new client, so those will probably get underway this week, too. And I just finished personal and company bios for another new client. Both of the new clients gave me a 100% positive, highest possible rating, so I'm grinning ear-to-ear. I love to get perfect ratings -- and have been blessed with a lot of them during my Elance career, I'm happy to say.

I probably won't be awake long enough to hear what I said on the STARR TALK WITH SONNY STARR radio program tonight. I'm weary. I'll catch it tomorrow in the archives -- or whenever it shows up there. Staying up past nine to hear myself talk is just not that great an incentive after two days in the briers and the brambles and the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go... (Oh, we fired our guns and the British kept a'comin'... There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago..) Sorry, I got lost in an old folk song for a moment, there... (The Battle of New Orleans, I believe.)

I have to be awake for the next radio interview, though: it's LIVE Wednesday night from 7-9pm. Links to both shows are in earlier blogs... Seek and ye shall find!

Oh, My Aching...Everything!

After finishing four blogs for a new Elance client (who is elated with my work - YESSSSSSSS!) I joined Phil, Wendy and Jackie in our back yard to tackle the brush along our perimeter fence. Remember a couple months ago, I was out there cutting blackberry bushes down to the nubs and pulling their long, scraggly vines out of overhead tree branches? Well, today's foray was the beginning of the tail end of that job.

A customer of Jackie's loaned her a lethal-looking mowing/chopping machine that cuts down serious stuff -- brambles and branches, tall grasses, even pipe if you're not careful!

Phil was put in charge of the menacing mowing machine. (The fellow who loaned it to us said, "This machine won't hurt you -- it'll KILL you.") The rest of us worked ahead of him as he mowed (75+ feet ahead of him, to avoid being slain by flying pieces of branches, rocks, and other detritus that falls into a glade over the course of ten or fifteen or more years), raking into piles the downed blackberry vines and other bushy stuff I cut down a couple months ago. Half of it was dry as a bone; the rest of it was busily sending out shoots and leaves. We needed to get as much of it into piles and along pathways as we could so Phil could get to it easier with his blazing blades.

We all went to work, in very warm weather, and got a good percentage of it done. Then Phil borrowed the mower and went over to tackle his mother-in-law's lawn/field because they're having some kind of bash there tomorrow. (Oh, wait! Maybe that's where we're having Jamie Lee's 5th birthday party, now that I think of it...). By the time they get back, I'm sure Phil will be pretty much exhausted and finished for the day. He has been at it for more than six hours, and the mower is not easy to navigate.

The area we have finished looks fabulous. People pay good money to have a little park area like the one we're making, where there used to be impenetrable blackberry vines. There are some old stumps with moss on them, ferns, and apple and plum trees which we couldn't see or get to last year after we moved here. You'd swear it's perfect habitat for leprechauns; just lovely. It'll be worth the time we've taken to open it up and make it accessible.

I hopped into the tub and soaked afterward, so right now I feel human again, but tomorrow morning may be another story. But if I'm crippling around tomorrow, I'll just go for a walk -- that'll work the kinks out.

I'm bruised and areas of my legs are torn from blackberry thorns, but what the hey... it's all in a day's work! (Fortunately, days like this only come along once in a blue moon; that's why I can be so cheerfully circumspect about it!)

Don't forget my interview on STARR TALK WITH SONNY STARR tomorrow night at 9 pm Pacific Time, and the upcoming, 2-hour LIVE interview with me on Wednesday from 7 to 9 Pacific Time. I would really love it if you would call in and say hi and/or ask me a question or make a comment about De.

Lisa Hamner Polishes De's Star!

Awright!

De has a new star polisher!

(And boy, did his star NEED it!)

Thank you, Lisa Hamner!

Catch her DeForest Kelley Forever blog by linking to it from the "followers" link below!

MEMORIAL DAY -- REMEMBERING OUR TROOPS AND...

I just walked and prayed for our troops (somber, sobering) and gave thanks for our troops in every battle and situation during our entire history who were in harm's way and lost their lives to maintain and/or establish freedom for us and for others.

We remember...

Today or tomorrow Jackie and I are going to plant our very large garden with veggies. Yesterday we planted five or six tomato bushes that she bought more than a month ago. Two of them already have small green tomatoes hanging from their branches, so it's time! It has just been too wet and too cool here at night until now to know, for sure, that we wouldn't be consigning them to an early frost and death... so that's why we waited until now. We were going to plant on Mother's Day weekend, but the weather report was inclement, so we decided to wait.

The spring flowers are up and the bushes and trees are all leafing out. We're supposed to have 70 degree days for more than a week. Woo hoo!

I got the garage sale pretty much set up but won't be opening the doors this weekend or next, as we'll be too busy to run it. But I may throw the doors open a bit during the week and let the neighbors in to see if there's anything they would like. There's some nice stuff in there, and lots of books and CDs that people might like. They won't fetch much per piece, but if they all sold, I would have a nice chunk of change at the end of the day. So we'll see how it goes. I may give up some furniture, too, if a space opens up to display it.

I tried to display everything well, so people can tell I respect them and didn't just throw everything out in a pile. People linger longer when they know they're respected, I think. They'll be able to see everything distinctly and ruminate on the items that pique their interest.

I have lots of clothes to put out too, but need to find a cheap clothes rack at a garage sale so I can display them well. Clothes dumped (or even folded) on a tarp don't get the scrutiny that clothes hanging on a rack do, I've noticed.

Jackie's back from shopping. Time to go planting!

Ciao for now!

Heres the Link to the Newest Press Release! Share It, Please!

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/prweb2443234.htm

WOO HOO! Another Writer's Edge Writer Gets the Nod!

It looks as though a true story about an angel encounter, written by Steve Eaton (who's with our Writer's Edge group at Church For All Nations), may well be published by the Guideposts group (in their Angels on Earth magazine) if Steve can find the fellow who took the photos he needs to illustrate and document the truth of the claim that no one should have survived an auto accident that his son Jacob and the driver survived several years ago when Jacob was just 13 years old.

I'm particularly delighted at this prospect because Steve gave me the great privilege (and responsibility) of editing the piece just before he submitted it. He loved what I did with it (not that I had to do all that much!); I'm glad Guideposts did, too! I look forward to seeing it in print someday in the future!

CONGRATULATIONS, STEVE and WRITER'S EDGE. This will happen more and more frequently as the months pass. There are some tremendously talented writers in our group; every last one has a definite call on their lives to write for the glory of the kingdom of God. A few discerning nips and tucks here and there and every one of the stories and poems these people create will find their way into print. I've never been more certain of anything in my life (other than the love of God)!

Pat Bertram Wins the INSTANTANEOUS Award!

Goodness gracious sakes alive!

Within fifteen minutes of my last post, writer Pat Bertram posted this on one of her blogs:

http://dragonmyfeet.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/press-release-the-enduring-legacy-of-deforest-kelley-actor-healer-friend/

I wish I had a payroll I could put some of you go-getters on!

Thanks so much, Pat, Mary, Lisa, Margot, Ian, Steve, and all the rest of you who jump in with both feet when asked.

You're all AMAZING!

While You Got It, Flaunt It! New Press Release Coming Out!

Since the new e-book has retained first place in the non-fiction e-book category at Payloadz.com for the entire three weeks since its debut, I thought it was an occasion for another media release, so I have written one and submitted it to PRWeb for publication on May 21.


But because you're all my buds, thought I would give you first dibs on it. Feel free to copy and paste it into emails to send to your TREK/De pals, and to send it to TREK and De Kelley websites if the spirit moves you. The more people who get involved in disseminating it, the greater its exposure... and I'm all for that! And hey, if your very own essay is spotlighted in the book, send the media release to everyone you know, to let them know that you helped create the top-rated non-fiction e-book at Payloadz! (That would be you, Mary, Billie, Alison, JD, John and Maria... you know who you are!)

Thanks!


Newest DeForest Kelley Title Debuts as #1 Nonfiction E-Book at Payloadz.com as Newest Star Trek Adventure Warps Across the Silver Screen


Kristine M Smith, author of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories (2001), claims top spot for her newest Kelley book, ENDURING LEGACY, at Payloadz.com.


Seattle, WA (PRWEB) May 21, 2009 A newly-released e-book, The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend, written by Kelley's former personal assistant Kristine M Smith, skyrocketed immediately to first place in the non-fiction category at Payloadz.com upon its May 1st release, where it has resolutely remained for three weeks.

In the new 61-page electronic book, Smith compiled the memories and reminiscences of nearly two dozen fans and friends whose lives were blessed and changed forever by the career or kindness of the late actor who portrayed Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original Star Trek television series and motion pictures.

"I'm delighted the new book is receiving top honors at Payloadz," Smith says. "It was a real labor of love for so many of its contributors and for me. And the unanimous, positive reviews of the book have also been gratifying. "

The e-book reveals that many of Kelley's devoted fans have gone on to become doctors, nurses, medical technicians, social workers, and other helping professionals, while still other fans continue to impact the world as writers, actors, and teachers.

The success of the new book has also bolstered sales of Smith's earlier memoir about the actor who became her mentor. DeFOREST KELLEY: A HARVEST OF MEMORIES suffered from an untimely release date, coming as it did just weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001, relegating the memoir to easy dismissal by and silence from mainstream media. Now that both books are receiving attention during the recent release of the newest STAR TREK movie, prospects for both books have increased significantly. Smith has been contacted to do radio and podcast interviews from science fiction and golden oldies radio producers.

Smith says, "This June 11th will be the tenth anniversary of De's passing. I can't imagine a greater tribute, at this time - to the man and to the actor - than the timely attention being paid to these two books, along with taking in the wonderful resurrection of the McCoy character as portrayed by Karl Urban. He was able to capture so much of what De's spirit and sensibilities brought to the role. I hope my two books will show that DeForest Kelley, the man, was every bit as worthy of respect and emulation as was his alter ego."

Author Kristine M Smith's blog is located at http://almostfamousbydesfault.blogspot.com/.

Her copywriting service business URL is http://kristinemsmith.elance.com/.

She can be reached at KRISTINEMSMITH@MSN.COM.

I Wrote a Comment on a SLATE Article...

You can find my response to the SLATE question "Is Obama Arrogant?" here:

http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/2790069/ShowThread.aspx?ArticleID=2218357#2790069

Oh, what the heck. I'll re-print it here, too. It's my article, with my byline, so they can't call it plagiarism!

Obama Ruthless -- Like RFK and Mr. Spock?

Every time a truly effective leader comes along -- whether it's President Obama, Lyndon Johnson, Hillary Clinton, Golda Meir or Robert F. Kennedy -- one of the first charges leveled against him or her is ruthlessness.

Mr. Spock of STAR TREK had the same problem. Not that he was ever actually "wrong" when he elected to sacrifice one or more crewmembers (including himself) for the good of many others, but it seemed somehow less-than-human to be so blasted blase about it. At times like these, logic sometimes sucked, big-time. (Lucky for Spock: he was a half-breed and, as such, more-than-human.)

Logical thinkers look for ways to move the ball forward. And while it isn't simply a matter of "whatever works," depending upon the moral uprightness of a person's spirit, the avenues that great leaders take and the decisions they make often rub less-logical folks the wrong way.

If President Obama is seen now by some as arrogant because he believes in himself as fully as our lapsed president believed in himself (horrors!), the fault lies in the eye of the beholder, not in Obama. Belief in oneself should be an absolute prerequisite for anyone aspiring to occupy the highest office and the bulliest pulpit in the land.

And if he's viewed as ruthless that, too, is myopia, not fact. Ruthless people don't do all he has tried (mightily) to do to bring diverse, passionate people to a table where issues can be discussed and responsibly wrestled with, resulting in ways forward which can never be accomplished as long as we're busy throwing barbs, bricks, slurs and silliness at each other.

I plan to vote for Obama again in 2012. I don't see anyone else on the horizon of either major party (or any of the minor ones) who can do for our nation what Obama has dedicated himself to doing for it and for the world.

The term "civilization" (heavy emphasis on "civil" ) is beginning to look possible again!

May Gene Roddenberry's -- and Obama's -- warm regard for IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations) live long and prosper.

Without it, we can kiss our continuing existence on this beautiful planet goodbye!

Fascinating Interview with AC Lyles of Paramount...

For anyone wanting to know how to break into the motion picture business, this interview will be well worth your time!

http://www.iconsradio.com/aclylesshow.html

AC is a dear friend of mine, was a dear friend of De's for sixty years, and has been with Paramount for nearly 80 years. (Today is his 91st birthday.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AC!

Enjoy the Attached from Spitzer Science...

George Takei and Mark Hamill both make appearances during the ten minute program, which is all about gravity/attraction...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gU61WHNMZM&feature=player

Happy 30th Birthday, Anitra and Deaken!

My "serval son" Deaken would be 30 years old today if cats enjoyed the longevity that human beings are capable of. Alas, that's not the way it goes... but he's in my heart to stay. I still dream about him from time to time. When that happens, I get to run my hand through his fur again and hear his bird-like chirps and purrs. I had the foresight to record his bird chirps and other sounds, but haven't had the guts to listen to them since he passed away. I know right where the recordings are, though, should I ever decide I need a good cry!

I have about 30 phone messages that the Kelleys left on my voicemail, too, tucked away on audiotape. I've only heard those once since De passed away, when Terry came out to research De's biography.

There are some things that are just hard to do. Listening to the voices of departed loved ones is one of them. It makes their absence all the more real, and you miss them all over again as though their leave-taking just occurred -- only this time you're no longer numb, in shock, or in denial.

I haven't watched more than about three episodes of original TREK since De passed, except for brief scenes that were shown at TREK conventions where I appeared. McCoy isn't De, although De is McCoy. There is a difference; it's hard to define what it is, exactly -- except to say that De was a far gentler man on a daily basis than it seems McCoy was. McCoy could get mighty crotchety, and that usually made me laugh because it was so UN-De-like.

Oh gads, let's get off this subject before I get maudlin!

I miss my two De's today -- De Kelley and Deaken serval.

Note: Anitra is my niece, Laurel's eldest daughter. She was born five hours after Deaken on May 16th, 1979. I always joked to Laurel that my "child" was born first that day...

New Radio Interview to Air May 31st at 9 PM PDT

The newest radio interview about my DeForest Kelley saga (and books) will air on STARR TALK WITH SONNY STARR on May 31st at 9 p.m Pacific Time. You will also be able to find it on the web at that time (and ever after) by following this link:

http://www.sunstarstudios.com/starr_talk.html

Thank you, Steve Jensen, for hooking me up with Sonny Starr, and thank you, Mr. Starr, for spotlighting me for one of your ten minute segments on the 31st.

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Sis Jackie is in Seaside this weekend fro Altruse International. My older sister Laurel (an attorney) dropped by for a hug and a howdy this evening on her way home from a conference in Seattle. We had dinner at TGI Friday's on South Hill in Puyallup. Fabulous meal.

Then Laurel showed me how to play a new board game that she got Jackie and me for Christmas (but delivered to us just a few weeks ago) so I can help explain it to others the next time we open the box (probably next winter). By then I will probably have forgotten everything she told me, but hey, at least the game won't look like a total mystery to me when I open it again. It's a European game about building settlements and roads in the wilderness. I think it's called Catan. It's much more involved than most games I've played. Quite compelling.

I've been fighting a cold for a couple days now, and need to attend the Writer's Edge class at church tomorrow to critique essays, so I'm going to hit the hay now and see if I can get some serious shut-eye before then. I'm dragging right now, with this cold...

My New DeForest Kelley E-Book is Rated #1 at Payloadz.com!

Availability: Instant Download
Date Added: May 1, 2009
File Format: Adobe PDF
File Size: 617 KB
Contact Seller: Email Seller
Sales Rank: 90 (out of all Payloadz products!)
eBooks Sales Rank: 38
Non-Fiction eBooks Sales Rank: 1

I'm floored -- and very happy!

And it's getting 100% 5-star reviews, too.

Please add your own at http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=382995 if you haven't already...

STARR TALK WITH SONNY STARR...UPCOMING RADIO INTERVIEW WITH ME

I just got an email from Sonny Starr asking me if I'm available Friday at 11 a.m. Pacific Time. I said yes. I think that's when we'll be recording the STARR TALK WITH SONNY STARR show.

The show airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. Pacific Time, and I think he has the next few shows already "in the can," so I don't expect the one with me to air real soon. But I'll certainly keep you in the loop and let you know where to logon in to catch it the night it airs. (The show is radio and Internet-based, as was the Sci Fi Pulse show, so it will be available in perpetuity for you to catch any time).

The guest blog I'm doing this week for Pat Bertram is available in perpetuity, too... so if you've missed any of it, you haven't really. Just go to an earlier blog post and follow whichever link you want to whichever interview or blog you want.

I'll even provide the link to thE 2006 podcast I did with Rico Dostie of Treks in Sci Fi right here:

http://treksinscifi.com/podcast_notes/index.php?PHPSESSID=d10f3438647550d1f98d692ffe424058&s=DeForest+Kelley

(Scroll down a little bit when you get there until you see my photo, then click on the link that brings up the podcast.)

One of My Articles to Appear Tomorrow...

Author Pat Bertram (More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire, available from Second Wind Publishing, LLC; Bertram's website URL is http://patbertram.com/) is scheduling a Facebook Event for tomorrow.

For the event, she'll be publishing my newest article, Writing a Memoir, and then will be opening up the forum for its readers (mostly writers) to send me questions.

If you're interested, here's the link:
http://ptbertram.wordpress.com/2009/05/11/deforest-kelley-a-harvest-of-memories-my-life-and-times-with-a-remarkable-gentleman-actor/

Let me know what you think afterward, please!

Word of Mouth Cures That Really Work

Interesting article!

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100237727&GT1=31036

My Interview Is Available at This URL...

My interview at Sci Fi Pulse is available to hear now:

http://audioam.blogtalkradio.com/show_518012.mp3

I'm on after the first 45 minutes to the end of the show.

Let me know what you think.

Here's The Link to TODAY's Radio Show With Me...

Check it out ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the protocol. There will be an opportunity to call in and ask me questions.

The call in number appears in the URL below:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SciFiPulse/2009/05/10/Episode-Seven-Post-Trek-Discussion-Featuring-Writer-Kristine-M-Smith

Please Note: In order to call in and ask a question, you have to sign up (it's FREE and FAST!!)

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Thanks to Mary Doman for this:

In the May 11-17, 2009, issue of TV Guide, Leonard Nimoy is interviewed by William Keck in the article "A Fresh Enterprise".

Here is what Nimoy had to say about DeForest Kelley:

Just ask what it was like observing the scene when a young James Kirk (Chris Pine) first meets a cranky Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), and the memories of his days with the original Bones overwhelm Nimoy with phaser-like force. "I started crying--and it still moves me now," he says, voice quavering as he remembers his old pal DeForest Kelley, who passed away 10 years ago this June. "I loved De Kelley, salt of the earth. I cried a lot watching this production."

I'm Ranked #67 out of 20,000+ Writers at Elance!

Holy Bazoley! I just found out that, in addition to being ranked as a Premier Provider at Elance (which is huge!), I'm ranked #67 out of 20,000-plus Writing and Translation providers at the site! (Up from #69 last week.) And I just hung out my shingle there early last year, and didn't get many projects until November of 2008 because I was such a newbie, without a quantifiable track record as a copywriter! WOO HOO!

I'm also getting 10% of the the bids I bid on. When I started out, I was getting just 2%. (Again, because I didn't have a portfolio or a track record at Elance until November or thereabouts.)

This is fantastic news! I'm tickled pink.

So if you or anyone you know needs a good -- no, a great -- copywriter, no matter where you are in the world, please visit (or have them visit) my Profile Page at Elance. The URL is http://kristinemsmith.elance.com/. YOU can just click on the photo on this page (upper left hand corner) to go there.

I'm dancing on the ceiling over this news.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Trekker-in-Chief Wants a White House Screening of the New Trek

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=99728199923&h=sXRAS&u=M7pQq&ref=nf

Sure am glad I voted for this guy! I knew Michelle Obama was a big TREK fan, but didn't know about the Prez. NOW I DO!

So is King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He actually visited a STAR TREK set when I was living in Hollywood.

Maybe in 2012 we should ask all the candidates for their take on TREK! It might be a real eye-opener! And ask them who their favorite character was, while we're at it.

Not Everybody's Happy with New Trek Movie...

Thanks to Mary Doman for this link. She wanted my opinion on the article.

(WARNING: There are several spoilers in the attached article, so if you want to see the movie before reading this blog entry, please do so!)

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/05/trekkers-take-illogical-new-star-trek-warps-coherency

My opinion: I enjoyed the movie, and hey, Wired writer, let's lighten up:

1) It's the first movie of the new franchise and

2) it's based in an alternate universe than the one we're used to

Remember original TREK's first movie, STAR TREK: THE MOTIONLESS PICTURE? (Groan. That one was worlds worse than this newest effort.) 'Nuf said.

Let's give the franchise some time to develop its legs. The new offering is a fun, quite riveting first attempt, and a worthy successor (despite all the deus ex machinas necessary to keep it all on track). It will never replace original TREK, nor is it meant to.

SO WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE FUMING?

STAR TREK SHOULD BE FUN!



Don't forget the radio interview tomorrow! Scroll down to the next blog entries to get the scoop on how to access the show and call in.

Update for This Sunday's Sci Fi Pulse Interview...

Here's the latest scoop from Ian Cullen at Sci Fi Pulse, moderator for the Sunday Radio/Internet Interview with me:

Ian will be starting the show at 2 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. During the first 45 minutes, he and a few others will be going over their thoughts in-house about the new movie. The interview with me will begin shortly after 2:45 pm PDT.

The phone number you need to call in on is (347) 308-8787. But please WAIT to call in until you hear me with Ian on the air, because the studio has limited lines and I need to be on one of them. (DUH!) Up to five people can call in on the line at once and get a spot. At least two lines will be dedicated to callers.

I've already heard that several of you (two in the Hollywood area, one in Colorado, two in New York, and others) will be listening in and may even be calling in, so it should be a lot of fun.

See you there, then! (Er, hear you there, then, I mean!)

The show will be available afterward to listen to, if you are too swamped with Mother's Day happenings to listen in on Sunday.

STAR TREK MOVIE REVIEW

I think JJ Abrams and crew have hit it out of the park and have re-energized the franchise with the new STAR TREK movie. The movie was fun, dramatic, funny, and the production values were stellar. I think all of the actors played their parts very well.

I didn't "get" (at all) the story line about Spock and Uhura being all over each other but hey, maybe that was a part of the alternate universe the story line makes reference to? (I often get lost when watching sci fi.) A romantic liaison between the two was not even hinted at in the STAR TREK universe I'm familiar with. Last I knew, Uhura and Scotty seemed to be an item, or on the verge of becoming one. And I hate to think of Uhura, lovely as she is, "making the rounds" of the starship. I'm an old-fashioned (monogamy-minded) girl.

As to how I think Karl Urban did as the new McCoy: He made the new McCoy uniquely his own, just as De made the original McCoy uniquely his own. The two actors are not perfectly interchangeable in the McCoy role because each actor brought to it his own soul, style, and sensibilities.

I truly believe that Karl Urban did as good a job of "representing" (as opposed to "resurrecting") the character of McCoy as anyone on the planet is capable of doing today. McCoy's mannerisms and sardonic humor are there. Urban definitely did his homework, as did the writers of the show. Urban and the writers "got" -- and get -- McCoy. There is no doubt about that.

That said, there is really no "De" in the new McCoy that I could see. (But this is expecting far too much of anyone who isn't De!) Urban "channels" Dr. McCoy beautifully. But McCoy without De is, for me (and perhaps only for me) missing a crucial element.

I guess that's because I was so close to De that I always resonated most to the De "flavoring" in McCoy more than I did to the McCoy character itself. So my perspective is perhaps unique, so in no way do I want this "problem" of mine to come across as anything less than a stellar review of Urban's portrayal.

Bottom line: I give a resounding thumbs up to BOTH McCoys... the old and the new. Each took the character and gave him life that throbs and dances on the screen. Both made magic.

Urban did a masterful job.

I just miss De... and always will. So watching a new McCoy is both joyous and bittersweet to me.

LONG LIVE BOTH McCOYS!

I'm Going to see STAR TREK Today

This morning I'm taking in a matinee of the new STAR TREK film. I'm looking forward to it because I've heard so much about how well Karl Urban did at "resurrecting" the reel McCoy. I'm also taking a hanky, because I understand that Nimoy cried when he screened the movie and saw how well Urban did with De's character.

The reason I'm seeing it this soon (I wasn't planning to see it opening weekend) is because on Sunday, as you know, I'm being interviewed by Ian Cullen of Sci Fi Pulse on blog radio and he's going to ask me what I think of Karl Urban's take on the "reel" McCoy, so I can't just take other people's word for it; I have to see it for myself before I offer an opinion. I'm just glad to know that my opinion will probably be a good one. It would be just awful to have to tell Karl Urban and his fans that I think he blew it! I don't anticipate that happening. It sounds like he got closer to the original McCoy than the other two actors did with Spock and Kirk. But the new Spock looks so much like the original that I'm having a hard time believing it until I see it.

I think they've all probably done a marvelous job with the roles and I fervently pray that they will have as much fun -- and as much success and longevity -- as the original cast did. It's time for a new generation of fans to catch the bug and boldly go!

And yes, yes, yes... I will blog about it when I get home. So stay tuned. You'll probably be able to read my "review" in less than six hours from now.

Beam me up,

JJ Abrams!

Here's The Link to Sunday's Sci Fi Pulse Radio Show With Me...

Check it out ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the protocol. There will be an opportunity to call in and ask me questions. The call in number appears in the URL below:


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SciFiPulse/2009/05/10/Episode-Seven-Post-Trek-Discussion-Featuring-Writer-Kristine-M-Smith

Great Interview with Karl Urban at Trekmovie.com

Thanks again to Mary Doman for this link:

http://trekmovie.com/2009/05/06/exclusive-interview-with-karl-urban/

Karl Urban definitely "gets" what De was doing with the McCoy character.

There's one thing Urban responds to in the interview that I would like to put in my two cents worth about, too:

I, too, have heard a few (very few) comments over the years that some of McCoy's comments seemed "racist" or xenophobic. Comments like "You pointy-eared hobgoblin" and stuff like that.

I disregard such fears out of hand. McCoy was not racist in any way, shape or form. (Good heavens, how many times did he offer his own life, limb or sanity for all manner of sentient beings?)

I think people who feel this way are seeing McCoy from the limiting perspective of today's culture, with its pervasive-but-carefully-cloaked racist underpinnings.

Two people working closely together - or even close friends who sometimes get on each other's nerves - often choose a particular characteristic of their sparring partner to differentiate themselves from the "accused:" Four-eyes, Blond Bimbo, Skinny, Commie or Bleeding Heart (for liberals), what have you. In certain ways, these become "terms of endearment," because they are ways to convey, "We're close enough as friends that I can insult you and you know I'm just trying to get your attention; it's nothing personal. I love you -- but you are driving me absolutely crazy right now, crazy enough to call you something that sounds like I don't even like you!"

Dr. McCoy and his alter ego, DeForest Kelley, had not one drop of racism in them. Even though De was raised in the deep south (as was Gene Roddenberry), he came away from there knowing that all are God's children and all deserve to be regarded with respect and deference. De's preacher father spent every fourth Sunday preaching in black churches, and one of De's closest childhood friends was a black boy whose family lived in desperate conditions. (De tried to locate this family during STAR TREK to help them out financially because he finally had the wherewthal to do something significant for them. The story is in my first book about De, DeFOREST KELLEY: A HARVEST OF MEMORIES. And this was back in the late 60's when few people believed they would see a black President in their lifetimes.)

One of De's most prized possessions, which he kept in his wallet, was a snippet from an interview Paul Winfield (Captain Terrell et al) did. In it, Winfield said that De Kelley (I'm paraphrasing) was the least racist man he had ever met. For De to read that probably tickled him to his toes and put a tear in his eye, because all people who aspire to be -- or feel we are -- "pure as the driven snow" where intolerance or racism is concerned would love to hear something like that from our black, Hispanic, Asian, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Catholic, etc. friends and associates. We all want to feel that our culture has not tarnished our souls to a point that racism (or any other type of cultural intolerance) can be spotted by the groups that the bigotry most affects and hurts.

Dr McCoy and DeForest Kelley both pass the "smell test" for racism. Both pass with flying colors.

Watch the episodes again. You'll be able to discern the difference. McCoy was being a rascal, not a racist.

Just How Good Is Karl Urban As Dr. McCoy?

"Leonard Nimoy said that he actually cried during one of the screenings of the new movie as he watched Karl Urban filling the role of Doctor McCoy, because Urban's sense of De's portrayal of McCoy was so accurate."

Oh, God... guess I'd better take a hanky to the movie, huh?

Thanks for this, Mary Doman!

TREK FANS WILL ENJOY THIS ARTICLE

http://tech.msn.com/products/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=19523950&Gt1=40000

A Terrific Quote. Memorize It and Believe It!

"I'd gone through life believing

in the strength and competence of others,

never in my own.

Now, dazzled, I discovered that my capacities were real.

It was like finding a fortune in the lining of an old coat."

-- Joan Mills

The above is what I discovered about my helping abilities and resiliency during the fourteen month period of time during which I lost my mom, DeForest and my dad to death. In the first two cases, I became a trembling caregiver for mom and De (eight months apart), not knowing if I would be able to provide what was needed, or whether I would survive the trauma of what was being required of me.

It's also what I discovered as I began to truly trust in my abilities as a writer. I stopped comparing myself with other writers and discovered the truth of what De and others had been telling me for years: I have a remarkable knack for stringing words together!

I hope you, too, have found that the above quote has resonated with you and that you recognize, with a smile and a little surprise, all of the things you are capable of and all the things you have accomplished well. God doesn't make junk, you know! (We may at times make junk of what God has created, but He didn't create any of it to become junk.)

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And... on another spiritual note....

I just received an email comment about yesterday's blog entry from Mary Doman and asked her permission to publish it here. She said yes, so... get a hanky.

Dear Kris…Your blog remembrance of the May 4th anniversary when you first met De and Carolyn transported me back to a time nearly 7 years ago, when my father died.

My 85-year-old Dad went into the hospital for a gastric upset on Thanksgiving Day 2002. By the next morning he was comatose. He died later that day, surrounded by his family and a myriad of friends. I experienced a sure and certain conviction that he was resurrected and with Our Lord. And yet I still could not find a way to reconcile the incompleteness I felt at his absence. That incompleteness became a fervent focal point of many of my prayers.

June 8 of the next year (the day after my birthday) was a Sunday. I went to my church, Emmanuel Episcopal, for Communion. As I knelt in my pew for the blessing of the Offering (the monetary collection and the Bread and Wine), I suddenly felt the distinct presence of my father next to me on my left, his arm around me.

At the same time, a voice inside of me interpreted the words of the blessing in a new way, and I received the reconciliation I had been seeking. When I read your remembrance, I received a very strong directive to find the interpretation I had been given, and send it to you, modified to suit your relationship with De. The words in quotes come from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.

So, on May 5, my late mother’s birthday, I am sending it in honor of De and you, and the very blessed relationship you shared. The words come to you as they did to me, from Our Lord:

"All things come of thee, O Lord"...including DeForest, whom I gave you to help guide you. As you treasured DeForest, so he treasured you, recognizing that you were My gift to him. Likewise, DeForest was My gift to you, guiding you by his words and deeds into the paths I have chosen for you.

"...and of thine own have we given thee." Now it is your turn to open your hand, the one that held DeForest’s hand on Earth. I do not ask you to let him go, but rather to make room for My hand as well as his, now that he no longer walks the Earth with you. Put his hand into Mine, for he is Mine, just as you are Mine.

Be at peace and comforted, Kris.
Mary

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We (Carolyn, De, Pastor David Grant, and I) were all holding hands as De passed away, and we had all given him our permission to go with the Lord. So we really did hand him over to God in those final moments.

I guess I may as well tell, here, of my own spiritual visitation (one that occurred four years after the completion of my first book about De.) . It seems proper timing for it!

Just two weeks after Carolyn Kelley passed away (in 2004), I was lying in bed just about ready to fall asleep, in that state where the mind is free and thinking of absolutely nothing just before you slip into unconsciousness.

Suddenly I sensed, palpably, two spirits leaning over me from the left side of the bed. I knew immediately that they were De and Carolyn, even though I hadn't even been thinking of them when I slipped into bed.

And both of them were at peace, and I knew they were smiling (although I couldn't see them). Their very presence existed at that moment, it seemed, to bathe me in their love, in God's love. I suppose I should have been afraid to experience something this real, this palpable, from the spiritual realm, but I wasn't, at all, because it was a heaven-and-earth interface -- there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

The visitation lasted for just a few seconds but I know it was a gift from God, letting me know that the Kelleys were both safe, and with Him, that they are healthy again, together again (so much for "til death do us part"!) and that they are very happy where they are.

I know it's going to take me at least a couple centuries of earth time before I even think to take my eyes off Jesus after I get to heaven, but when I do begin looking around for who else is there, I know I'll find De and Carolyn and Mom all standing nearby, just waiting for their embrace...

"When I get where I'm goin'

Don't cry for me down here!"

-from the song

P.S. I apologize for the formatting errors. It looks right in "Preview" but formats weird when I publish it! I really do know all about paragraphs and such!

This has been happening for the last two days...

I Met DeForest Kelley 41 Years Ago Today....

Flashback, May 4, 1968

Wow! I just realized it's May 4th.

I met DeForest and Carolyn Kelley for the first time on May 4, 1968, 41 years ago today. Never would I have dared to dream, on that special day, that this meeting was a God appointment and that the Kelleys would figure into my life in the way they have and always will.

It seems like a fairy tale dreamed up by a school girl. But DeForest Kelley and his wife Carolyn helped make it all come true for me, as they did for so many others.

I have a three ring binder here at home containing copies of De's important papers. I have the list he wrote for me of the addresses and phone numbers of his closest friends and relatives, the people he wanted me to call as soon as he passed away so that I could give them the sad, unexpected news and they wouldn't have to find out on the radio while driving home or on the TV after they got home. I have a copy of his personal address and phone book. He wanted me to have all this for the biography I never wrote. (I loaned it all to Terry Lee Rioux so she could do the honors, because I'm an anecdotal writer, not an historian.) I have lots more... andI will find an appropriate repository for all of these artifacts -- a museum that "gets" and truly honors his importance -- and pass it along to them when I'm sure I have found the right one. Terry is helping me decide because she's the historian. I just pulled it out of my archives because I remembered that on the cover of this (very sentimental to me) three-ring binder is a poem I found and placed there, because it pretty much says it all. It reads, in part...

FOR YOU

by Martha Snell Richardson

The things you loved I have not laid away

To moulder in the darkness, year by year;

The songs you sang, the books you read each day

Are all about me, intimate and dear.

I do not keep your chair a thing apart,

lonely and empty, desolate to view --

But if one come a'weary, sick at heart --

I seat him there and comfort him for you.

I do not go apart in grief and weep,

For I have known your tenderness and care.

Such memories are joys that we may keep,

And so I pray for those whose lives are bare...

Perchance so much that now seems incomplete

Was left for me in my poor way to do,

And I shall love to tell you when we meet

That I have done your errands, dear, for you.

OK, I'm in tears. This poem reveals the soul of what my two books about DeForest were written to accomplish: I wanted to finish the loving errands that sickness compelled De to leave undone, to let his fans, his friends and his co-workers know that he loved them more than they would ever be able to accept or realize.

He was simply and truly sum'pin' else, my friends.

The PR is LIVE Now!

WOO HOO! The press release for my new book, The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer Friend has been LIVE since midnight at PRWeb and the book has already received three five-star reviews (highest possible rating) at Payloadz.

Gosh, I love it when a plan comes together!

There have already been 4,700 views of the press release. A significant percentage of viewers have also printed out the press release for follow-up. Perhaps with the new movie coming out this week I have finally released a PR that won't be swallowed up (God forbid!) in the way the PR for the first book was. (DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories came out just weeks after September 11th, 2001 and not even I was interested in thinking about much else in the aftermath of that tragic day.) I'm glad I had the insight to release it this week just before the debut of the newest TREK incarnation and not wait until the actual 10th anniversary of De's passing (June 11th, 2009). That would have been too sad a day to do it, anyway. Why not announce it when the puppies are bouncing over a new TREK movie, so it can do double duty?

I will be going to Facebook and listing an announcement on the De Kelley fans pages there, and on some of the STAR TREK sites as well.

Thanks to all of you who worked like the Energizer bunny to get the word out in advance of the PRWeb release. Because of you, the outlay for the PR ($100) is already halfway paid off! That means that 10 people downloaded the book before the PR even went live at PRWeb.

Keep at it! If you visit a De or Trek website that doesn't have a blurb about the new book, please send them the PR and let them deal with it, if you would be so kind!

Thanks!

Here's a copy of the official PR from PRWeb (you can cut and paste it wherever you like in the TREK/De Kelley realm as long as it, or something about the new e-book, isn't already there:)

New DeForest Kelley Book Debuts During Tenth Anniversary of Star Trek Actor's Passing

Kristine M Smith, author of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories (2001), celebrates the late actor's enduring legacy in a new e-book

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) May 3, 2009 -- In the first edition of a newly-released 61-page e-book, The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend, DeForest Kelley's former personal assistant Kristine M Smith has compiled the memories and reminiscences of nearly two dozen fans and friends whose lives were blessed and changed forever by the career or kindness of the late actor who portrayed Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the original Star Trek television series and motion pictures.

On the back cover of the new e-book, available via Payloadz.com, Smith writes, "I was going to write a book about all the things I had to leave out of my first book about De (in order for readers to be able to lift the blasted thing!), but then got to thinking that enough of my own story has already been told. I don't want anyone getting the impression that I was the only fan that DeForest and Carolyn Kelley took under their wings, because that simply is not true. The Kelleys were emotionally invested in their fans. They loved them, appreciated them, respected them - and it always showed."

The e-book reveals that many of Kelley's fans went on to become doctors, nurses, medical technicians, social workers, and other helping professionals. One even went so far as to become a space nurse for NASA. Still others continue to impact the world as writers, actors and teachers. All have realized the impact that the iconic "Dr. McCoy" has had on their lives. Smith says, "The legacy of the reel McCoy has blessed the world with some very real McCoys who continue to boldly go where few have gone before, making a difference every step of the way."

Smith adds, "One goal of the book is to encourage other Kelley and Star Trek fans to 'go thou and do likewise.' De was always most proud of fans who took their inspiration from the series and elected to use it to help others. Another goal is to present the e-book as a keepsake to new DeForest Kelley fans who are too young to remember when he was among us. I don't want anybody to miss out on his unique and continuing influence."

Author Kristine M Smith's blog is located at http://almostfamousbydesfault.blogspot.com/. Her copywriting service business URL is http://kristinemsmith.elance/com. She can be reached at KRISTINEMSMITH (at) MSN (dot) COM.

# # #

Info on the Upcoming Sci Fi Pulse Podcast/RadioShow

Ian Cullen sent me this about the upcoming radio show next week:

"Your friends [that's YOU!] can listen live and even join the chat room while we're live on air. Only catch to using the chat room is that they all need to have registered an account with BTR, which they can do for free and securely at http://www.facebook.com/l/186ef;www.blogtalkradio.com.

They can listen to the show live while hiding (LOL) or, if they choose to register an ID, they can listen and chat with other fans in the chat room.

Most people choose to listen to the syndicated feed which is on http://www.facebook.com/l/186ef;http://scifipulse.net.



So this is the scoop you need to rock and roll with us next Sunday, May 10th!

Go see the new movie before then. It opens Friday, May 8th! We'll probably be discussing the new reel McCoy, Karl Urban, at least a little.

Talk Radio "Appearance" About DeForest Kelley and My New Book Scheduled for May 10th

Hey, Trek and De Pals,

Next weekend (Sunday, May 10th) I'll be on internet Talk Radio with SciFi Pulse's Ian Cullen talking about my newest book about De, THE ENDURING LEGACY OF DeFOREST KELLEY: ACTOR, HEALER, FRIEND (available at Payloadz.com) and about my 30-year long association with the Kelleys (detailed in my 2001 book, DeFOREST KELLEY: A HARVEST OF MEMORIES, My Life and Times with a Remarkable Gentleman Actor , available at Authorhouse). If you order either of these two books NOW, you'll have the new one in hand immediately and the other one in hand by showtime if you order it from the link provided. Why not read them in advance if you haven't already and call in with any additional questions you want answers to (if there's a Q&A period during the show).

In the next few days, the publicity for the show will be up at the following link (and this is the same link where you'll access the radio show next Sunday, so please write it down or make it a favorite right now):

www.blogtalkradio.com/scifipulse


Showtime (Pacific Time) is 2 PM (I'll be on the second hour of the show closer to 3, though, I think); UK time (where the show originates) is 10 PM. If you live in other time zones, I hope you can figure out the time difference between either Pacific Time and UK time and wherever you are!

Please let other Trek/De fans know. And let me (and Ian) know how you thought it went afterward, please!

Thanks!

Mary Doman is the First Purchaser of ENDURING LEGACY AT PAYLOADZ.COM

Mary Doman

in Southern California

(Garden Grove, to be exact)

is the first owner of the new book,

THE ENDURING LEGACY OF

DeFOREST KELLEY:

ACTOR, HEALER, FRIEND.
Congratulations, Mary!


And if you think THAT'S special,

just wait till you read HER contribution in the book!

It'll blow you away... in the absolute nicest way.

Mary has also disseminated the PR as far away as Australia!

Go, Mary, go!

What a team De Kelley folks are!

Stay tuned! I expect there will be updates all weekend!

On Your Mark...Get Set... Go!

OK. I've just downloaded the new De Kelley e-book to Payloadz.com and ordered one copy for myself to make sure the system works. It does!

I have written a press release and submitted it to PRWeb for dissemination on May 3rd. I should get an approval on that in the next few hours.

Launching the announcement from PRWeb has cost me $100.00. Now I want to see who's the better disseminator of news -- Trek/De fans or PRWeb. David... or Goliath?

(Shades of Ashton Kutcher vs. Larry KingLive/CNN!)

So, here's the PR...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New DeForest Kelley Book Debuts During Tenth Anniversary of Star Trek Actor’s Passing

Kristine M Smith, author of DeForest Kelley: A Harvest of Memories (2001), celebrates the late actor’s enduring legacy in a new e-book

Seattle, WA (PRWeb) May 3, 2009 >
In the first edition of a newly-released 61-page e-book, The Enduring Legacy of DeForest Kelley: Actor, Healer, Friend, DeForest Kelley’s former personal assistant Kristine M Smith has compiled the memories and reminiscences of nearly two dozen fans and friends whose lives were blessed and changed forever by the career or kindness of the late actor who portrayed Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the original Star Trek television series and motion pictures.

On the back cover of the new e-book, available via Payloadz.com, Smith writes, “I was going to write a book about all the things I had to leave out of my first book about De (in order for readers to be able to lift the blasted thing!), but then got to thinking that enough of my own story has already been told. I don’t want anyone getting the impression that I was the only fan that DeForest and Carolyn Kelley took under their wings, because that simply is not true. The Kelleys were emotionally invested in their fans. They loved them, appreciated them, respected them – and it always showed.”

The e-book reveals that many of Kelley’s fans went on to become doctors, nurses, medical technicians, social workers, and other helping professionals. One even went so far as to become a space nurse for NASA. Still others continue to impact the world as writers, actors and teachers.

All have realized the impact that the iconic “Dr. McCoy” has had on their lives. Smith says, “The legacy of the reel McCoy has blessed the world with some very real McCoys who continue to boldly go where few have gone before, making a difference every step of the way.”

Smith adds, “One goal of the book is to encourage other Kelley and Star Trek fans to ‘go thou and do likewise.’ De was always most proud of fans who took their inspiration from the series and elected to use it to help others. Another goal is to present the e-book as a keepsake to new DeForest Kelley fans who are too young to remember when he was among us. I don’t want anybody to miss out on his unique and continuing influence.”


Author Kristine M Smith’s blog is located at http://almostfamousbydesfault.blogspot.com. Her copywriting service business URL is http://kristinemsmith.elance.com. She can be reached at KRISTINEMSMITH@MSN.COM.

The URL to order the book is http://store.payloadz.com/go?id+382995 (in case the link above doesn't work).

Send this information (you can cut and paste the whole blog entry if that's easiest) to every Trek/De Kelley person you know. We have until Sunday (or Saturday midnight, I should say) to find out how many e-books get downlaoded before PRWeb gets a stab at announcing the new offering.

Let's see if Trek fans are mightier than PRWeb!

Ready... Set... Go!