We hope you enjoyed the October 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine. We’ve reached the second half of the year. How are you feeling about the future? With the cost of almost everything continuing to go up, remember; we are a free publication.
We live in uncertain times with global conflicts in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Africa. In the United States we’ve never been more divided. It’s time to stop thinking along red or blue lines and start thinking as human beings. Are we really okay with our government burning millions of dollars of food instead of allowing it to go to starving children? Are we okay with withholding disease preventing vaccines and life-saving drugs? Are we okay with men in masks riding around with guns and targeting ANYONE they choose? Are we okay with people being fired from their jobs and being denied the retirement benefits they’ve worked for all their lives simply because they don’t conform to someone’s idea of what gender means? Well, I’m not, and if it costs me readers, I’ll be sad, but I’ll still be able to sleep at night. Being kind should not be optional depending on the hat you decide to wear or how you express your religious preferences.
When we have pastors going on social media and saying women should not be allowed to vote, and our Secretary of Defense retweets them in support that’s a bridge too far. The 19th Amendment is part of the Constitution. How much do you have to hate the women in your lives to try to strip them of their rights as citizens and human beings?
Epstein’s and Maxwell’s victims are speaking up. Are we finally ready to listen to what they have to say?
New estimates of crowd sizes for the No Kings Rallies throughout the United States estimate as many as 12,000,000 people participated. Zero arrests for participants and twenty-two arrests of counter protestors who tried to physically intimidate or harm people who were marching. Rallies in support of No Kings also happened in several countries.
In this issue we’ll examine Men’s Health and check into see what’s happening during Movember. With the government shutdown one party is fighting for affordable healthcare, saving Medicaid for our most vulnerable, and saving rural hospitals, and the other party is on vacation refusing to negotiate. The shutdown could last days or weeks, but all Americans will feel the effects. Will we save affordable healthcare, or will billionaires get huge tax cuts? Can they live with a little less, so the people who make, sell, transport, and buy their products or services stay healthy enough to keep doing their jobs? Will one man’s ego bring down an entire nation? This sounds like a soap opera I don’t want to watch much less live through.
Men’s Health is an issue that affects us all. Men can be stubborn about getting routine wellness checks, recommended health screenings, and asking for help with mental health issues. Utilizing healthcare should never be seen as a sign of weakness. The days of “playing hurt” or ignoring health issues need to end. Anger management, caring about other people, and respecting bodily autonomy aren’t weaknesses. They are strengths we need to encourage in our society.
Orlando Bartro discusses Young and Old.
Don’t miss my short story featuring a dog named Ponch, and my poem about military nurses.
For our column, “Happy Birthday,” celebrating the birthdays of famous writers, I selected Canadian novelist, poet, and inventor, Margaret Atwood.
In honor of Veterans Day, I have a few facts about how Armistice Day grew to become Veterans Day celebrating all who served in the military.
This month is Native American Heritage Month, and if you aren’t taking the time to learn more about the Indigenous groups of people living in the United States, you should be.
For November 2025 in “The Twelve Months of Fruit,” we are featuring apples and pomegranates. Always a fall favorite, we drink cider, eat apple crisp, apple pie, apple cake, and applesauce. This month, we’re taking apples in a new direction by putting them in a salad with pomegranates. Trust me, you’ll love it!
This month, I reviewed History Matters By David McCullough. This novel was published posthumously and contains republished and unpublished essays, interviews, and speeches. It’s edited by his daughter who worked with him and his research assistant of over thirty years. Now more than ever history matters, and hearing why from a historian’s point of view is much needed.
Our reading recommendations for kids, young adults, and adults feature an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction.
Our November 2025 Quiz features books, films, and songs with the word, “home” in their titles.
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.
Elizabeth Meitzler has a new book out, The Assist (Book 2 in the Ballantine Boys series). Be sure to visit her on our Author’s Page. Hopefully, we’ll have more information in our December issue.
Everything in Between is now available as an audiobook and in hardcover or paperback. The narrator, Louise Porter, does a wonderful job bringing Sabrina and her story to life. 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-
I’m incredibly proud of this novel. If you enjoy my writing, you should definitely check it out. Independent authors can’t afford splashy book launches and expensive PR campaigns to make the public aware of their work. Your support is greatly appreciated.
All year we’ve been encouraging you to make informed choices at the ballot box. Important state and local elections are happening this month Please vote and remain invested. Making sure we have responsible people in places of authority is a never-ending job. If you’re worried about the capabilities/qualifications of certain cabinet members, please make those concerns known to your Senators and Representatives. You can email or call their office and make your concerns known. We The People should have a say in our future. If you don’t want billionaires to have access to your private information and finances, speak up because it’s happening. Do you want people with no accountability to the American people evaluating how your tax dollars should be allocated and the benefits you will receive? Are you concerned about proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and SNAP? Are you okay with senators defending these cuts by saying things like, “Well, we’re all going to die sometime,” or “They [my constituents] will get over it,” while they pay little to nothing for the finest healthcare available and will be entitled to that level of care for the rest of their lives? These programs protect our most vulnerable members of society. Let the people in Congress know what you expect them to do to restore our safety, security, economy, and good standing in the world before we have a recession and/or a major global conflict.
If you are worried about the direction of our government, start preparing for the midterms now. 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. Check them out before you head to the polls.
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! Be an educated not indoctrinated voter!
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 or billionaires. Would you hire this person to run your business or trust them to be a fair boss? Would you trust them to make decisions about your safety and well-being?
Now more than ever, I encourage you to watch C-SPAN and get to know the members of Congress, the members of the president’s cabinet, and the leading experts who testify at Congressional hearings. Listen to what they are saying and what they refuse to say out loud. Do they actually care about the Constitution and the people of this country?
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Happy Reading,
Fran