We hope you enjoyed the April 2025 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. Many thanks to Orlando Bartro for his contributions to the magazine. Let’s hope the next 25 years of the 21st century will be less awful and a lot more awesome. So far, it’s a close call.
With the cost of almost everything certain to increase in the coming months, remember; we are a free publication.
For the many states (including my state) who recently dealt with rain, high winds, flooding, downed trees, and power and internet outages, I hope everyone stayed safe and now have their power restored. Special thanks to the first responders, road crews, and utility workers who worked tirelessly to help during this difficult time. Thanks also to the neighbors who looked out for each other.
Orlando Bartro entertains us with, “The Persistence of the Influence of the Renaissance.”
This month, we are celebrating Mystery Month! I’ve started a short mystery story, “Pretty in Pink.” You can read the first installment in this issue. I will post additional installments this month on our FACEBOOK page to keep the mystery going all month.
We are featuring the evolution of the mystery genre, and we explore thirteen mysterious disappearances that have never been solved.
My poem for May is about feeling like an imposter. It happens to most of us at some time, so I wanted to address that sense of self-doubt and feelings of isolation.
This Memorial Day, we honor soldiers who have been killed while serving in the Armed Forces. Though I didn’t write a specific article for this month, here is a popular link to one of our previous articles about Memorial Day, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2021/5/6/may-2021-remembering-our-soldiers-who-died-in-the-service-of-their-country-by-fran-joyce?rq=Memorial%20Day
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone who fills that role for some lucky child/children! We appreciate you and you are loved. I have a wonderful friend from high school who recently taught me to think of the loved ones who are no longer with us as people who have gone ahead. It conjures up images of them being on an “advance team” preparing to eventually greet us when our time comes.
For our new column, “Happy Birthday,” celebrating the birthdays of famous writers, I selected Daphne du Maurier, the author of Rebecca, a romantic mystery that has thrilled readers since 1938.
This month, I reviewed What the Light Touches by Xavier Bosch, a Catalan-Spanish writer and journalist. His novel is historical fiction with a mystery. Bosch’s novel alternates between two timelines, modern day France and World War II during the German occupation of Paris.
For May 2025 in “The Twelve Months of Fruit,” I decided to feature pineapple. The recipe I found is for a delicious Dole Whip like they serve in Disneyland and Disney World.
Our reading recommendations for kids, young adults, and adults feature a mystery theme. I’ve included Annette Dashofy, J.J. Hensley, Liz Milliron, and Luke Murphy who have appeared in multiple issues of This Awful Awesome Life.
We’re streaming movies and TV shows with a blended mystery them.
This month our quiz, “Where Are They Taking Us?” explores song titles that are locations. Can you match the locations listed to the clue that includes the artist/band that recorded it and an excerpt of the lyrics?
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.
Last month, an Iowa teacher was ordered to remove a poster from her classroom because it promoted ideas of inclusion and diversity that a parent or student might object to. Here is a link to the story, https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/idaho-teacher-remove-everyone-is-welcome-here-sign/3868678/?_osource=SocialFlowFB_DCBrand&fbclid=IwY2xjawJcMhdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQPa8L0izLCVn_KH0hFIAcVm4qe6K5ckXLg2Q6utq2RsSJECNPmbmHwxvg_aem_T4lrS0A5pRPVNf9DXRbgOQ
If you believe classrooms should be welcoming places for all students, please send a postcard or quick note of support to:
Lewis and Clark Middle Scholl
C/O Sarah Inama
4141 E. Pine Ave.
Meridian, ID 83642
United States
Everything in Between is now available as an audiobook. 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-
In Pennsylvania, the Primary Election is May 20, 2025. It’s your opportunity to select judges and school board members to represent your political party in the Municipal Election on November 4, 2025, and ultimately your best interests during their term. Choose wisely; we need judges at all levels who respect the rule of law, the Constitution of their state, and our U.S. Constitution. Do you know when your state primary is/was held? Start making your voting plan now for the Municipal Elections in November.
All year we’ve been encouraging you to make informed choices at the ballot box. The election may be over, but insuring 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. 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 a billionaire and his newly hired employees without proper security clearances having 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? 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!
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?
Samantha Sayers has been missing since she disappeared on August 1, 2018, after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.
If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we can update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page, but only after it is verified. Thank you!
Please share our link, www.thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.
Even though This Awful Awesome Life is a free publication, our subscription numbers matter. They affect the quality of people we attract to be featured in our magazine. So far, we’ve been fortunate to feature amazing people from all walks of life, and we want to do even more. You can help by becoming a subscriber and encouraging your friends to read and subscribe to our magazine.
When you subscribe to our free mailing list, each new issue of This Awful Awesome Life will be delivered directly to your inbox with a personal note from me. To subscribe use this link, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/about
You will receive the link for the new issue the same day it is published. Please check your SPAM folder and if you find our email, mark it as not spam. We value your privacy, and we won’t share your name or email address. Your email address is never visible to other subscribers. Our email notices are sent through Mailchimp because they provide outstanding security to ensure the emails we send are safe.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, you should!
Like us on Facebook for the latest from This Awful Awesome Life!
Happy Reading,
Fran