Thanks for reading the January 2026 issue of This Awful Awesome Life. I hope our take on the recipe for Stuffed Green Peppers in our “Twelve Months of Grain.”
Previous issues of This Awful Awesome Life are available to read on our website. Go to www.thisawfulawesomelife.com and start scrolling or you can enter specific search criteria.
Our February 2026 issue will focus on the importance of historical accuracy and inclusion.
Author and history blogger, Tony Valerino will be joining us to discuss his new book, Pivotal Moments That Shaped American History, History of the U.S. from the Boston Tea Party to the War of Terrorism.
Orlando Bartro and I will be back with more interesting articles for you.
Our featured author with a February birthday will be Anaïs Nin.
We’re moving some of our regular features around to shake things up a bit and keep you on your toes. I’m also hoping to expand our Artist Page to feature more talented creatives. Some people manage to elevate their work to the level of an artform, and we want to support their efforts.
I’ll have more streaming and reading recommendations. “What’s in a Word?” will be back but we’ll be alternating some of our content. We’ll continue the monthly quizzes to exercise our brains, and we’ll continue reviewing books.
For the time being, I’m holding off on a new subscription-based Patreon account featuring short stories and chapter installments of my books as I write them. I also hoped to provide opportunities for book discussions and narrations of short stories. It’s something I want to do, but pesky life keeps getting in the way. When and if this happens, it will remain separated from our online magazine which will always be free and available to everyone. I’m considering the Patreon option because traditional and Indy publishing have changed so drastically in recent years. Now that AI has entered the equation, more changes are coming.
Stay safe. Stay well. You are important, and you are loved.
All my best,
Fran
My Answers to the January 2026 Changes Quiz:
Substitute the name of a green vegetable for one word in a song title by The Rolling Stones. “You Can’t Always Leek What You Want” or “Lettuce Spend the Night Together.”
Substitute an emotion for one word in a Tom Cruise Movie title. A Few Embarrassed Men or Eyes Disappointed Shut
Substitute a job/profession for one word in the title of an Ernest Hemingway novel. The Judge Also Rises or A Farewell to Proctologists
Substitute an animal for one word in the title of a play by Arthur Miller. Morning Becomes Gorillas or Desire Under the Wallaby
Substitute the name of a fruit for one word in the title of a popular American sitcom. Saved by the Cantaloupes or Kiwi Matters
Substitute the name of a board game for one word in the title/name of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. “The Adoration of the Monopoly” or “Virgin of the Candy Land”
Substitute the last name of a famous race car driver for one word in a Taylor Swift song title. “But Daddy I Love Andretti” or “We Are Never Ever Getting Petty Together”
Substitute a body part for one word in the title of a James Bond film. Thighs Are Forever or The Elbow is Never Enough
Substitute a type of cookie for one word in the title of a Jane Austen novel. Sense and Snickerdoodles or Pride and Gingerbread Men
Substitute the name of a candy bar for one word in the title of a play by William Shakespeare. Much Ado About Snickers or A Midsummer Night’s Mounds
Substitute the name of a piece of clothing for one word in the title of a British TV drama. Slow Skirts or Peaky Panties
Substitute the name of a comic book superhero for one word in the name/title of a painting by Pablo Picasso. “The Weeping Wolverine” or “The Flash Before a Mirror.”