Thanks for reading the August 2026 issue of This Awful Awesome Life.
I hope you try the recipe for Asian Black Rice Salad 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.
September is Banned and Challenged Books Month. We’ll be exploring attempts to censor authors and their written work that appears on library shelves and is assigned or discussed in classrooms.
Orlando Bartro, Tony Valerino, Sheila Kirk, Scarlet Carter, and I will be back with more interesting poems, stories, and articles for you.
Our featured author with a September birthday will be American author Stephen King, the undisputed master of horror who penned Carrie, The Shining, It, and countless other books that made us sleep with the lights on.
I’ll have my review of Robin Barefield’s new book about true crime in the Alaskan wilderness, Murder and Mystery in the Last Frontier Volume Two: True Crime and Mystery in Alaska.
I’m still deciding which challenged book I will feature and review.
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
Answers to the July 2026 “Same Word -Different Meaning” Quiz:
A type of citrus fruit or a 1970 Led Zeppelin song Tangerine
A perfumed liquid or a city in Germany Cologne
The maxilla and the mandible or a novel by Peter Benchley Jaws
A city in Arizona or a popular alternative rock band from France Phoenix
A Red Hot Chili Peppers song or an American dramedy starring David Duchovny Californication
A writing pad, type of medication, or electronic device Tablet
A type of fish, a large cylindrical container used to store or transport certain liquids, or a percussion instrument Drum
A baker’s confectionary usually made with flour, sugar, eggs, butter, and baking powder or an American rock band from Sacramento, California Cake
A title of nobility or a pioneer of the Minnesota sound considered one of the best musicians of his generation Prince
Something you sit in or the leader of an organized group or committee Chair
An activity children do for enjoyment or a work of drama Play
A city in Western New York or a large wild mammal of the bovine family Buffalo
A group of people, animals, or vehicles traveling together or a fully equipped motor home used for vacations. Caravan
A defensive position taken to avoid injury or an ancient reptile. Turtle
To function or operate, to manage or direct, or move quickly on foot. Run