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Showing posts with label J Darroll Hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label J Darroll Hall. Show all posts

Monday, November 4, 2013

What Pisses Me Off? Tiffany Grandstaff

You Know What Pisses Me Off?

The fact that people are only out for themselves anymore, bunch of self-serving bastards.

Blood, water, it never matters.  My biggest plight in life seems to be that I am always a victim of circumstance, losing friends and family left and right for reasons that were never quite clear to me, until today.  Luckily, my racing mind gets me out of the jams that are created by my anxious heart.

The Flop
On one hand, I have a cousin who just came into my life about a year ago, following a tumultuous divorce with a womanizing drug addict with whom she still wants to be.  She never had much to do with me our whole lives; and I almost forgot she existed until she needed someone's coat tails to ride here recently.  You see, I found out that her mother sent her to me for  what she called "Bitch Lessons," and boy did that girl become my star pupil.  Knowing this I did it still, feeling humbled by the mere notion of being needed.  I shouldn't have been such a dumbass.

And I don't give a fuck if she reads this and gets ticked either.  My job as a teacher of "Bitch" doesn't end simply because she's done doing homework.  Had it not been for me, she would still be wallowing in obvious self-pity, instead of masking it with a slutty lifestyle and feigned strength through Facebook statuses.  Then again, I think she's still just as broken on the inside, having only picked up from me ways to appear as if she's mentally and emotionally stable.  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, is it not?

One the other hand, I have a male friend with whom I'd grown rather close to in the recent months.  It was as if he was the male version of myself, or so I thought.  Some people are just really good at doing impressions in the mirror - jesters who sneak into my court to perform.  After a series of awkward moments, our once spotless friendship became more like something out of horror movie and less like something out of a comedy.  I plan to have the last laugh.

Instead of the emotionally closed-off bastard humbling himself to say that he was sorry after running his mouth, or instead of relinquishing the fact that he had developed feelings for me during our friendship, he decided to psychoanalyze me into the ground, to elevate himself above that pesky love thing.  Subtle Facebook jabs via his status, and cloaked attempts to start the argument again would follow, but by the time he reappeared on my radar, I was so over the bullshit that I couldn't care any less if I had either of those bitches in my life or not.  I figure 29 years without them, what's 29 more?

Meanwhile, I just finished writing my first book.   I'm so exited about it but I have nowhere to put my energy except for into this blog.  Neither of my parents seem to give a fuck about what their daughter is doing - I go months without hearing from them although I live 5 minutes from my mother and 30 minutes from my dad.  They both regularly see my other siblings though.

I mean, I guess I took all the fun out of it when I stopped being a fuck up and started getting my shit in order.  Maybe they just don't feel needed anymore; or maybe I just need to stop needing them altogether.  Either way, I think they can both successful kiss my ass as I climb it to the top of my potential.

And what about the special man in my life, you ask?  Well, he snoozes more than a newborn kitten, treats me like a queen when he is awake, and never wants to fuck me . . . ever, unless of course I come on to him.  It's like he's afraid of the pussy or something; and I am not okay with chasing down the dick.  Can't I get a man who knows how to sweep a woman off her feet, but then also knows how to make her toes curl?  Is that too much to fucking ask for Christ's sakes?
The Turn
So here I sit, once the host of a weekly get-together, empty handed, looking for a new place to start, while wondering if I even want to start at all.  I suppose one of my biggest problems in life is that I give a shit when I know better; and that pisses me off to no end.  When I don't care, everything falls apart.  When I do care it still falls apart, only insult gets added to the inevitable injury.  It's enough to make a person question the value of their very existence.
That pisses me off too - that someone, anyone, can have that kind of effect on what I had previously assumed to be a relatively strong psyche.  Letting someone get to you because they are an incomplete person is like cutting off a chunk of your life and handing it to them to burn.  They can't even manage their own shit; don't let them touch yours.

Damn this big, hopeful heart of mine; and damn those dickheads for being such cunts with it.  I tell myself I'll never do it again: I say "this is the year I will stop giving a damn about . . ."  But the denial tastes so delicious that I seem to devour it at every turn.  It's either that or I'm fucking insane.  But aren't we all insane just a little? 
The River
People want to say that life, love, friendship, and family are not games.  Still, it seems that the popular trend is for folks to treat these things like some sort of emotional lottery - a scratch-off ticket that can be thrown away when the reward isn't what you expect.  Modern society is like a bunch of old ladies at the bingo hall, buying pull-tabs by the handful, rubbing their charms for good luck, smoking themselves into the grave, and pissing me off while they do it.
I'm thinking: if this is how I am supposed to approach relationships, then I better start learning how to play better poker.  My chips are getting low as hell, and I'm no longer interested in buying myself back into the game.  I'm at a table with a bunch of pussies anyway.  While I'm busy going all-in, everyone else is folding before the flop. 

P.S. 
Tiffany Grandstaff hails from the heartland of central Indiana, just north of Indianapolis; and she resides there still, raising her three sons. Grandstaff began her writing career at an early age, and she remembers sitting in her room writing on the floor, "getting older alongside the cherry tree growing outside my bedroom window," she says. Her skills were further enhanced at Indiana University (IUK), but the final honing came through her work as an independent online reporter for Yahoo!, UnCorporateMedia.com, and at a local newspaper as their features reporter. This is Grandstaff's debut work; but she has plans to take over the world right from her kitchen table. Grandstaff decided to pen this work (Brain Rape: You Were Asking for It) after being fired, but that’s another juicy story. Coming soon!

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Tiffany Grandstaff, How I Got Fired from the Local Newspaper over my Facebook Activity


Gone are the days when our workers can have a personal life or an agenda outside that of their professional one. No, it seems as though because of things like Facebook, a professional can be sacked if their public (and private) posts are not conducive with the status quo of the business for which they work. This is apparently the case for freelance workers and writers as well, including me.


I’m a well-respected woman who is admired by numerous people. I advise folks from all walks of life on several matters, both mainstream and esoteric, with my quick wit and my ability to put things in such a way that really speaks to a person’s inner turmoil. I have the reputation of being somewhat sarcastic and controversial, yet empathetic and educated. This was all the case before I was became a writer; and it will continue to be the case even after things like this transpire:
How it all went Down
I recently got hired as a Features Reporter via an online search for writers done by editor of The Kokomo Herald, only to be less-than-professionally fired a month later for what I can only assume is because of my Facebook activity. It’s my mistake for adding my assumed “bosses” to my page, I suppose. Unfortunately, good writing and punctual service is not favored over less scrupulous writers who are neither willing nor able to push the proverbial envelope. In fact, the shoddy writing and careless undertaking of the other writers is precisely why I was told I was needed. I wonder if the other staff members know what is being said behind their backs.
The editor of the paper, Shannon Crouch, had asked me a few days after I had already started working to “clean up” my language on my personal Facebook page. A little taken aback, I agreed that I would curb how many times I dropped the F-bomb; but I made a point to mention that it was, in fact, my personal page and that I had several other projects going on simultaneously. Nothing more was said of it, but the daily conversation ceased between the editor and I, and my story load got shorter as each week passed.
Things I Should Mention
I suppose I should have paid more attention to the enormous Christian art displayed all over the walls of the office when I visited to meet the editor and her husband, Don Crouch, the Director of Sales and Marketing of the newspaper. He seemed to be very impressed by me, even making a point to message me several times before I showed up for our “meeting”, asking me if I would be interested in having some photos taken, telling me I was beautiful, asking me personal questions. In fact, he hit on me quite a bit via Facebook messaging; and he told me to erase the messages because his wife would kill him if she found out. I didn’t.
After I left the office on that day, he then sent me another message telling me how impressed he was with me. At this time, he told me that he was putting together a sales packet for a project we had discussed in his office, and he said that he would be in contact with me later about the details. I never heard another thing about it.
Also while I was there, his wife got a hold of me too. She had me call another local paper, The Kokomo Tribune, and pose as a customer asking about ad prices. I had to use an alternate email account of mine to receive and transmit the emails I got from the woman at the other office. I got a high five from the editor once I got off the phone; and I sat for a few moments to talk before making my leave.
The Shtick
Keep in mind the qualms which got me booted were not professional. I always got my assignments turned in within record time, often days before the paper went to print (and most of the time with only hours to complete the story). I didn’t complain when my payments were delayed by weeks. I never mentioned how imposing the beliefs of those in charge at the paper were upon my already established lifestyle. In fact, I praised them; and I even went so far as to send well wishes to them when their daughter was in the hospital – this required me to work longer hours to accommodate the editor’s picky and demeaning qualms with my writing.
I pressed on despite all this, always working with a smile and being proficient. The only releases I have are painting, writing and my Facebook page, which to this day is more or less my personal blog and fan page. Of course, with all of my other projects and my already established persona, I did not completely avoid using cuss words or speaking my opinion as is afforded to me by my Constitutional Bill of Rights. I did, however, take hours adjusting my privacy settings and even putting my colleagues on restriction. In addition, I turned my private alternative guest page into a free-for-all just so that I could continue to use Facebook as a means by which I decompress between assignments. I still have not heard a single word about why things have changed; and so, I am left with my own good sense to figure it out. How professional!
Eventually, the times between responses about stories became longer. Soon enough, the stories I was given were even worse than the ones I had received in the beginning. Let me backtrack and let you all know that this newspaper was a “positive news only” publication. Now, as awesome as that may sound, it really wasn’t; especially when you consider the fact that this so-called “news” paper had me reporting on things like anti-pro-choice establishments, Christian fundamentalist groups, and even some far-off historical society that got a grant for a train station restoration – in a city 20 miles away from where the paper is printed. It was crack reporting, I tell ya; real respectable shit. It definitely called for me to have a squeaky clean persona.
The Seed of my Confusion
I was told on my first visit to the office that the newspaper was trying to find a new voice, to appeal to a younger audience of a mostly modern female persuasion. However, my modern personality and well-read yet controversial persona was apparently not what the newspaper was looking for when they hired me. Funny, those qualities were never apparent in my interviews or articles. In fact, one of the people I conducted an interview on made a special trip to the office to gather papers for distribution because he was so pleased by my work. I still got the boot though. What a bunch of prudes!
Keep in mind that I haven’t even been officially fired. I just haven’t been paid for $350 worth of work, I have received no new assignments, and the editor, Shannon, removed me from her Facebook friends list after being the one to add me in the first place. Of course, the old pervert husband of hers didn't  I had to do that once I caught on to what was happening.
I suppose the days are gone when a gal can be herself, even in the land of the free, around Christians sworn not to judge, within her own community, and as a freelance writer. I felt like now was the time to report this as news, when the world is changing and we are all having our rights stripped from us by Big Brother. It’s news to me.
And yeah, I’ll stop dropping the word “fuck” just as soon as they get a fucking clue.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Ceri Clark/Earthquake/ Tsunami/ nuclear fallout/ Connie J. Jasperson/ J. Darroll Hall/ Alison DeLuca/ J. J. Makins/ #1 bestseller/

Reprinted from cericlark.com

The earthquake, tsunami and problems with the nuclear power plant has put Japan in my thoughts lately. It really makes me think nuclear power is a fool’s way to get power. In this day and age surely we can harness the energy of the sun, wind and sea to power our lives? It might cost money and time but it would be worth it. Sure nuclear power is cheap, but then so is life when an area is ‘infected’ with radiation.

There are supposed to be so many fail-safes to stop reactors going wrong but there is always the unexpected – after all that is what the earthquake was or at least the magnitude of it.

News from Fantasy Island Publishing

http://wwwfantasyislandbookpublishing.com/

Connie J. Jasperson’s new book “The Last Good Knight” has been received well and grows readership daily. Compared to the great Wilbur Smith in her action and bawdy prose, she will be one of the great writers of fictional adventures to come. http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Good-Knight-ebook/dp/B004QOB75S/

Alison DeLuca’s new book “The night watchman express” is soaring up the Amazon Kindle sales ranking and is a promising series to look forward to in the future. http://www.amazon.com/The-Night-Watchman-Express-ebook/dp/B004Q3RT7E/

J. Darroll Hall and his Fantasy Island Book Publishing brand is topping Amazon sales rankings all over the Kindle book rankings. The brands bookshelves and catalog are on fire at the moment. http://www.amazon.com/The-Night-Watchman-Express-ebook/dp/B004Q3RT7E/ http://www.fantasyislandbookpublishing.com

Ceri Clark:Located in Wales In the UK, author Ceri Clark has the children and young adult market abuzz with her fantasy series “Children of the Elementi!” This book series is and will become the new “Potter” the entire world will fall in love with. This book series is profound, important, and masterfully written. Learn the name Ceri Clark, it will be a household name in a short time.
http://www.amazon.com/Children-Elementi-special-ebook/dp/B004QZ9X76/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1301246956&sr=1-7







J. J. Makins has joined with her breakout book “The King of Egypt” is a breathtaking visual experience in all aspects of a literary work. Art, beauty, visually capturing, a must have on your bookshelf, if any written work can be prized this book is exactly that. Coming to Amazon Kindle March 12th 2011 “THE KING OF EGYPT” A NOVEL BY J. J. MAKINS A Fantasy Island Book Publishing special edition!
I would like to welcome Marilyn Rucker Norrod to our publishing group. Her book Miranda Warning was released on Amazon kindle yesterday March 26th, 2011 and soared into the bestseller list in hours. Welcome Marilyn...
http://www.amazon.com/Miranda-Warning-ebook/dp/B004TTVHSM/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1301247160&sr=1-14

Six number one bestselling books in only 12 months on Amazon Kindle: check our catalog for your favorite genre, it is growing daily. #1 bestsellers in: Thriller, mystery, stocks and financial, cooking& food, exotic cuisine, comedy &parody, and horror. http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1299741385/ref=sr_pg_1? ie=UTF8&keywords=J%20darroll%20Hall&rh=n:133140011,n:!133141011,k:J%20darroll %20Hall&page=1

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