Welcome to my Bedroom Closet (Laurel Anne Hill)

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

When the earthquake hit Haiti last January, that country's history of poor government was largely responsible for the extent of the devastation and inability to deal with the aftermath. Lax building codes were only one ingredient in the stew. My podcast, "Haiti: A Patient with Hope," provides an update about current recovery efforts in Haiti, and some insight as to why progress has been so slow.

I hope you find my essay informative.

Warm regards,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise") http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

Ever wonder why some people gain weight easily and others don't? According to some scientific studies, the bacteria living in our guts could play a role. My essay, "My Bacteria are to Blame," takes a light-hearted look at bacteria and body weight.

Please enjoy a piece of chocolate while you listen.

Warm regards,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise") http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

Are you a fan of the ocean? Have you ever enjoyed--or wanted to experience--wading in ocean shallows, exploring tide pools, riding a wave, and/or SCUBA diving beneath the surface? Do you love the sound of seagulls or the smell of ocean breezes? If so, this podcast, "My Ocean Companion" (approximately ten minutes long) is for you.

"My Ocean Companion" relates a few of my many SCUBA diving adventures and describes the ache in my heart when I could no longer engage in that exhilarating sport.

Enjoy!

Laurel Anne HillAuthor of "Heroes Arise"http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

Have you ever done research in the U.S. Library of Congress (LOC) or wondered what it might be like? Have you ever given up your research attempt because you got lost in the LOC tunnel system or ran out of time? Whether you answer these questions with a "yes" or a "no," you'll probably enjoy my light-hearted description of my foray to the Library of Congress in 2005.

My true story lasts approximately 10-1/2 minutes and is titled "Road to the River: Research and Rescue in the Library of Congress."

Enjoy!

Laurel Anne Hill, Author of "Heroes Arise," http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

Are you retiring? Are you concerned your mind will turn into mush after you leave your job? If so, "A Quantum Leap into Retirement" (a grandmother's view of grandchildren and quantum computers) is for you. I may have retired two years ago, but I'm still computing.

Laurel Anne Hill

(Author of "Heroes Arise")

http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet!

Which way do you turn your bed pillows when you make your bed? Do the pillowcase openings face inward toward the middle of the bed? Outward toward the room? To the left? Or is placement totally random? And might pillowcase placement enhance inspiration to write?

"The Case of the Pillowcase Openings" is my personal true story about such matters. If you have a comment to contribute, please do so via the contact section of my website: http://www.laurelannehill.com. I'll post the comments on this libsyn site myself. (This reduces clutter from spam comments.)

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author and Former Underground Storage Tank Operator)

p.s. Check out the "Rum and Runestones" pirates and magic anthology, now available online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon. "Rum and Runestones" (edited by Valerie Griswold-Ford) contains "Thar Be Magic," one of my short stories.

Welcome to my bedroom closet! In 2002, my husband and I spent the month of November in Paris. Our dream vacation. I was still recovering from a severe illness when I attended worship services at St. Sulpice, a church nearby our rented apartment. I experienced more than I had anticipated that Sunday morning, and "Crescendo," relates my true, inspirational (and award-winning) story.

None of the music in my podcast came from the grand organ at St. Sulpice, but such music can be found through Google. The introduction and closing music I used was graciously provided by Looperman at http://www.looperman.com.

Warm regards,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise")

http://www.laurelannehill.com

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

Have you ever noticed a patch of ground where nothing ever seems to grow? My two teen characters, Howie and Frank, encounter such a place in my creepy new short story, "The Grave of Mario Bandini." The inspiration for "The Grave of Mario Bandini" came from my friends Donna and Jon. When I was eleven or twelve years old, my friend Donna speculated that a patch of wet earth (where nothing grew) near the local mortuary was really quicksand. In 2009, Jon Cory (author of "A Plague of Scoundrels") suggested I write a short story about a patch of soil where nothing grows. I recalled what Donna had told me many years ago.

If you enjoy "The Grave of Mario Bandini," you may also like "Wings of Revenge," my non-typical vampire short story. Go to http://www.horroraddicts.net, episode #33 podcast in January 2010. Please note that "Wings of Revenge" and "The Grave of Mario Bandini" contain some profanity.

Happy listening.

Laurel Anne Hill, author of "Heroes Arise" (http://www.laurelannehill.com)

Welcome to my bedroom closet.

How many of you recall the San Francisco of yesterday and the importance of wearing gloves downtown? For a dose of San Francisco nostalgia, please listen to my personal true story, Gloved for all Reasons. Gloved for all Reasons relates my life-long relationship with that basic accessory.

And don't forget to visit my website if you haven't done so lately: http://www.laurelannehill.com.

Thank you,

Laurel Anne Hill

(Laurel Anne Hill is the author of "Heroes Arise," a novel about breaking the cycle of vengeance, about reaching into one's own personal darkness to find the light of reason.)

Welcome to my bedroom closet!

In 2004, KQED-FM (NPR, San Francisco) broadcast "A Handful of Band-Aids," my perspective on the plight of homeless families in Contra Costa County, California. I had written "A Handful of Band-Aids" in the latter part of 2003. Today I'm posting a slightly longer version of the piece used by KQED-FM. In this podcast, I also include information about the Winter Nights Rotating Family Shelter, a worthy nonprofit organization operating in Contra Costa County. Winter Nights is a project of the Social Justice Alliance of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County.

Needless to say, I'm a supporter of Winter Nights. In fact, I used the debut of my science fiction/fantasy novel, "Heroes Arise," to raise funds for the Winter Nights Family Shelter.

For more information about the Winter Nights Shelter program, go to http://cccwinternights.org.

For more information about me or my novel, "Heroes Arise," please visit my website at http://www.laurelannehill.com.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill (Author of "Heroes Arise")