Entertaining Enquiries

I love my readers and particularly enjoy it when they contact me out of the blue to comment about or question something I have said or written.  I laugh out loud reading some of the emails…so let me just say, thank you.  Thank you for reading my books and for taking the time to write to me and share your thoughts.  Keep 'em coming!

One of my favorite things to do as an author is to meet with book clubs.  Most of the clubs with which I have had the privilege of meeting have been predominantly composed of women, and we have spent the evening in a casual environment, drinking wine and gossiping about our favorite characters.  I love these meetings because it not only gives me a chance to meet some phenomenal women, but I get to hear their perspectives on the characters, scenes and circumstances I have created.  What’s more, they keep me quite entertained with their questions; some of which I would like to share. 

 

Here are the three most common questions I am asked with regards to my novels:

·         In No Easy Way, you wrote about a broken marriage, wherein both the hero and the heroine were engaged in inappropriate behavior with other people.  Do you believe a marriage can survive what Tom and Kate’s marriage endured in the book? 

 

Yes.  Marriage is a lot of work and no relationship is or ever will be perfect.  People make mistakes…painful, awful, life-altering mistakes…but those errors don’t necessarily have to destroy the marriage.  Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.  It’s a choice only the two persons involved can make.  The whole point of No Easy Way was to show that real couples can experience real heartache and come out stronger in the end…but there’s “no easy way” through it.

 

·         If you were Angel Maratinzano from the Just Call Me Angel series, would you pick Tony or Andrew?

This is one of the most popular questions I am asked and it also happens to be one of the first questions I ask my readers, as well.  Who would YOU pick?  Andrew is logical, stable and romantic.  Tony is passionate, fiery and strong-willed.  Both are tall, dark and handsome with a muscular physique and an appealing sense of humor.  Both are excellent lovers, cherish Angel deeply and would die to protect her.  Tony calls her “babe” and Andrew calls her “sweetheart.”  Surely if we could mesh the two together it would create the perfect man; but we can’t. 

If I can’t choose between them, how can I expect Angel to pick one? 

 

·        Do you find Angel’s promiscuity (i.e. sleeping with Grayson, Tony and Andrew) to be inappropriate?

I LOVE this question!  Here’s why…  Angel hasn’t slept with Tony in the series…yet.  She and Tony met in college, fell in love and were engaged to be married; then his family found out who she was and forced him to leave her.  In Tetterbaum’s Truth, Angel reminisces about making-love with Tony, but they have never again indulged in sexual activity beyond a passionate kiss now and again.  Furthermore, she has only made-love with Andrew one time during the course of four novels.  I would hardly call this promiscuity.  Grayson Galante was her only promiscuous fling and that was birthed out of her broken heart after Tony left.  Well, that, and the fact that she was driven by pure lust for his body.  For an un-wed, unattached, attractive, young woman, I’d say she hasn’t been very promiscuous at all.  J

 

 

 

If you would like to have Author S.R.Claridge visit your Book Club, click Here for contact and booking instructions.

Constitutional "Write"

As the gun control debate rages in Colorado, I find myself forced to take a stand.  During a chat room discussion with several of my readers, one asked me if I would consider taking guns out of my books.  My answer is a resounding no.  Guns will continue to play a big role in my novels despite those who oppose them. 

I believe in upholding my Constitutional right to bear arms in life and on paper.

As a murder mystery/suspense writer, guns are an integral part of my stories, especially the Just Call Me Angel mafia series.  I think there is a certain level of suspense that comes with the pulling of a trigger.  It is also a lot less gory in description than, say, stabbing. 

I don't just write about guns, I'm a gun owner and I enjoy going to the shooting range.  Before choosing guns for each of the characters in my Just Call Me Angel series, I went to a shooting range and handled several different guns of all shapes and sizes.  I sized up a .44, .38, .22, 9mm and a 357 magnum, which is my personal favorite.

Owning a gun doesn't make me a risk for shooting someone anymore than owning a car makes me a candidate to run someone over.  

That being said, I don't disagree with the idea of increasing background checks, having buyers pay for their own background checks, banning online certification for concealed-carry permits and banning certain assault weapons from public consumption; but let me be clear.  In the end, American citizens have a Constitutional right to bear arms and that should never change.

There is one Colorado bill on the table that I do not support and that is the bill proposing to limit magazine capacity.  If this is passed, companies, like Magpul, will leave Colorado and take hundreds of jobs with them.  I think this bill is ineffective and will cause more damage than good, especially in an economy that is already struggling.  I realize we live in the state that has suffered from two of the deadliest mass shootings in US history, the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School and the 2012 Aurora Theatre shooting.  We all want mass shootings to stop.  We all want to save lives, but unfortunately, no law is going to fix crazy. 

Radical anti-gun action isn't the solution.  Revoking a citizen’s right to own a gun will only stop law-abiding citizens from being able to defend themselves.  The reality is, despite the law, criminals will keep their weapons, just like they keep their drugs.  Instead of limiting magazines and chasing jobs out of Colorado, why don’t we create more jobs by placing armed guards in our schools state-wide?  Now THAT is a law I’d support.

 

If I could say anything to Governor Hickenlooper and House Representative Fields, it would be this.  Fixing the problem is simple, it’s the application that’s hard. Get rid of the crazy people because guns don’t kill anyone…people do.

One thing is certain, regardless of what laws are passed, I will be bearing arms in both the real and fictional world.  ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The HEART of the Matter

I went to the Emergency Room on Monday because I had been experiencing chest pains since the previous Wednesday and thought I was having a heart attack.  It’s a strange feeling, wondering if you’re going to fall over dead in an instant. It’s no fun.  In fact, it’s downright frightening.

The ER got me in right away and started blood work, an EKG and a chest x-ray.  Thankfully, all of my tests came back negative.  There had been no damage to my heart, no sign of blood clots and all of my levels were good.  The prognosis ended up being a guess that the discomfort I had been experiencing was muscular/skeletal. 

Whew!  I can’t tell you how relieved I was and am.

Heart attack in women manifests itself differently than in men.  According to WebMD, these are the six most common heart attack symptoms in women:

1.Chest pain or discomfort. Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom, but some women may experience it differently than men. It may feel like a squeezing or fullness, and the pain can be anywhere in the chest, not just on the left side. It's usually "truly uncomfortable" during a heart attack, says cardiologist Rita Redberg, MD, director of Women’s Cardiovascular Services at the University of California, San Francisco. "It feels like a vise being tightened."

2.Pain in your arm(s), back, neck, or jaw. This type of pain is more common in women than in men. It may confuse women who expect their pain to be focused on their chest and left arm, not their back or jaw. The pain can be gradual or sudden, and it may wax and wane before becoming intense. If you're asleep, it may wake you up. You should report any "not typical or unexplained" symptoms in any part of your body above your waist to your doctor or other health care provider, says cardiologist C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD, director of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

3.Stomach pain. Sometimes people mistake stomach pain that signals a heart attack with heartburn, the flu, or a stomach ulcer. Other times, women experience severe abdominal pressure that feels like an elephant sitting on your stomach, says cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York.

4.Shortness of breath, nausea, or lightheadedness. If you're having trouble breathing for no apparent reason, you could be having a heart attack, especially if you're also having one or more other symptoms. "It can feel like you have run a marathon, but you didn't make a move," Goldberg says.

5.Sweating. Breaking out in a nervous, cold sweat is common among women who are having a heart attack. It will feel more like stress-related sweating than perspiration from exercising or spending time outside in the heat. "Get it checked out" if you don't typically sweat like that and there is no other reason for it, such as heat or hot flashes, Bairey Merz says.

6.Fatigue. Some women who have heart attacks feel extremely tired, even if they've been sitting still for a while or haven't moved much. "Patients often complain of a tiredness in the chest," Goldberg says. "They say that they can't do simple activities, like walk to the bathroom."

I had five of the six symptoms listed above.  The only one I didn’t experience was stomach pain. So, if you have these symptoms, don’t freak out; but get to your doctor or to a hospital as quickly as possible.  I waited too long.  If my problem had been my heart I might not be here typing this right now.  I was stupid.

When my chest pains started on Wednesday I felt instantly exhausted and I ended up taking a nap for an hour.  This happened every day.  The pains would start and I would break out in a sweat, get lightheaded and feel fatigued.  Each time, within about thirty minutes I would have to lay down and would fall instantly asleep.  If you are experiencing this, get to a hospital and let them check your heart and make sure you are not having a heart attack.  If I learned anything from talking to the doctors, it was that the biggest mistake people (particularly women) make is waiting to seek medical attention.

No one wants to rush off to the ER, and I was no different.  I kept telling myself the discomfort was probably caused by gas or that I probably irritated something while working out.  I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing.  Again, this is not intelligent thinking.  If there is even the slightest possibility that something could be wrong with your heart, it’s worth a trip to the hospital. 

Some might say I wasted two hours of my life in the Emergency Room on Monday… but I don’t see it that way.  It was a learning experience and it gave me new perspective on the life that I have…a life for which I am evermore grateful. 

It comes down to the heart of the matter…and with matters of the heart…get help right away.  ~  

 

 

A Novel & A Bottle

I have recently learned that George Clooney has released his own line of high-end Tequila, called Casamigos. It is a small batch of ultra-premium tequila that has been tasted and approved by not only a master distiller, but by George himself.   The batches are numbered and signed. 

I love the name...a simple combination of Casa (home) and Amigos (friends).  The name alone makes me want to invite some friends to my home and drink up.  

 

Another idea...why not sit down with a good book and a bottle of Casamigos?  Lose yourself in the suspenseful twists of a Claridge novel and the passionate throes of a Clooney bottle. 

What can I say… he’s a man after my own heart.  Cheers, George!

The American Dream

Life is crazy, crazy hectic for most of the American population.  I can’t speak for other countries because I don’t live there; but here in America, we over-extend and over-achieve in almost every area of our lives.  The upside is we get a lot done.  The downside is, we run ourselves into the ground and reap the long-term consequences physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and relationally.

Full-time employment no longer means 9 to 5, Monday thru Friday.  For many people it is a 24/7 gig that involves traveling around the globe, no weekends off and conference calls at the wee hours of morning to accommodate time differences.  Sleep gets sacrificed.

 

Full-time parenting now involves extra-curricular activities that take up every waking hour.  The demand for athletic children to start young and practice every day has become mainstream in our American culture; to the point that many children burn out before they even reach high school.  Between school, homework, practices, games and tournaments, there is no down time.  Not to mention doctor’s and dentist and orthodontist appointments.  Play time gets sacrificed.

With such demanding work and extra-curricular commitments, there is no regularly scheduled dinner time.  Families divide and conquer, grabbing a Subway sandwich or a burger on their way to the next scheduled event on their To-Do list.  Family time gets sacrificed.

At the end of every day, “I love you’s” are Skyped, texted or uttered through a phone line and a certain sense of intimacy is lost.  Marriages are sacrificed.

Fast food has replaced a home cook meal and schedules don’t always allow for a regular work-out routine.  Health gets sacrificed.

Weekends are now packed with games and tournaments, even on Sunday mornings.  Church gets sacrificed.

 

The United States has the highest rate of cardiac arrest. Go figure.  Sure, there is a percentage of this statistic that is caused by a pre-determined genetic disposition; but the others are caused by lifestyle.  Constant stress, little sleep, fast food, loneliness, etc.….wear us down over time.  Can we put a price tag on our health?  On our relationships?  On our emotional well-being?  If so, what is that price?

We have justified our sacrifices and our faltering economy has rationalized our justifications. We have no other choice than to work hard to support our families and to provide for them every opportunity toward success in life.  Our intentions are good and honorable…but are they destroying us?

“I’m providing for my family.”  -  A family that doesn’t even know you because you’re gone so much.

“If there’s any hope of getting a college scholarship, we’ve got to be on the best team now!”  -  But the child is only five years old and never has time to play with his friends.

“My salary bought us this beautiful dining room table.”  -  When there is no time for family dinners the table just becomes an empty piece of furniture.

“I’m too tired.”  -  And intimacy slips thru the cracks.

“We should be thankful we have the technology to communicate every day.”  -  Yes, but nothing can replace the bonding of human touch.

“We don’t have a choice.”  -  We’re living the American dream…or are we?  Somehow I don’t think this was what our forefathers envisioned.

There’s no easy solution.  We can’t quit our jobs and if we pull our children out of extra-curricular things, we stifle their chances of fulfilling their dreams.  We’re caught in the current and must continue to paddle against it to try and make the little things as special and as meaningful as we can.  We must squeeze in family time and family dinners, we must plan months in advance so that we don’t let relationships and friendships fall by the wayside.  We must consciously choose to put our phones down and make eye contact.  We must find time to take care of our bodies, minds and spirits while still meeting the demands of our jobs and daily lives.

Most of all, we must cut each other some slack…because we’re all over-extended and over-achieving…paddling upstream toward the American dream.  ~  

 

 

 

 

 

Running...AWAY!

I’m in my early forties and I’ve noticed that there seems to be a trend among the people of my age group…they’ve all become runners.

Before I begin my rant, let me say this:  Deep down I think the fact that so many have laced up their sneakers and taken to pounding the pavement is great.  I applaud their effort.  Running is good and there is a part of me that is envious of those who have the drive and determination to do it.

But…

I fail to see the satisfaction.  Years ago I ran the Bolder Boulder, which is a 10K in Boulder, Colorado.  It wasn’t fun, but, despite the fact that I thought I might die, I made it to the finish line.  Last year I ran Warrior Dash in Copper Mountain, Colorado, which is a 5K run/obstacle course at 8,000+ feet above sea level.  The obstacles were fun, but the running part was not.   

 

 

 

The point is, I find it unfulfilling, unrewarding and downright painful…so unless there’s some incentive awaiting me at the finish line, like, oh, I don’t know, a clean-shaven George Clooney holding a giant margarita and an enormous plate of nachos…my heart just isn’t in it.

Mmmm.... now THAT'S motivating!  But, I digress...

I look at the many people in my life who have become runners and I marvel at their passion for it.  I also wonder how many have a genuine love for it and how many just want to be able to say, “I ran that half-marathon.”  I totally understand the latter, as I have done many things in life simply to be able to say, “yes, I did that.”  (i.e. Skydiving)  I think we all have bucket list items like this.  The people that really intrigue me are the ones who are obsessed with running.  The ones who say things like, “I’ve got to carb up because I’m burning too many calories on my ten mile daily run.”

Really?

What’s that like? What is it like to look in the mirror and say, “Damn, I’m so skinny I better carb up.”  I can’t even imagine.

I understand someone taking up running in an effort to lose weight, i.e. jogging at the gym or around the neighborhood three times per week.  I will occasionally get on the treadmill and try to work off my bulges…but, honestly, I hate every second of it.  In fact, I loathe it and dread it and it makes me crabby just thinking about it.  Blah.  I’d rather scrub the toilets than get on the treadmill.  Admittedly, I feel great afterwards and my runner friends tell me that it’s because of the adrenaline surge and release of endorphins during the run.  I think it’s just psychologically rewarding because I actually got my fat ass onto the treadmill and worked out, wherein I can put a big orange checkmark of accomplishment on my calendar for that day.

I was pleased to learn that running outside is now being frowned upon in the medical community, documented for causing long-term knee problems.  I already have titanium screws in one knee from a ski jump years ago, so that bit of medical breakthrough allowed me to wipe my hands of the idea of ever running a half-marathon; not that the notion was ever seriously being considered.  Also, they are finding that runners are showing signs of aging earlier than non-runners.  This is due to sun/weather exposure for those that run daily outside.  Doctors are saying that avid runners have more facial wrinkles and drooping breasts than non-runners and they are attributing this to the constant pounding of the pavement that bounces more than just the lower half of the body.

That’s all I needed to hear.  Age and gravity are tough enough; I don’t feel the urge to add any extra fuel to the fire.  Suffice to say, me and my wrinkle creams and my underwire bra are going to find a different way to tone and shape and manage weight.  When it comes to the idea of running….I’m running AWAY!  ~

 

 

Mismatched Socks

I know how to match socks.  I’m not a moron.  Occasionally I might struggle telling the difference between a navy blue sock and a black one, but that’s only because I’m usually folding clothes in the evening in dim lighting and I’m hurried.  If I were to take the time to lay them all out in bright sunlight I could easily tell them apart.  That being said…

If you were to run into my daughter on any given day and ask to see her socks, you would most assuredly walk away from the encounter believing that I was completely color blind and prone to not be able to see patterns.  My daughter takes the socks that I have matched, unfolds them and pairs them with a different sock.  She UN-matches her socks on purpose!

And the phenomenon doesn’t stop at socks. She will purposefully wear patterns and colors that clash because evidentially, clashing is the new matching.  Gasp!  I don’t know how to process this.  It goes against everything I’ve been taught…it literally unravels my upbringing. 

We had rules: 

White was forbidden after the beginning of September.

It was a rule and you had to remember!

That meant no white shoes, no white shorts,

no white skirts, pants or skorts. 

Plaids and stripes were kept far apart

You could not wear polka-dots

If you were wearing hearts.

You never put navy next to black

It would surely give mother a heart attack!

Never ever, never on the same day

Might you wear brown and wear gray.

Your purse matched your shoes,

your gloves and your hat

If it didn’t there was something wrong about that!

We never mixed shades like light blue with dark

Our colors were blended like a work of art.

Socks that were argyle came up to our knee

And were worn with a solid kulat, you see.

Satin and Corduroy could never touch

because textures mattered and mattered much!

Clothing had rules with every season

and we obeyed them without reason. ~

 

Well… until the mid-80’s.  J

Now, I look at my daughter and the freedom she expresses with every mismatched sock and neon flavored outfit and I can’t help but smile.  See…even though we had rules, I remember the mid- 80’s when, for a time, all of those rules sort of flew out of the window.  I went through a phase of Madonna-like expression with leather and lace…but my socks always matched.  ~