A TOAST TO MY MOM--Nancy Silverman

I'll never forget the day my mother played hooky.

It was back in the late sixties when my mom was teaching seventh grade, and she and one of the art teachers decided to ditch school for the day. In their defense they had each asked for the day off and been denied, so taking matters into their own hands–as my mother so frequently did–they called in sick. I suppose by now the statute of limitations, if there even were such a thing, has long since passed and it's safe for me to tell the story. So at the risk of exposing my mother’s transgression, here goes.

Mom and Cozy, who had hair like Albert Einstein and wore all kinds of wild colored kaftans, had a third close friend, Katy, who was in the hospital. It those days, they called themselves the Three Musketeers, being some of the first women of their generation to go back to school as young mothers, graduate college and find full-time positions as teachers. Unfortunately, the prognosis for Katy wasn’t good.  Timing was of the essence.  She had a few good days left, had refused all medications and told her doctors to leave her alone.  Hence mom and Cozy to the rescue.

Which meant smuggling into the hospital a pitcher of margaritas with guacamole and chips for a final toast to their legacy. Mom refers to her ditch-day as her mental health day. Something she had to do to get her mind around that final goodbye.

I had forgotten this story and a lot of others until earlier this summer when mom was invited back to the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers’ College at Arizona State University where she had graduated in 1963 with honors.  In recognition of the college’s fiftieth anniversary, a handful of their top grads were asked to come back and go through commencement exercises.  What an honor. 

As I sat in the audience and watched my mom on stage a lot of memories, things I’d thought I’d forgotten, came back to me.  My mother was a great teacher, a fabulous friend, and an even better mom.  She didn’t believe teaching kids to memorize catch phrases and dates. She taught them to look for creative solutions to everyday problems based on what they had learned in class. At a time when nearly half the country had never been on an airplane, she issued mock travel vouchers to her class. Each student received a ticket to an exotic location along with an assignment to do a report on the how-tos of travel. How to get there. When to leave. How much it would cost.  What to see and why.  What a great way to learn history and geography, she made it personal.

More than an education, my mom taught her students to believe in themselves.  Her mantra was, “I can, and I will.”  Which may account for why some of her students, many of whom have gone on to achieve success in the fields of medicine, law and even Broadway, still stop by the retirement center where she lives with my dad today.  In my opinion, that’s the sign of a really gifted teacher, one that has not only taught students well but imparted a belief in themselves to be all they can be.

It’s that can-do and will-do spirit that has carried me through the writing of The Carol Childs Mysteries.  It’s also Carol Childs’ manta.  Carol’s an investigative reporter for a Los Angeles talk radio station. She’s a strong, take no prisoners type of now-gal, who in my latest book, Room For Doubt, uncovers a murder by a group of vigilantes, causing Carol to question her own moral compass.

How about you?  What teacher, relative or mantra have motivated you and your writings?

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Print ISBN-13: 9781635112351

ePub ISBN-13: 9781635112368

Kindle ISBN-13: 9781635112375

Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781635112382

Title: ROOM FOR DOUBT

Series:  A Carol Childs Mystery

Series Number: 4

Edition: First

Pages: 242

Author: Silverman, Nancy Cole

Publisher: Henery Press

Price: $15.95 trade paperback

             $31.95 hardcover

             $4.99 digital ebook

Publication Date: July 18, 2017

BISAC Audience: TRA (General/Trade)

BISAC Subject:

FIC022040 (mystery: women sleuths)

FIC022100 (mystery: amateur sleuths)

FIC030000 (fiction: suspense)

Description: 

When radio reporter Carol Childs is called to a crime scene in the Hollywood Hills at five thirty in the morning, she’s convinced it must be a publicity stunt to promote a new movie. That is, until she sees the body hanging from the center of the Hollywood sign. The police are quick to rule it a suicide, but something doesn’t add up for Carol. Particularly after a mysterious caller named Mustang Sally confesses to the murder on the air and threatens to kill again.

With the help of an incorrigible PI, her best friend, and a kooky psychic, Carol is drawn into the world of contract killers and women scorned. As she races to find the real killer, she finds herself faced with a decision that will challenge everything she thought she knew.

Related subjects include: women sleuths, murder mystery series, whodunit mysteries (whodunnit), book club recommendations, suspense, noir.

Books in the Carol Childs Mystery Series:

SHADOW OF DOUBT (#1)

BEYOND A DOUBT (#2)

WITHOUT A DOUBT (#3)

ROOM FOR DOUBT (#4)

Part of the Henery Press Mystery Series Collection, if you like one, you'll probably like them all…

Author Bio:  

Nancy Cole Silverman credits her twenty-five years in news and talk radio for helping her to develop an ear for storytelling. But it wasn’t until after she retired that she was able to write fiction full-time. Much of what Silverman writes about is pulled from events that were reported on from inside some of Los Angeles’ busiest newsrooms where she spent the bulk of her career. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce, and standard poodle, Ali.

(I"m always happy to host Nancy, and this is a wonderful post.)