Another Fine Moss

It's odd, but I didn't really know my sister was serious about leaving home until my father told me, "Sam, your sister is serious about leaving home."But then, in his very next sentence, he shook me up, really shocked me. He said, "You should probably go too. You could keep an eye on her."What ? I mean, this was Frannie's harebrained idea, not mine. I had responsibilities-three goats, some chickens, even a cow. No way I could just walk out on all that. Was this some sort of weird punishment for something?He said, "It would be good for you. You're old enough... a grown man, in fact. Think about it."Oh, sure. Throw that in my face! Anyhow, I drug my feet, but before you know it we got off the bus in Albuquerque, only to be mugged by this scruffy over-size teenager, jailed for helping a fake cop steal furniture from an old lady (not my fault) and nearly run over-on purpose mind you-by a bunch of gangsters.And Frannie has these magic powers, but did that do us any good? No. We just got in more trouble. Especially since she accidentally turned all our cash into toilet tissue.Then I remember that everybody in our home town has some kind of magic. So, why am I surprised when I find out I can make all kinds of things move? And I mean, really move! That would have been a helpful trick to know back when we got off the bus.Anyhow, I make friends with the teenage mugger, meet a gorgeous lady gardener, Nancy, and try to help out some old folks financially by picking winners at the horse races in Santa Fe.And Frannie-get this-she gets kidnapped by the gangster and falls for the sorry... Oh, well. But she tries to impress the guy by fixing (with magic) the same horse races that I'm trying to bet on. Plus, how was I to know my mugger friend was under age to bet on the races? I did know his step-dad was a cop, but... well yeah, that was my bad.And then things just get out of hand.I mean, who is this old beggar guy with the lisp? And his friend with all the money who looks like some big bird? I thought they were going to help us, but...Anyway, I'd just like to go home and check on my goats. But then, there is Nancy...So, I'll let you know how it all turns out. So I always wanted to be a writer, and when I got sucked into being an "editor" for Yucca Road Productions' series of subject guides, I took my opportunity and ran with it.(Notice I put the word editor in quotes. They think I don't know they gave me the job title just so I'd do all the grunt work that they don't want to do. As if!)Anyhow, my earlier gig as a webmaster for a mid-sized public school district was great training for all the computer-related hoops you have to jump through to get books up and running. I edited all the books in the Knowledge Blaster! Series for YRP and a couple of books by Terry Marsh, also for YRP. And at the same time, unbeknownst to the muckety-mucks, I wrote a couple of books and-you guessed it-edited them too.The first book was a collection of poems about all kinds of things, and Terry told me I have a fifth-grade sense of humor. But then he read my little rhyme "The Wonder at Widow's Lake," and his eyebrows went way up and he looked at me like he was meeting someone new for the first time. Y'know? That made me smile.I called it Something Different because, well, it totally is. Check out the owl on the cover.The second book was years in the making, as they say. Not that I literally spent years on it, but it took me years of thinking how I'd like to be a writer before I finally forced myself to sit down and write. And even then it took a long time because I wrote about a couple of wizards, and I was just making stuff up until I finally found some wizards that I could sit down with and ask what it was really like. After that, it was cake.Terry kind of, in an off-handed way- so he really doesn't deserve any credit-suggested the name Wizardry for Fun and Profit. But it made me smile, and I totally had the final say-so, except for the muckety-m

"In my work I usually edit serious books with in-depth research and facts galore, but sometimes I like to do something different.Doesn't everyone?So, here is a bunch of rhymes (poem is too strong a word) that I hope will amuse you. They are not targeted toward a specific age group; some adults like silly stuff and some kids like serious stuff. There's a little of both in here.Don't expect to cry or experience any revelation. Do expect to smile a bit.'When I'm in the mood to write serious verse,I hold my breath 'til the mood is gone.To me, you see, such an urge is a curse,And, when I come to, I write on.'"- Leo MossLeo Moss is a contributing editor for Yucca Road's Knowledge Blaster! series of educational study guides. When he approached us with the idea for a humorous book of poems, we were surprised that, (a) he writes poetry and (b) he has a sense of humor!Turns out, his humor is wickedly twisted in a most enjoyable way, as in "The Switch," where a conceited jock gets his comeuppance from a skinny young man smoking cigarettes in the boys bathroom. Or in "The Exploding Amphibian," where a puffed-up toad tries (unsuccessfully) to con an alligator.Moss' short tales range from silly (try "The Battle Of Piggledy Snout" about elementary school kids on recess) to profound (read "The Wonder At Widow's Lake" about a pastor's dire dilemma when twenty orphan kids speed down a twisting mountain road in a bus with no brakes.)For a bit of the bizarre, there's a mental patient's hallucination: "Elvis At The Laundromat." And the tale of "Frostbite Jane" who created not only the first polar bear but also the aurora borealis.We were not, however, surprised by the range of subjects, having experienced Leo's variety of interests in a work setting. Consider "Longing For Star Trek," "Red Maserati," or "The Fabulous Rutabaga." Sure, we acknowledge that classic TV and fast cars have intrinsic allure, but the veggie thing was a reach. Or so we thought. Then we read "The Devious Plot Of Doctor Frankenpickle," wherein"From a giant, yellow, forked squashThe trunk and legs were crafted,And on its round green cabbage headPotato eyes were grafted."What is it with Moss and veggies?Anyhoo, there's a good variety in this book, and it is suitable for all age groups. Except age groups with no sense of humor.'Bye now.And, oh yes, buy now!- Yucca Road Staff So I always wanted to be a writer, and when I got sucked into being an "editor" for Yucca Road Productions' series of subject guides, I took my opportunity and ran with it.(Notice I put the word editor in quotes. They think I don't know they gave me the job title just so I'd do all the grunt work that they don't want to do. As if!)Anyhow, my earlier gig as a webmaster for a mid-sized public school district was great training for all the computer-related hoops you have to jump through to get books up and running. I edited all the books in the Knowledge Blaster! Series for YRP and a couple of books by Terry Marsh, also for YRP. And at the same time, unbeknownst to the muckety-mucks, I wrote a couple of books and-you guessed it-edited them too.The first book was a collection of poems about all kinds of things, and Terry told me I have a fifth-grade sense of humor. But then he read my little rhyme "The Wonder at Widow's Lake," and his eyebrows went way up and he looked at me like he was meeting someone new for the first time. Y'know? That made me smile.I called it Something Different because, well, it totally is. Check out the owl on the cover.The second book was years in the making, as they say. Not that I literally spent years on it, but it took me years of thinking how I'd like to be a writer before I finally forced myself to sit down and write. And even then it took a long time because I wrote about a couple of wizards, and I was just making stuff up until I finally found some wizards that I could sit down with and ask what it was really like. After that, it was cake.Terry kind of, in an off-handed wa