Who’s Accountable when a Cop crosses the Line?

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a long week of working. I’ve finished editing my story and it’s off to the beta reader. I’ve already started plotting out a new story and I’m excited about this one, too. Hopefully, I can do it justice. 😊

photo provided by https://www.everypixel.com/image-10518701651842115375

 

But enough about that, today I’d like to talk about what’s going on in the world. These are strange times indeed, with a pandemic and rioting because it’s forcing businesses and non-profit organizations to close, tensions are high, and that’s not even the worst of it. A black man was killed this week by police officers. They didn’t even try to hide the fact they were doing it even when there were witnesses video taping the whole thing. This sickens me. The cop who did this was fired then arrested, but it’s not enough. It will never bring George Floyd back to life.

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Most of us live in a bubble. We focus on our jobs and raising our kids and stuff like this rarely touches us. It happens in some other city and some other state, so we don’t feel threatened by it, but this kind of blatant disregard for human life can’t be ignored. How did Derek Chauvin even become a police officer? According to a source, he had twelve complaints of police brutality.  Why was he still on the force?

 

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There was plenty of evidence that this man had a problem. Why does it take something like a murder before action is taken? Why wasn’t he put on leave and forced to go to a psychiatrist to keep his job?

 

The only answer I can come up with is that his superiors and colleagues didn’t think it would ever lead to this, but shouldn’t we be preventing things like this from happening? Especially when he had a history of police brutality?

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I think we should not only hold the officer himself accountable but also the institution that allowed this to happen in the first place. I’m glad he was fired and I’m glad he was arrested. I hope he goes to prison for a long time, but it shouldn’t end there. I think there needs to be some accountability for his superiors for allowing him to continue working when he had so many accusations of police brutality against him. These are warning signs that something bigger could happen, and in this situation, it did.

 

How do you feel about the situation?  Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!

Please Welcome Ritu Bhathal and her Debut Novel “Marriage Unarranged!”

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. Today, I’ve got a special treat for you. I’ve got Ritu Bhathal as a guest and she’s telling us a little bit about her writing journey and how the Corona virus affected her. So, without further ado. Take it away, Ritu!

 

It was an amazing feeling, finally typing THE END after the last words on my manuscript that I had literally poured eighteen years of my life into.

Obviously, that wasn’t the end, by any means.

There was the fun of editing, with rewrites and tweaks, feedback from beta readers, then cover design, and all the marketing.

And then, just like that, the Publication Day was upon me.

I finally let my book baby free, and sat tight, waiting for the sales, then reviews.

Will they love it?

Will they hate it?

Oh my God, I am the worst writer! Why on earth did I ever think I could write a book?

Then the feedback started to trickle through.

Oh! It’s not as bad as I thought!

Wow, people LIKE it. Like real five-star review like it!

Honestly, I was overwhelmed by the words of support and praise that came in for my debut novel in February of this year. Marriage Unarranged was a story that had wanted to be written for so long, and finally, I managed it!

One of the repeated comments was basically, ‘Can’t wait to see what happens next!’

People who read my first novel, actually wanted to read more.

So that meant I needed to get another one out.

As I mentioned a little earlier, it took me a long time to write my first book, because life had a habit of getting in the way. From marriage to moving counties, then the trying for a family saga (it was one, we had issues, so that was stress in itself) and dealing with eventual motherhood. And of course there was the day job to consider too. None of these things left much time to write.

But I did it. Once I focused, I carved time out daily, to add to my word count.

And now, I needed to do that again!

I had ideas already for a second, and third book, relating to the first, and had tentatively started writing the second, but that time thing…

Then Coronavirusgate hit and we were suddenly in Lock down.

So now, I have a lot of time, and that’s what I was looking for, wasn’t I?

I started the Lock down pumped.

Taking part in a couple of online writing sprints added a couple of thousand words to my work in progress (WIP).

It took me a while, but I created a temporary work station, seeing as the dining table I usually used for prolonged writing was now commandeered as a workspace for my working-from-home Hubby Dearest, and the only other desks were in kids bedrooms and they were in use for distance learning.

And I managed to finally set up my WIP story map board. I used it for my first book, and it helped me plan events and timelines within the book, so I did the same with this one.

Then I went through and updated my Character bible, because many of the characters overlap, and some develop more in book two, and there were new focus characters to add.

I even had tentative titles for the next two books.

Then I hit a brick wall.

Not only was I dealing with the Lock down, and ensuring two children were accessing their school-work regularly, constantly disinfecting surfaces, keeping spirits up for Hubby Dearest who was suffering cabin fever whilst working from home, I also had my work stress.

You see, I’m a teacher, and yes, schools are closed, but that doesn’t mean no work for teachers. Here in the UK schools were kept open as hubs for those listed as keyworkers to be able to leave their children for childcare, while they go about their essential jobs. I had a rota, where I would go in and spend the day with these children, and the rest of the time, devising and adding work for my class to access online. Then marking, and doing online training, attending webinars to keep us in the loop with the constant changes.

It messed with my head a lot. And my creativity with it.

And now, I am faced with the prospect of going back on the 1st of June, to work with a small group of my class, if the government and our dear BoJo deems it safe for schools to begin partial opening.

So, how much writing have I done?

Well, I’ve tried to stay creative, by writing A Story A Day in May, and some of the prompts have even got me some new scenes which I can use in my WIP.

And my WIP has increased by around eight thousand words. But my mind has not been in the right place to really get into it

But I will.

I promise.

For my characters, as they have stories to tell.

For my readers because they want to know more.

For me, because I know there are other books in me that want to come out.

 

‘Chickpea Curry’ Lit — Chick Lit with an Indian twist!

It all started ended with that box…

Aashi’s life was all set.

Or so she thought.

Like in the Bollywood films, Ravi would woo her, charm her family and they’d get married and live happily ever after.

But then Aashi found the empty condom box…

Putting her ex-fiancé and her innocence behind her, Aashi embarks upon an enlightening journey, to another country, where vibrant memories are created, and unforgettable friendships forged.

 

A U T H O R B I O

Ritu Bhathal was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents, hailing from Kenya but with Indian origin. Ritu’s colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration to her.

From childhood, she always enjoyed reading. This love of books is credited to her mother. The joy of reading spurred her on to become creative in her writing, from fiction to poetry. Winning little writing competitions at

school and locally encouraged her to continue writing.

As a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, she has drawn on inspiration from many avenues to create the poems that she writes. A qualified teacher, having studied at Kingston University, she now deals with classes of children as a sideline to her writing!

Ritu also writes a blog, http://www.butismileanyway.com, a mixture of life and creativity, thoughts and opinions, which was

awarded first place in the Best Overall Blog Category at the 2017 Annual

Bloggers Bash Awards, and Best Book Blog in 2019.

Ritu is happily married and living in Kent, with her Hubby Dearest, and two children, not forgetting the fur baby Sonu Singh.

F i n d M e:

Social Media Profiles

Blog Website: http://www.butismileanyway.com

Author Website: http://www.ritubhathal.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RituBhathal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritubhathalwrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/butismileanyway/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RituBhathal/
Pinterest: https://uk.pinterest.com/bhathalpadhaal/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/56854412-ritu-bhathal
Mix: https://mix.com/butismileanyway
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ritusmiles

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ritu-bhathal
Bloglovin: https://www.bloglovin.com/@ritubhathalpadhaal

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/ritubhathal

 

And by clicking the following link, you get to my author profile on Amazon

Author.to/RituBhathal

myBook.to/PoeticRITUals

http://getbook.at/MarriageUnarranged

 

Thanks for being a guest, Ritu! Your story sounds like a must read!

Why do we need to Quarantine?

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a long week of working and editing. I’m still trying to whittle my story down to a respectable word count without editing the voice out of it. 😉

 

image courtesy of https://www.everypixel.com/image-13191961344949175093

 

Anyway, as I was scrolling through my feed on Facebook, I came across a friend of mine who works in a store that happens to still be open, and a customer arrived without a mask and started ranting about Covid-19. She stated the virus isn’t as deadly as the media has portrayed and she has had it twice. The first time she had the sniffles and the second time she had a headache. She never got tested because her symptoms weren’t bad enough to warrant a test, but she KNOWS she had the virus.

 

image courtesy of https://www.everypixel.com/image-1738136856256063602

My friend was frustrated with this woman because while she respects her right to voice her opinion, she doesn’t have the right to come into her store and spread her germs to the other patrons. This woman coughed several times without covering her mouth so she could help with the “herd immunity.” It’s at this point I’m stepping up on my soapbox because this woman’s actions hit a nerve.

 

image courtesy of https://www.everypixel.com/image-291258989527209578

 

First, who appointed her the patron saint of the “herd immunity?” Also, did she ask if anyone else wanted her germs before she coughed them into the atmosphere? Many people have loved ones who are at a high risk for this virus. The way I understand it, you could have the virus without any symptoms and spread it that way.

 

image courtesy of https://www.everypixel.com/image-14685783607950863719

 

The point I’m trying to make is, this person certainly has the right to her opinion, but she doesn’t have the right to inflict her beliefs, germs, what have you on the rest of us. I don’t want to catch the virus. I know people who have had it and it is no joke. It’s painful and many people are dying from it.

It’s people like this woman who have created the need for the quarantine order. How do you fight against total ignorance?

I get it. I know this quarantine is hard, but just the thought of someone in my family getting sick because I didn’t take the quarantine seriously upsets me. So, I do it for them. I don’t want my boys or hubby, or my mother, or siblings getting this virus because I refused to believe in it.

There are many theories floating around and politicians pointing fingers and lying. Don’t listen to them. Listen to the doctors and people who’ve had the virus. It is real and it’s deadly.

 

image courtesy of https://www.everypixel.com/image-9079317021273371074

 

So, the point I’m trying to make is let’s try to be considerate of everyone and when we have to go out in public, wear a mask even if you believe the virus is a conspiracy. Wearing a mask isn’t hard to do and it protects you and your family as well as the other patrons in the store. I mean what if all the conspiracy theorists find out they’re wrong and the virus is real? What then?

image courtesy of everypixel. com  https://www.everypixel.com/image-17355753261623576966

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post! I appreciate it. Do you have any opinions about the conspiracy theory? Leave a comment! I love to hear from you!

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day

 

To all you awesome Moms out there! Have an amazing Mother’s Day!

Quaratine Update

 

 

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I hope quarantine is going well for you. I’ve been working from home, so my days haven’t changed too much. I have finished my story and now I’m editing it. That’s the hard part. I don’t want to get rid of some of the words because I love them, but I must because well you know. 😊

We must kill our little darlings, right? 😉

 

Enough about that, though. Today, I’d like to tell you about what I’ve been watching during quarantine. The first is an amazing series hubby and I have been binge-watching. It’s titled “Killing Eve” and it’s about an assassin and the task force who’s trying to catch her. For a dark story there’s lots of humor and you can’t help but like the assassin even though she’s a psychopath. Let’s face it, she’s not all bad.

 

Then there’s Eve, the woman trying to track her down. Eve is the investigator on the case who’s trying to track down the person behind all the seemingly random deaths. During the chase, we see Eve’s dark side emerging and the attraction between Villanelle (the assassin) and Eve is undeniable. You can’t stop watching. Will Eve catch Villanelle? Will Eve’s dark side take over before she catches Villanelle? Will she cross over to Villanelle’s side? These are all questions that need answers, so you have to keep watching.

The next series is near and dear to my heart because it was written by the same writers who wrote “Breaking Bad.” I loved that show. I loved watching the transformation of Walter White. This next series, I’ve spoken of before and it’s called “Better Call Saul.” There’s a new season upon us and it’s a great show.

 

It’s the story of Saul Goodman the lawyer from “Breaking Bad.” He’s trying to be a good guy, but in the end, he ends up being kind of a shyster lawyer. He’s always on the fringe of the law. It’s a great story because it gives you the backstory to some of the main characters in “Breaking Bad” like Gus and Mike. It’s fun to see Jimmy or “Saul” get into scrapes and what he does to get out of them. If you need some entertainment during quarantine and you like great writing and fleshed out characters, then “Better Call Saul” is for you.

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post. I hope you’re doing well during quarantine. If you can recommend a series to binge watch, please do. I’m always looking for a new series to keep me occupied during quarantine. It keeps me from doing housework! 😉