Spring Ahead and Leave Those Winter Doldrums Behind

If you live in the Northeast like I do, it's always a challenge to avoid the doldrums of not enough sun and too much snow. Truth be told, it's been a difficult winter for many in this country. Enough is enough! It's time to embrace spring and the joy within our souls. Let's face it, there's nothing like good humor to leave our troubles behind!

Winter or not, life is filled with challenges that can take us from our joy. God knows, I've had my share just as we all do from time to time and to greater and lesser extents. The good news is that I've found a way to make lemonade out of lemons. I've done this by embracing the humor that has always helped me cope with what have seemed to be bad times. I'm also very good at it.
Here's my gift to you. I've created a series of outlandishly funny tales about a naughty nun who loves her bourbon and her Marlboros. She's both a renegade and a character that knows how to tell stories that will lighten your load. Let's face it, there's nothing like a good laugh to chase away the blues. Sister Mary Olga will deliver you one belly laugh after another.

You can start out by reading The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude. The good news is that the laughs won't stop there. I've created an entire series of books about this wayward nun and the zany characters who reside on Dinkledorf Drive in the fictional town of Bucksnort, Wisconsin.

In between puffs on her cigarettes which she calls prayer sticks, Sister Mary Olga will tell you about her ongoing conflicts with Reverend Mother Carmen Burana who just happens to be a former hooker. She'll also tell you tales about her challenging charges in Beginner's and Advanced Holiness. Just don't take a seat next to the flatulent child named Fartley Dinkledorf or you may go up in fumes.

One good antagonist deserves another. There's nothing like conflict to create mayhem! I've done this in such a way that you'll see how the crazy egos of people who think they know better than everyone else will stir up pots of trouble that pave the way to hilarity.

Take the prudish town gossip, Priscilla Bunhead, for example. She wears her hair in such a tight little bun that she can't possibly have an open mind. She's constantly prying into other people's business. As she does so, she creates havoc with neighbors like the irascible Martha Mayhem and the haughty Lula Mae Bunsaplenty.

Priscilla takes pot shots at people who are different than her. No one is safe or sacred from her antics. She goes after Catholics, gay people, and African-Americans. She doesn't have a clue about sex. Truth be told, she's undoubtedly jealous. Consequently, she loves to cast her judgments against people who enjoy their sensuality. She has plenty of fodder with which to do so because there's a lot of hanky panky going on in the Snortlands of Wisconsin!

Whether you're feeling down and out or just want to coast with your ongoing joy, take a walk on the wild side and pick up a book that's guaranteed to provide you with non-stop laughs. Just be sure to keep an open mind. There are already enough Priscilla Bunheads in this world!

Kindle Formats now Available at the low price of $3.99 each

"The Misadventures of Sister of Mary Olga Fortitude" (Kindle Purchase Here)
"Babes in Bucksnort" (Kindle Purchase Here)

A Tour of a Small Town Through the Eyes of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude

There are many small towns scattered all across the beautiful land of America. Some people prefer small towns to the big cities; both have their pros and cons. Many people may prefer wide-open spaces of beautiful hills and trees for the hustle and bustle of the big apple of New York City.

In my new book The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude, Sister Mary Olga would have to adamantly say that the warmth and fun of a small town create the only place she wants to call home. Bucksnort, Wisconsin is filled with colorful characters, zany antics, and the small town hospitality and warmth that you would expect from any small town.

Sister Mary Olga says that there are so many advantages of living in Bucksnort.

First, it’s a wonderful place to bring up children with smaller classrooms and you seem to hear more children laughing as the result. Even as she puffs on one of her Marlboros, Sister Mary Olga fondly reflects on the fresh air, no smog, no rush hour traffic, and the abundance of green space of her small town.

Second, Bucksnort neighborhoods are filled with single-family dwellings instead of condos and apartments that almost seem to touch the sky. Parks and community areas are filled with relaxed and happy people.

And finally, community spirit seems to be the best part of Bucksnort. The atmosphere is filled with charm that seems to develop into a close-knit community. If something wonderful or tragic happens to someone, everyone knows. It’s a wildfire that burns through a small town along with idle gossip.

“Ah, it’s the wealth of love and true inspiration that makes a small town a real small town”, says Sister Mary Olga.

Find out what the residents of Bucksnort are up to with The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude and decide for yourself if you prefer a small town or the bright lights of the big city.

Author David Aujourd'hui

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"Sister Mary Olga on the Radio"

Part of the fun of being an author is promoting my book. A lot of that has been hard work, but there's nothing like getting to talk about my stories that is more fun than writing them. This week, I had the opportunity to host a radio show about Misadventures with a few of my fans and fellow authors. We had a blast!

It's a good thing that I'm a ham and can be spontaneous. With the give and take of questions, one always needs to be prepared to give an extemporaneous answer so that it doesn't sound like a canned spiel. I'm passionate about my books and I have no problem telling the stories within the tales or those connected behind the scenes.

Each of those stories is filled with outrageous humor that is guaranteed to keep its readers laughing until their sides hurt; that is, if they have an open mind. Sister Mary Olga is a naughty nun and so are many of the zany characters who live on Dinkledorf Drive in the fictional town of Bucksnort, Wisconsin.

One of my guests happened to have a personal connection to the image used for Sister Mary Olga on the cover of my book. That was the KISS-FM radio personality out of Dallas, Texas, named Rob Anthony. He told the story which belonged to a woman near and dear to him.

A couple of years before Misadventures was published, I asked Rob's mother, Janice Reilly, to pose for the cover in a nun's habit. Like Sister Mary Olga, she was a wise and crusty soul who also had a passion for her Marlboros.

She gleefully told me, “Sure, Davis, I'll do it for you!”

She so much related to the character of Sister Mary Olga that she would call me daily to ask me “what she was doing” as I continued to write my books. I would read her my day's writing and she would laugh out loud in her inimitable full-throated laugh.

Unfortunately, Rob's mother passed away before that picture could be taken. As she lay on her deathbed, I told her, “Jan, I'm going to get you on that cover one way or another!”

Thanks to the marvelous illustrator for the cover, we were able to accomplish that. He used one of my favorite pictures of her and crafted a nun's habit around it. He also placed a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and had her holding a bottle of bourbon behind her back. Janice would have been pleased!

That story was told as well as my story of how I created the characters. When I had been a social worker, I used to entertain a colleague and friend of mine using my gift of humor. I would call up her voice mail and leave spontaneous scenarios of my cast of characters from Bucksnort as I did impressions of each of them. My friend would burst into peals of cascading laughter whenever she listened to her voice mail at work on the following day. That eventually inspired me to write the series of books which I have written.

In the meantime, check out the rave reviews of The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude on Amazon.com in which ecstatic readers have said they can't wait for the next book to be published. They won't have to wait long. The first sequel, Babes in Bucksnort, will be published within the next few months.

In the meantime, feel free to check out my radio show entitled The Funniest Satire Series of the Decade. Just click on the link below and scroll down to the show's title. Then click on “stream” which was posted on March 17, 2010.

Here's the link: http://www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/publicaccessradio

Enjoy!

Review on Funny "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude "

Get ready for non-stop laughs

Are you ready for a class in Advanced Holiness for people from all walks of life? Then, perhaps you're ready to take a trip to the Have A Heart convent in Bucksnort, Wisconsin. There, you'll meet a nun you're not likely to forget - Sister Mary Olga Fortitude.

The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude is a satire with a spiritual message, but there's a lot of hanky panky going on here. Sister Mary Olga is an irreverent nun who has some unique spiritual views that differ from those of the Pope. She's a great believer of "to each, their own." She also loves her Marlboros and her bourbon. Just don't let the Reverend Mother in on her secret. The next class in Advanced Holiness may be canceled.

Here in Bucksnort, you'll meet a zany cast of all-too-human characters. There's a lot of secret-keeping going on here, but Sister Mary Olga will be sure to deliver the goods in order to provide you with good and bad examples of holiness.

The Reverend Mother is a former prostitute. The convent's chef is a gay cowboy. Priscilla Bunhead is the town busybody who opens some other closet doors. She, along with the other folks on Dinkledorf Drive, serve up examples of what not to do.

One thing's for sure. These characters will lighten your load and help you to not take life so seriously. Get ready for non-stop laughs. more..

Get your copy today to begin laughing out loud!

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER!

You may wonder how I weave together the tapestry of my stories. That's a good question! For the most part, I write from a place of inspiration. I get an idea and I just go with the flow. Point A logically, or not, proceeds naturally to Point B. I rarely have a preconceived notion of how my story is going to unfold when I begin each misadventure.

It's not to say that I don't have to map out some of my stories as I get further into them. As you will notice when you continue to read the sequels to Misadventures, each of my books is thirty-three bite-sized chapters long. That lets me know exactly how much time I have to wrap up each book. With that in mind, I want to make sure that I keep pace with my conflicts and knit together the storyline in as satisfying a way as I can.

Of course, I want to keep you coming back. That's why I will sometimes leave you with a cliffhanger. Even so, I carefully construct each book so that it's a self-contained entity. I'd love to have you read them all, but I realize that's not always practical. As of early 2010, I have eleven books written in the series and I haven't run out of ideas yet.

The way I keep it fresh for myself is that, after book three, I travel backward in time. This allows me to develop the main characters as I trace their deliciously dysfunctional pasts. As is the case with Priscilla Bunhead and Martha Mayhem, you will come to see how they have become so delightfully twisted. It also allows me to introduce a larger cast of characters that are not present in the books in the “current” storyline.

I have an ongoing challenge as I create more and more characters. I have to keep track of their dates of birth and the circumstances of their lives over a span of fifty-odd years. I keep a notebook with all of those details. I have even made a model of Mildred Mayflower's mansion, Mayflower Manor, in order to trace the action as it moves around within the thirteen bedroom home.

To make it easier on myself, I write three books in sequence before I jump forward or backwards in time. That helps me with continuity. What helps inspire creative new ideas is the very act of time travel.

Writing these books is indeed like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Over the course of several generations, I have introduced close to a hundred characters. Just wait until you get to meet Priscilla's equally ornery aunt, Igotta Bea Bunhead. Then you will come to know the delightful cast of happy hookers at the best little whorehouse on the prairie. You'll meet the ever sunny Purdy Pleasya and the larger-than-life Annie Awesome.

Do any of them have secrets? You bet they do! You'll just have to read the books in order to get the inside scoop. Sister Mary Olga may tell tales out of school, but I will not!


Thank you and hope you follow me through my Journey,

Author Davis Aujourd'Hui

"The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude can be purchased here!"