The Man in The Mirror

an Independent Spirit in a Regimented World

The heartwarming memoir of an uncommon man with an uncommon life aboard an uncommon ship, USS Vestal, in World War II. Margaret’s dad, William Anderson, naturally practiced some of the skills Margaret teaches. When dealing with a difficult situation, Willie looked around for resources that might help him, just as we do when attempting to reach agreement was someone. In dealing with others, he thought before he spoke, keeping his voice low and respectful.

Willie was running his own successful business when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. Though concerned about how his business would fare in his absence, he applied for admission to the US Navy the very next day, Dec. 8.

He knew the regimentation of military life would run against his nature. Yet, this resilient man persevered, creatively applying his unique skills and talents to make his life on a Navy service ship stand out. He proved that those peacetime talents were also valuable in war. He could call the Man he saw in the mirror a friend.

The tales Willie later brought home to his children did not feature many battles, but rather, unique experiences. He had a brush with death, not in war, but in boot camp. Natives serenaded him with a tune from home on every Pacific island he visited. He helped save another man’s life while on Shore Patrol duty. He stowed away on an Army plane. He made friends with a future Pulitzer Prize winner. And more.

Love on the Rocks with a Twist – 

Delightful Fiction with Lessons on Dealing with Others

Persuasion coach Margaret Anderson has a secret. Not only an accomplished writer of non-fiction in her professional sphere, she has also written fiction as a pastime for many years.

When her sister remarked that Margaret could find a lesson about persuasion or communication in just about anything, she inspired Margaret to look for communication lessons in stories she had already written and include both stories and lessons in an anthology.

The fact that most of these pieces were written before Margaret ever considered adding study notes lends added credibility to the fact that one can apply the skills in any situation from the business world to one’s love life.

On the other hand, because the stories were written first, intended for publication on their own, they represent the very best fiction Margaret can produce. “Duet for Flute and Phantom” won First Place in Genre Fiction in the Writers Digest 74th Annual Writing Competition. You’ll find no preachy parables here.

See the smiling ice cube on the book cover? The humorous tone of these stories will make you smile too. Unlike the heroines and heroes of conventional love stories, many of these protagonists set themselves on the path to happily ever after by walking away from those who make their lives worse, rather than better.

• In “Duet for Flute and Phantom,” our protagonist feels attracted to a coworker until she gets a taste of his personal habits. She resorts to an extreme method of removing him from her life, but the study notes show a wiser way to handle the situation.
• In “What Would Help,” a man who seems to be on the road to rejection turns things around when he proves that he understands what respect really means.
• In “Can We Talk?” a promising couple place hurdles on the track to love by texting rather than talking.
• “Dinner Date” is a poetic snapshot of how not to get a second date.
• “The Package” features a young man who’d like to eradicate his girlfriend’s aversion to routines and schedules, while she wishes he’d loosen up, but a crisis teaches them to appreciate the very traits that used to drive them crazy.
• In “Peaches,” we follow a woman’s mental and emotional journey, walking away from an unsuitable man to live happily every after.
• In “Surprise . com” a woman learns to value an exceptional fellow who’s not much to look at.
• And in “You’ll Get over It,” our protagonist must not only deal with rejection by a man who doesn’t appreciate her, but with even greater pain inflicted by a former friend.

Note: Suitable for both adults and teens. No explicit sex or gore.