Letters from the Inside, Sarah Pender, #4

Dear Kelly,

It's so cold out, raining heavily and windy. The cold seeps in through the window cracks and chills me. I get so sleepy and subdued in rainy weather. I bet it kills you in the icky weather to walk Mini. This week he gets to go to his big family reunion. Yay! I love dogs. I never had one of my own as a kid. I raised two Golden Retrievers and trained them through levels I and II for a handicapped assistance dog program. Barclay is with an 11 year old boy named Jacob who has cerebral palsy, is mostly blind and has seizures. Dewey is now in advanced training and will be going to a 15-year old girl with severe depression as a companion and a segueway to social interaction. They were great dogs. I love them, as if they were my children. I read once where Leona Helmsley left her dog 12 million dollars and several grandkids got $0. What a kick in the nuts.

Why would you read a memoir of someone who irritates you? That would be like me reading the autobiography of Rush Limbaugh. No thanks I'll keep my sanity, thank you very much.



you said you'll be taking a 2 week class in June on how to get published. What is your goal? What sort of writing do you want published? Do you have a genre in mind?

Thank you for the non-fiction book proposal parts. I still haven't decided if I want to do self publishing with a Print On Demand company or go with a publisher. I don't' want to give up all my rights to them.

Why are the ratio of women to men so high in New York City?

I admire what John Walsh did with his devastation over his son Adam being murdered; to turn a hurt/anger/loss into something positive. I do not like how that positive idea becomes persecutory and untruthful-sensationalized for the same of television ratings. There was so much they said on there that wasn't true about me. They are okay with ruining my image because they deem me to be less of a person. It becomes a moral issue for them. So, is it ethical to slander a person in the name of justice? How about is it ethical to knowingly lie in the name of ratings in order to fun a good, justice seeking program? That's utilitarianism. It should be illegal. I get that AMW catches people who have done very bad things and are a danger to society. I can tell you from personal experience that the real danger to our society aren't the ones on AMW.

What is the name of the book the young man's father wrote? {Ed.: She is talking about Bart Whitaker's father's book, Murder by Family. How did you learn about it? Who are your top five authors who are not bestsellers and what subject do they write about?

I just finished Long Quiet Highway by Natalie Goldberg. It's her story of how she came to her personal transcendence through writing and through Zen. My friend sent me her book and a week later an autographed card from a book reading she did in St. Louis. There were parts that moved me. Made me think. Enjoyable to move through those spaces with her. I hope my book is enjoyable and inspirational to others. It focuses on transformation on the human spirit, integrity, choices, direction and living life with a purpose. It just happens that I learned this through drugs, murder, prison, escaping and a ton of positive and purposeful activities along the way.

Life is funny that way.

I've had migraines on and off since I was 8 years old. I've taken Fioranol, Midrin, Imitrex, Inderaol and lots and lots of Tylenol. After your motorcycle accident, do you still ride? My friend used to ride a lot until she came upon a deadly crash one day that was so intense she gave her cycle away that very day.

My father rides on weekends into the mountains and along the west coast with his wife. Next month, they are planning a long several week trip to Yosemite Nat'l Park. Last time, they went to see the Grand Canyon. How beautiful to experience life on the open road, so close to nature and that huge expanse of sky!

Hey--if there's so many woman in NYC, maybe you should start dating women? That would enhance your dating life and be fun to blog about!

Who was the famous person you dated? And how did you meet him?

What do you think your purpose in life is, Kelly? What do you want to do with the rest of your life? When you die, what will people say at your funeral?

I hope this finds you well. Take care.

Sarah