Tom Luxsox Coins

Loon Dollar

What do you picture when you dream about your book's success? Do you envision readers stopping you in the grocery store with stars in their eyes? Getting on Oprah? Seeing your book in the front window of your local Borders?

Or maybe you dream of your book riding at the top of the NY Times bestseller's list for months at a time? How about dining with Dean Koontz and his dog, Trixie? Of course, this repast would be followed by a glowing, personal endorsement of your works by Trixie, and if you're lucky, maybe Mr. Koontz himself.

Am I close?

Are you being honest?

Over the years I've pictured several of these dazzling dreams happening to me. Including a multi-million dollar movie deal in which Harrison Ford plays Gus LeGarde. And of course, the world would fall in love with the LeGarde family and beg for more each year.

I imagined quitting my engineering job, staying home to write, making enough money to pay down the debt and take care of long needed repairs, like the twenty-six windows that shake and rattle every time the wind blows.

I envisioned copies of my books in everyone's home library. Worldwide, mind you. Not just in the States.

Lots of dreams. Big dreams. And all revolved around the traditional definition of success.

Recognition. Adulation. Confirmation that my work is valued. And enough money to take care of a small country.

A few weeks ago something happened that changed all that.

Judy, one of my lunchtime walking partners, had been canceling walks and working through lunch to make extra time to care for her elderly mother. We all admired her, watching as she shopped for her mom, took her to numerous doctors' appointments, and tended to her increasing needs with fortitude and devotion. She was one of five siblings, but took the bulk of the responsibility on her shoulders.

The cancellations increased in frequency, and it seemed we'd never see our friend on the walking trails again. We worried when her mother was admitted to the hospital. Up and down, her progress seemed to change like the December wind that skittered across the parking lots at work.

Judy was absent a few days, then a few more. Something felt wrong.

Then came the dreaded email. The subject line always seems to say the same thing. "Sad News." Judy's mom had passed away, released from her earthly bonds and finally free to float among the angels.

When Judy returned to work a week later, she shared stories about her mother's final days. One of them surprised me greatly, and fundamentally changed my definition of success.

Judy read to her mother during her final stay in the hospital. For hours on end. She happened to have my second book, Upstaged, handy and began to read to her during her responsive times. Sometimes her mother would just lie there with her eyes closed, and Judy didn't know if she was listening. Frequently, she'd ask, "Do you want me to continue reading, Mom?" Her mother would respond. A nod or a short word.

"Yes.

A nurse perched behind Judy and became involved in the story, too. So Judy would continue reading aloud, giving comfort to her mother and providing a little armchair escapism to her nurse. Solace came from the tentative loving voice of her daughter, close and warm. And she was reading my words.

It floored me.

In a flash, I realized if one woman could be comforted on her deathbed by my books - I'd already reached the definitive pinnacle of success.

You'll never know how your stories will affect the world. Not until it happens. So keep writing and imagine the best. Not the money, not the fame, not the ability to quit that day job. Imagine affecting one solitary soul in their final moments on this earth, and you'll have pictured... the ultimate reward.

Aaron Paul Lazar resides in Upstate New York with his wife, three daughters, two grandsons, mother-in-law, tdog, and four cats. After writing in the early morning hours, he works as an electrophotographic engineer at Kodak, in Rochester, New York. Additional passions include vegetable, fruit, and flower gardening; preparing large family feasts; photographing his family, gardens, and the breathtakingly beautiful Genesee Valley; cross-country skiing across the rolling hills; playing a distinctly amateur level of piano, and spending “time” with the French Impressionists whenever possible. Although he adored raising his three delightful daughters, Mr. Lazar finds grandfathering his “two little buddies” to be one of the finest experiences of his life.

Double Forté begins the LeGarde Mystery series. Upstaged, the second, was released in October, 2005. His third, Tremolo: Cry of the Loon, was released via Twilight Times Books under the Paladin Timeless Imprint in fall, 2006. Mr. Lazar is currently working on his eleventh book, Lady Blues and may be contacted at aaron.lazar@yahoo.com

Loon $79.99 Doug Henry Loon - Art Print

Loon Bird $10 Loon Bird

Voices Of The Loon $12.99 Voices Of The Loon

Arctic Loon $19.99 Arctic Loon - Masterprint

Common Loon $19.99 Common Loon - Masterprint

Call of the Loon $161.98 Robert Pellelt Call of the Loon - Limited Edition

Loon Tapestry $189.99 Claudio D'Angelo Loon Tapestry - Limited Edition

Canadian 1 Dollar Coin $92.4 The Canadian 1 dollar coin is a goldcoloured, bronzeplated, onedollar coin introduced in 1987. It bears images of a common loon, a wellknown Canadian bird, on the reverse, and of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The design for the coin was meant to be a voyageur theme, similar to the countrys previous one dollar/silver dollar coin, but the master dies were lost by the courier service while in transit to the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. In order to avoid possible counterfeiting, a different design was used. The coin has become the symbol of its currency. Newspapers often discuss the rate at which the loonie is trading against the United States greenback. The nickname loonie became so widely recognized that on March 15, 2006 the Royal Canadian Mint secured the rights to the name Loonie. The coinan 11sided curve of constant widthis made of Aureate, a bronzeelectroplated nickel combination. In order to maintain a constant width of 26.5 mm the sides of the coin are not exactly straight, but curved in the same manner as the 7sided British twenty pence and fifty pence coins. The total composition of the coin is 91.5 nickel and 8.5 bronze. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 144 Publication Date: 2010/07/25 Language: English Dimensions: 5.98 x 9.01 x 0.33 inches

Crazy Loon Saloon $12.99 Crazy Loon Saloon - Tin Sign

Great Northern Dover or Loon $19.99 Great Northern Dover or Loon - Masterprint

Dollar $6 Dollar - Steve Hofstetter

26-Inch Loon Lodge Table Lamp $653 26-Inch Loon Lodge Table Lamp

Smoking Loon $1 Accès exclusif à une caisse d’importation privée Smoking Loon Pinot noir 2009

New Hampshire - Common Loon $19.99 New Hampshire - Common Loon - Premium Poster

Yodeling - Common Loon $189.99 Carl Arlen Yodeling - Common Loon - Limited Edition

Evening - Loon lake $176.98 John Joy Evening - Loon lake - Limited Edition

Loon Lake in April $179.99 Murray Stuart Loon Lake in April - Limited Edition

Common Loon Nesting $29.99 Tom Ulrich Common Loon Nesting - Photographic Print

Red Throated Loon $39.99 Nick Norman Red Throated Loon - Photographic Print

Loon on Nest in Water $24.99 Mike Robinson Loon on Nest in Water - Photographic Print

Moon Loon $6.99 In the dark, soft night, the haunting call of a single loon echoes over a moonlit lake. All through the day, only one magnificent black and white bird scribes ripples across the surface. Why is he so alone? Moon Loon is an evocative, gentle bedtime story about a girl who is fascinated by this solitary loon. Through richly layered colored-pencil illustrations, we follow the girl's musings on the loon from spring through fall.