Writing for Tweens - An Interview with Margo Sorenson

We last interviewed author Margo Sorenson about writing for the school market and picture books.  She has authored twenty-eight books for young readers and has won recognition and awards for her work, including being honored by ALA nominations and being named a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in YA Fiction. Today we’ll be focusing on her new tween e-book entitled Time of Honor.

First off, how about a brief synopsis of the story?

Thanks for inviting me again, Chris!  Fourteen-year-old Connor’s smart mouth gets her in and—luckily—out of trouble on her prep school’s debate team and in the classroom.  On a field trip to the U.K., when she is suddenly catapulted into the year 1272, she finds her royal new friends’ lives are threatened by a conspiracy fueled by greed.  When William and Maud learn that their father has been murdered on the Crusade, they beg her to help them find who is plotting against them.  

This sounds a bit like a kid’s version of "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." What drew you to this topic?

Growing up as a young child in Europe and being a medieval history major, I always wanted to live in the Middle Ages, so I just plunked myself down where I wanted to be!

What do you mean when you say Connor is sassy?

I love words and playing with words, just as you do -- and probably everyone who’s reading your blog does -- and I wanted to write a novel that featured a character who used words a little too well and got herself into trouble that way, not that it’s ever happened to me.

I coached speech and debate for many years (yep, I’m a retired NFL coach!), I drew on many of my former debaters’ characters for Connor.  They were always fun to coach. They kept me laughing and kept me on my toes, believe me, so I had lots of raw material from which to draw.  Courtesy and decorum were key in the Middle Ages, as you know, so Connor needs to confront this problem head-on, because she is so not courteous or decorous, and she has to learn how to deal with life in 1272… and keep from getting murdered at the same time.

How did you go from an NFL Coach (and a female one!)and debating to writing?   

Actually, I *was* one of the few female NFL coaches! J  The speech and debate coaching was extracurricular, and I taught speech and debate classes in addition to teaching high school and middle school English.  It was fun teaching kids to write, using the National Writing Project and many other wonderful resources and we invited well-known writing teachers to the schools. 

Some of my students’ parents encouraged me to write myself, since I was teaching their sons and daughters how to write – theoretically! When I retired early from teaching, I had a book contract for ten books that grew into another five additional books and two more for an educational publisher.  From there, I wrote picture books and more tween/YA manuscripts, many of which remain unpublished!

Have you ever done any sports writing?

I’ve not done any sports writing per se, but the sports writing I have done has been in my tween/YA novels, such as WHO STOLE THE BASES (baseball), SOCCER BATTLE, SOCCER BLASTER (both soccer, of course), CLUBHOUSE THREAT (golf), FUNNY MAN (football), and a number of others that include sports as an important part of a subplot.  One of my latest tween enovels, ISLAND DANGER, features Todd, a know-it-all soccer star. 

Our daughters were little jocks, I love baseball and golf, and my husband is a sports nut, so it’s natural to have lots of sports in my books.  Of course, my beta readers for accuracy were my family (“Mom!  You can’t say that!”), Sports add another dimension to the plots and can demonstrate character and conflict.

What research did you have to do for this book?

Your blog highlights “research,” so I’m glad you asked this question!  I majored in medieval history (read “geek,” here) and although I had lots of medieval history books, I had to repurchase many others that I’d given away in order to do the research I needed.  The internet has been great, of course, but one has to be careful about vetting the sources.

One of the fun resources I found on the internet was a cabinet-maker who specializes in medieval cabinetry, and he helped me with how drawers worked and with cabinet construction.  We can’t have a character opening up a closet when there were none in 1272!  Several of my other books (picture books AMBROSE AND THE PRINCESS, AMBROSE AND THE CATHEDRAL DREAM) are also set in that time period, so the food and dining research I did for those came in handy for TIME OF HONOR.  Connor is grossed out that she has to share a goblet with her dining companion!

How do you think someone from our day would really be able to handle the smells and lack of technology in the Middle Ages?

People from our day would really struggle with the smells and way of life, including no technology back in medieval history.  Connor has a hard time with the gross smells, definitely, with the sewers running down the middle of the lanes in the towns and the tannery on the outskirts of the village (think burning cow hides).

Connor has no GPS to find Akbar, the Spice-Seller, whom she has to trick into revealing critical information about a planned murder, without tipping him off that she’s really not who she pretends to be.  She rides her horse through the town to find his tent, putting herself in harm’s way, with no cell phone to use in case she needs to call 911.

What advice do you have for authors to improve their writing?

I enjoy reading your blog for its advice component, so I’m happy to chime in, here.  For me, the most important is Ellen Kozak’s first commandment for writers, “Thou Shalt Not Fall In Love With Thine Own Words.”  Oh, my, goodness, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve fallen prey to that feeling – “Wow!  What golden words I’ve just written!” 

Seriously, I should know better, but, I don’t, and it’s always a battle to put a manuscript away for a while and let it sit in the darkness, whimpering, all alone.  When I take it out again, I blush, and I’m so glad no one is looking over my shoulder, smirking and snorting at those words! 

Another piece of advice is to find a critique partner who understands your vision but also doesn’t hesitate to try and take you to the next level in a respectful way. My critique partner, Minnesotan and children’s author Bonnie Graves, is wonderful; she helps me by asking incisive questions about each part of my manuscript, giving me encouragement to try new ideas, and validating what is working.  Above all, just as you say in your blog, read, study, research, write, revise, submit, submit, submit!

What do you think writers should expect to learn from their critique groups?

I’m probably not a good person to answer this question, since I’ve never had a critique group (blush!), only a critique partner.  When I taught English, there were many great resources to use in setting up feedback groups for the kids, and those were very helpful, setting ground rules and methods for responding to each other’s writing.  From those experiences and from my own critique partner experiences, I’m thinking that writers should expect to find out that others don’t read their writing the same way they do. 

It’s so hard to translate the words in our heads on to the page so that others see the same pictures we see.  That’s what I used to tell my students, in any event, and it is so true for myself, as well.  We’re so sure we’ve been clear in what we’re writing that it’s a bit of a shock to discover that others don’t read it in the same way.  That factor is key; we writers need to accept that what we write isn’t always perceived by others in the way we want them to perceive it!  That’s what I think writers could expect to find out in critique groups, and, hopefully, they can use that feedback in revision for clarity – so they can improve -- and not leave their manuscripts on their hard drives, never to see the light of day, as so many of mine still are. J  Writing is indeed a process!

Thanks, again for stopping by and giving us your insights on writing.

Thanks so much, Chris, for the welcome to your blog, and congratulations on your inclusion in those great anthologies shown here on your website.  They sound wonderful!

Hope you enjoyed this interview and you might consider buying a book or two for Christmas gift.  If you'd like to learn more about her writing go to www.margosorenson.com or Twitter at @ipapaverison.

Wriiting Romance with Janice Palko author of St. Anne's Day

What inspired you to write this novel?

St. Anne’s Day was inspired by several things. At the time it all came together in my mind, I was watching Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and working on writing my grandfather’s life story. He was born and raised in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, where the novel is set. His family owned a bar there—I’m Irish—what else would they own? And for some reason, a high school memory popped into my head one day.

The episode happened when I was in high school at the now-closed St. Benedict Academy. It was an all-girls school, and when prom time came during my senior year, there were a few girls in my class who couldn’t find dates. As my brother and cousin Richard can attest, no single young male was safe from a desperate SBA girl in need of a date. They were both drafted as dates by friends of mine at various times during high school.

So how did you use this in your story?
One day before social studies class, we were trying to come up with dates for some of the girls when our teacher, Sister Jane Frances, came in and heard what we were talking about. She told us we needed to start saying the St. Anne prayer. None of us had ever heard of it. This is what she taught us: Dear St. Anne, get me a man as fast as you can.

That’s pretty unique. But why St. Anne?
St. Anne is the patron of housewives, and we all thought it was pretty funny. However, for the next few weeks, we said it every day before class. And don’t you know, every girl that wanted a date got one for the prom!

When did you start writing the story?
One night in 1998, I dreamed about a bar in Lawrenceville and someone who looked like Colin Firth. I couldn’t remember the details of the dream, but I remembered the feeling of romance that lingered when I awoke. So in the blender that is my mind, I began writing, trying to capture that feeling in a book, and St. Anne’s Day was the concoction that resulted.

What do you hope people will discover from your story?
What I hope people take away from the story is that no matter what has happened in your past, you can still find your true love.

Is this your first book?
St. Anne’s Day is actually the second novel that I have written. The first is entitled, A Shepherd’s Song, and is a Christmas story that I will be releasing after Thanksgiving. I started that one in 1996, and I began St. Anne’s Day in 1998.

When did you start writing?
I was always the kid in class who liked when the teacher assigned an essay, but I never dreamed I’d become a writer. I started my writing career in 1996 when I attended a class on writing greeting cards. I sent my first batch to the card company and sold one my first time. I thought that was quite exciting. But it’s hard to be funny and heartfelt in 20 words or less.

What did you decide to do then?
I began to attend creative writing classes at my local community college. When I read my first story in class, I made everyone cry which showed they got my point. I began to send out the pieces I wrote in that class and sold some of them. Eventually, I was asked to write a bi-monthly column in our newspaper. I continued to write, and ironically, I was asked to teach the creative writing glass that I first attended. I taught that class as well as Memoir Writing, Freelance Writing, and Writing for Children.

Where have you been published?
I’ve had numerous articles appear in publications such as The Reader’s Digest, Guideposts for Teens, Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. My work has also been featured in A Cup of Comfort for Inspiration and A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mothers and Chicken Soup for the Single’s Soul.

One of the magazines for which I wrote articles, Northern Connection, hired me to be its executive editor. I’ve been the executive editor there for six years, and this spring I was asked to be the editor of its new magazine Pittsburgh 55+ as well.

How did you go about getting the book published?
I sent St. Anne’s Day out to numerous agents and publishers and even pitched it to Harlequin at the RWA conference in New York City in 2003. They requested the entire manuscript and many of the other agents expressed interested it, but it was ultimately rejected because it didn’t fit into any one genre. St. Anne’s Day is a romantic comedy with Catholic overtones, but I was told it was too edgy to be an inspirational and too tame for the Fifty Shades crowd.

I say my characters aren’t saints, but they are trying to be. They have hearts, minds, and consciences, but like the rest of us make mistakes. In retrospect, I’m glad it didn’t fit in any genre completely. It makes the story unique. If I had to compare it to any other book, I’d say it’s like a Maeve Binchy novel. Since it would probably not find a home with a traditional publisher, I independently published.

I’m a control freak so I like being responsible for the success of the book. No one has more invested in it that I, and no one believes in the story as much as I do so it made sense that I be the publisher and promoter of it.

How have you promoted your book?
I launched this book in August with a party at my home for friends, coworkers, and family and on-line on my blog and at the Beach Book Blast site. I’ve been to a local Book Fest and will be appearing at some libraries in my area as well as visiting with a book club that selected St. Anne’s Day for its October book selection. I’ve recently been book my first event for April so as the word spreads, I’m getting more offers.

Other than seeing the book in print, what is the most exciting part about having the book published?
The most exciting part of having my book published has been the reaction of readers. I thought the story was good, but it’s gratifying to have people contact me to tell me that they loved the book, that they laughed out loud and have recommended it to their friends. The other most exciting thing is one of the readers told me that on a whim she began to say the St. Anne prayer and has found herself in a very promising relationship with a lovely man.

Is there anything that you have found frustrating in the process?
I really haven’t found the independent publishing process all that frustrating. I have some background with word processing and am employed as an editor so prepping St. Anne’s Day for publication wasn’t all that difficult for me.

What do you wish you had known sooner about publishing?
I wish I had known much sooner how much my novel would appeal to readers. About 18 months ago, I posted several chapters of St. Anne’s Day on my website with the hope that an agent or editor would stumble upon it and bestow a lucrative book contract on me. What happened was that several people stumbled upon it and asked where they could buy the book because they would like to read all of it. I then realized that my market had found me instead of the other way around. Instead of trying to appeal to an agent, I was able to appeal directly to readers—the people who really count when you are writing.

What advice would you give aspiring authors?
When new writers ask for advice, I find it very difficult to answer them. There is just so much to tell them, but the first thing is to love writing. I have been writing professionally for 15 years, and some of those years, especially the early ones, without ever making very much money. In his book The Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell states that for most people to become adept at an endeavor, it takes 10,000 hours of practice. I believe that. I have spent countless hours writing. So if you are willing to put in your 10,000 hours, then be a writer.

I like that. You just don’t magically become a writer. You definitely have to hone your craft. If this has peaked your interest to buy the book it is available at Amazon in paperback as well as Kindle version, Barnes & Noble Nook store and on Smashwords. She's got a new book out just in time for Christmas as you can see by the cover above. Could make a great Christmas gift!

If you would like to get to know the author better, drop by her blog where you can also register to receive her newsletters. Just click here 

Getting Through NaNoWriMo with Author Teryl Cartwright

If you are one of my regular followers, you know that I am taking up the challenge to write a complete novel in rough draft this month as part of  NaNoWriMo. For encouragement in this task, for myself and other NaNo writers, I will be adding a couple of interviews this month with past participants who not only completed their novels, but got them published as well.  My first interview is with Teryl Cartwright, who's prior writing career included publishing children’s curriculum and news articles. That changed once she took on the writing challenge. Please read on to find encouragement to put those words to the page. 

Why did you decide to participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge?

The first year I decided to participate I did so because a friend wanted a writing buddy.  Ten years later and I still think how crazy I am to try this each year and expect to get done.  But each year I do make it.  I participate each year because for once life is on hold for something I want to do.  I make the time to write one book a year--in November.  It is one of the busiest months for me and that's why it works--I have to tell a story and this is my chance.  And getting two out of ten NaNos published isn't bad either.

How did you prepare?

I prepare for Nano by having a story idea, usually a title, a brief idea of what is going to happen and if at all possible the end, because it is really important to me to have the story end right.

How did you cope with the writing schedule to keep on track? 

To keep on track, I try to write around the same times (more than one) each day and I have a goal of about two thousand words to start.  Sometimes if I get behind, I try to add a day or two with three thousand and each night I think about what is going to happen next in the story before I go to bed so that in the morning I can be inspired with ideas for how to do that next chapter.  

If I am getting to the end of the story and have lots of words left to make the word count, then and only then will I allow myself to go back to the story and add details, extra scenery or dialogue to stretch it.  I also sometimes read a little history to give me ideas of what else I could add.

How did you feel after you completed the month?

Exhausted.  Yes, happy, but weary!

The book you wrote for that challenge was, A Sensible Match which has now been published. How many re-writes did you do from that original rough draft?

A Sensible Match was my first published Nano book and I'm lucky enough to have a second Nano book published as well, the sequel, Courting Constance.  I had to do several rewrites of A Sensible Match and the publisher, Dawn Carrington, had me do a rewrite of the first three chapters and re-submit them just to get accepted.  I am grateful for that second chance.  When I submitted Courting Constance I didn't have as many rewrites, but they were still very involved since I have some bad writing habits such as "head hopping" to watch out for when I write.

Could you give my readers a short synopsis of your books?

A Sensible Match is a fun "how to lose a guy in ten days" in Regency England romance.  Abby's parents have tried to play matchmaker, but she doesn't want to marry a guy she's never met, especially the new vicar.  Her parents will be upset if she turns him down so she tries to get him not to propose.  What she doesn't know is that he's less than thrilled with marrying some shy girl he's never met--until she shows she's more than he expected .

Courting Constance is the very funny look at "how to win a guy in ten days" in Regency England.  Constance decides to win back her former fiance by courting him as a not so secret admirer.  What she doesn't know is that he is in pursuit of her too, but only to break her heart as she once broke his.

How did you go about finding a publisher?

Of course I used Writer's Market which isn't as good as it used to be, but also I used some writing magazines.  I would say this was a trial and error method, reading some books to see what kinds were close to mine but I could pitch as slightly different.

How many sources did you pitch? Did you pitch any agents?

I tried a few publishers for different stories, but Vinspire has been good enough to be my publisher.  I pitched about six or seven agents, yet this didn't work for me.  I also went to Hollywood to pitch several stories as movies at the Great American Pitchfest.  This helped me do a better job writing pitches even if I didn't succeed in my face to face meetings.

 How did you hear about your current publisher?

Vinspire was only about two years old when I pitched my first book to them.  I think that helped.

From the time you sent in your manuscript, how long was it before you got any feedback? 

Vinspire was great because I heard back in a few months each time.  I had only had to submit the first three chapters and the synopsis and then was asked to submit the whole manuscript.  Of course, the first time I had to rewrite those chapters with single character point of view, but after I had the chance to submit the whole book with the same editorial changes I was blessed to get my foot in the door.

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner?

I wish I'd have known that finishing a book wasn't the end, there's editing, there's marketing, there's taking care of its life on the shelf.  I also wish I'd have finished and submitted more books sooner so that I'd be a better writer now.  If you have a passion, don't put it off on "someday."  The stories are not the same when you finally get around to the hasty notes you saved for later.

What is the best advice you’ve been given about writing that you would like to pass along? 

Write what you know and what you love.  Put yourself in the book and see this as a gift to be able to share.  Research is your friend and will teach you discipline as well as what to look for.

Also, I am fortunate enough to be taking my online master's in Critical and Creative Thinking at UMass Boston right now. If you get a chance, take the Creativity class from them--it was meant for teachers, but is awesome for writers!

Thank you for your time and inspiration. If you would like to learn more about Teryl's writing, here's the link to do that

www.terylcartwright.com

Holding on to your Dream, an Interview with author Mark Roman

I have been doing author interviews on my blog for the past few years and I've always learned something from my fellow authors. This interview is no different. It remains us all that we need to keep writing! Read on for your own inspiration.

Most everyone thinks they can write a novel. What brought you from the world of science to writing fiction? How did you come up with the idea of your current book?
The book was conceived with a good friend when we were both at university, many years ago. We began knocking it out on an old manual typewriter (in the days before word processors) with the underlying plan of spoofing every clunky sci-fi cliché that had ever bugged us. Like: aliens who speak perfect English, or silly character names. But the story and characters quickly took over. And so did I, as my friend lost interest.

Could you give me a short synopsis of the story for my readers? What makes these beings the ultimate inferior beings? 
 The story is about a bungled space mission involving an ill-chosen crew and a ship’s computer that thinks it’s a comedian. A stowaway and a saboteur add to their troubles. On their journey they encounter slimy green blob aliens who speak perfect English (I know what you’re thinking, but stay with the story and all will be revealed).

Among the aliens are a religious group who believe that, somewhere Out There, exist a species of inept beings that are really, really bad at everything they do. They call them The Ultimate Inferior Beings (or The Dogs), and a prophecy predicts that a fatal act of incompetence by The Dogs will bring about the End of the Universe. One alien becomes convinced that Humans are this bungling species (not such a completely unreasonable assumption). He believes Humans will destroy the Universe unless he can destroy them first. And, in the end, the prophecy does come true – but you’ll need to read the book to find out how.

You write under a pen name – how did you choose it?
The pen name is a mixture of mine and my friend’s first names, but I’m not saying which is which.

Outside of your technical writing, what other fiction writing have you done?
TUIB is the first piece of fiction I’ve tried to get published. And it’s been a long and twisty journey, spanning three decades, and involving many obstacles and setbacks.

How did you go about finding a publisher? Did you pitch any agents?
I sent the first version out to agents and publishers in the UK over 30 years ago. Nothing. Ten years later, I rewrote it and tried again. This time I got lucky. A literary agent in London loved it and tried to place it. After six months and six publishers he reluctantly gave up. So the thing sat in the trunk for another 20 years until something inspired me to dig it out and rewrite it again. More agents and publishers. More nothing.

But you apparently didn’t give up. What happened next?
I put it up on Authonomy, which is run by Harper Collins, and is a great community of unpublished writers, many of whom give very helpful feedback on your work. (I hope I gave some useful feedback in return). This helped me make significant improvements to TUIB. Not that the publishers and agents noticed!

How did you hear about your current publisher? How long was it before you got any feedback?
My current publisher, Cogwheel Press, is a start-up and put out a call for submissions on several websites, including Authonomy. This happens occasionally, although some “publishers” who advertise their wares are dodgier than others and should be given a wide berth. I sent Cogwheel my first five chapters.
Happily, the editor has a most discerning 9 year old son – a child of great perspicacity – who plucked my book out of the slush pile. A request for the full manuscript came within a week with a contract a week later. Mine was their first book, and there have been 3 others since.

How do you write? Did you do an outline first? Did you do individual character development before doing the full plot?
I’m embarrassed to admit my writing is a totally unplanned, uncoordinated, random process. I admire writers who plot things out in detail, work out their characters’ development, etc. Me, I just write random pieces – ideas, snatches of conversation, bits of chapters – until there are enough random elements in the mix.

It then becomes a vast, complex, problem-solving exercise to fit everything together and shape it into some sort of plot. This is not the right way to do it. No self-respecting proper writer would ever use this technique. But for me, as a hobbyist, I think it’s OK.

What type of publicity do you expect your publisher to do in promoting your book? What plans do you have to promote your book?

As my publisher is a small press I realize there is a limit to the amount of promotion they can provide. Serious promotion costs big money and, sadly, small presses do not do have those funds. They invest their time and money in selecting, and then publishing, books they think have merit.

After that, it is largely left in the hands of the author to push their own work. If you can handle that sort of thing, that’s great and you’ll go far, but if you can’t, then your book won’t get noticed. Many writers are shy and self-effacing creatures, so shouting the wonders of their book from the rooftops doesn’t come naturally and, in fact, just feels slightly tacky and wrong. (I may be in the minority on this point!)

What do you know now about writing that you wished you had known sooner? I have been told, more than once, that adverbs are evil and must be eradicated. Hence I’ve been on many an adverb-hunt through my book to (mercilessly) shoot the buggers, although some may have (slyly) escaped the cull. Now I never (knowingly) use them.

Is this a standalone book or are you planning a sequel or prequel for any of your characters?
At the moment it is standalone. But, who knows, I may one day return to the crackpot world of TUIB.

What is the best advice you’ve been given about writing or that you’ve learned that you would like to pass along?
I’ve learned never to trust positive comments about your work. If people tell you your work is brilliant, hilarious, clever – don’t believe them! There’s a possibility they may genuinely think this, but equally there’s the chance that they’re just being polite (especially your mum) and holding something back. It’s difficult to be sure which (except in the case of your mum).

The only comments you can guarantee are genuine are the negative ones (except when they’re deliberately spiteful or malicious, for whatever reason). Criticism will upset you, of course. And in some cases, it may just be one reader’s opinion. But think the comments over. The reader may have a point or two that will help you plug a minor/major weakness in your story, or style, and make your book “even more perfect” (as a friend of mine used to say).

Thank you for that fun interview. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the folks who give only positive comments. The different critique groups I’ve been in over the years have always told me how wonderful my writing is but in many cases it is then rejected or ignored when it comes to the editors and publishers. Still I keep pushing on, and rewriting and hoping that the next editor/publisher will fall in love with my work. 
 
If you’ve enjoyed this interview and would like to learn more about the book and maybe even buy it, here’s the link to the website.
If you want to buy it in the UK, here’s the UK Amazon link
If you want to buy it in the US, here’s the US Amazon link
And here's how you can find details about submitting to Cogwheel
 I've saved the best for last...if you would like a FREE eBook you can get one on 11/10 and 11/11 by

using this link...   http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089TF3LU

It's a Matter of Values

It's the start of a new month which means a new topic for the Christian Writer's Blog Chain. Our topic this month is heirlooms. When I first heard the topic I immediately thought of heirloom tomatoes since I love to cook and try different vegetables. But this isn't a recipe blog. Next I thought of heirlooms as antiques but as I'm not a collector I couldn't imagine writing about them. Feeling at a loss,  I looked up the meaning the word to get some inspiration.

In reading I discovered that an heirloom is anything of value that you would like to pass on to the next generation. Now that got me thinking. What better could there be than to pass on good values? In this world of "situational ethics" is there such a thing as moral values? Or is it merely fluid. Do the ends truly justify the means? Or are their moral standards and values?

Awhile back I took a journalism class with your average 18-20 year old students while I was the age of their parents and the course professor. The topic came up as to what the students would consider "ethical" behavior in getting and reporting a story. Whereas I considered doing research and interviews as the important aspects, a number of my fellow students took it further as to what to do to get a story. They had no qualms about breaking into buildings if necessary to steal or at least to copy whatever info they needed to justify their point. Yet they would protest those actions as deplorable if the people whom they were  investigating acted in similar fashion. They concluded the ends they wanted did justify whatever means they took to make their point.

Those were just college students. However that has seeped in the national news media. In this current election the "news" reporters have done speech clips that have been reworked by leaving out words and connecting them to later paragraphs to deliberately misrepresent a candidate. When they are caught in a fact check, it's merely explained as a simple editing error. And we once thought the news media was there to discover the truth? "What is truth?" was a phrase Pilate said.That echoes the beliefs of many today.

Still I believe there are moral absolutes and those are the heirlooms of value I would like to see passed on to the next generation so they continue to be honored.