Standard-Examin- life er Sunday May 7 2000 5E THE BELOVED NEWY0RKWIES BFSTSFTJKB t New Weaving w “A return ticket to Books Bridges ofMadison County People territory The Needlepoint Joint 241 Historic 25th St 394-43-55 K ts n ? ''At r Play Hard ' yt Free IPBay ? f May13-2T-'( Cm® lKgfflfflfc Qgg&scp Just call one of these locations near you to sign-up- ! North Ogden Recreation (801)737-058- w ill 7 n Ogden Athletic Club (801)479-650- v 0 H Ogden City Recreation A STORY OF LOVE AND DEVOTION: (801)629-825- James Michael Pratt’s “The Last Valentine” now in negotiations for movie development is a tale of a f?! 3 Ogden Marshall White Center (801)629-834- Logan City Parks Navy fighter pilot and his young wife in California who must deal with his departure on their first (435)755-238- ff 6 & '1 0 Logan Sports Academy (435)753-750- anniversary Feb 14 1944 to join Call Today or the fight in the Pacific during World ' Recreation & 'J Rac Club 0 wwwutahtenniscom log-o- n A Tennis is the fun way to meet people and get fit And it's easy to learn Call today to sign-u- p for a free lesson for beginning players of all ages Warll Pratt From IE three years When his father’s retail business had financial troubles he left school to go home and help out It wasn’t the work he’d hoped for he said but he had the chance to work shoulder-to-shouldwith his father The books he went on to write have been heavily influenced he said by his father’s morals values and work ethic He also drew inspiration for both novels from his own parents’ love affair and from others in their generation who lived and loved through the Great Depression and World ! 9 f) f l o "i A Standard-Examin- subscriber asked: er J er James Michae Pratt “I doubt I’d be a writer today if I hadn’t left college” Pratt said He ended up “wandering” as he puts it in the business world for 20 years The real estate crash and recession in the early 1990s left him broke and wondering what to do next He and his wife Jeanne moved to Provo from California and he worked by day as a construction manager At night the former college English major would write Because he didn’t have money for a typewriter he said he would take his BYU alumni identification card to the university’s computer lab and type up his handwritten notes -- Appealing to ordinary folks He had a story in his head and wanted to tell it Wheh it landed in the hands of editors at St Martin’s Press they wanted the people may say Pratt’s stories are too finely crafted bordering on contrived But that doesn’t seem to hurt sales or pop up in critiques from many readers People magazine called the first novel a “return ticket to ‘Bridges of Madison County’ territory” and a senior editor at Doubleday Book Club wrote that it was “the most powerful love story I’ve read in years” A review of “The Lighthouse Keeper” in Publishers Weekly gave the predicted reaction to Pratt: “His simple story will please readers ready for a good -- Generation” (Random House 1998) Stevens Anderson believes cry” More of the same that part of the attraction to the first book was Pratt’s clear understanding of historical events and the clearly developed plot and characters “He made it believable” said Anderson a Fruit Heights writer Hartt Provo free-lanWixom best known for his fishing and hunting guides taught a class at BYU several years ago on how to get published Pratt attended it and talked Wixom into some private instruction Wixom describes his student ce resident and editor who helped Pratt polish the free-lan- story’s first drafts Anderson admits that some q as gracious enthusiastic and eager to learn While Pratt has become a success and has natural talent Wixom noted that he is still willing to work on refining techniques “Some people want praise everyone patting them on the head and telling them how good they are James doesn’t want that” Wixom said “He wants people to tell him what’s wrong so he can fix it and improve” There’s one element of Pratt’s work that he probably won’t change He still likes being a sap being compared to the likes of fellow Utahn Evans of “Christmas Box” fame “I compliment him He gave people hope again in normal reading without sleaze” Pratt said adding “And someday I hope he gets compared to me” You can reach reporter Amy Schoon formerly Amy Pray at 7 or aschoon(astandardnet From IE operating her arms she is going to give that person a piece of her mind if she ever figures out how to talk ' Yes it’s an exciting time in our household a time of learning and growing and having plastic bags of frozen breast milk in the freezer next to the Tater Tots In our family we strongly believe in breastfeeding which has many benefits the main one being: Men cannot do it Not that I don’t contribute! I’m always giving my wife useful breastfeeding pointers such as: “Time for you to breastfeed her!” And: “Time for you to breastfeed her again!” And: “I would gladly breastfeed her but tragically I am a man” (Actually I suspect that men CAN breastfeed it’s just that in die entire history of the human race no man has ever actually inventions including lowfat tried) I do change diapers A LOT It is a known baby fact that babies put out far more material than they take in physicists now believe that babies account for most of the matter in the universe If you were to stack up all the diapers I have changed in just two months one on top of the other you would never be invited to a party again for the rest of your life Our house would smell like a malfunctioning sewage plant except that we have a product called the Diaper Genie which encloses diapers in a long odor-proplastic bag As a parent I believe this is the greatest of all humanity’s of You take your diaper you put it into your Diaper Genie you twist the plastic bag and as the French say Voila! (Literally “You are not smelling any more the poop”) When your Diaper Genie fills up you open the bottom and remove an amazing Chain segmented caterpillar-lik-e of Doodies We’ve been throwing these away but it seems to me we ought to be turning them over to the US Air Force as a Cheez-It- s ' potentially devastating military weapon If we were to merely THREATEN to drop one of these babies on Iraq Saddam Hussein would bread: his fingers dialing the Surrender Hotline Another excellent item of modem baby technology is the battery-powerswing When your baby is in a bad mood ed Sara i behavioral issues Sara has been diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder She is assertive and determined in her way of dealing with others Sara seeks to control her life and often those around her Through therapy she has made progress with her relationships and has learned to be more flexible but will still test an adoptive family to see where the limits are set Sara does want to please I call the Circulation b 25-4400 It I J i er b Start Smart ( Standard-Examin- i si V a 1 j! j C A 625-427- because she cannot get her hand inside her mouth you put her in this swing and let it rock her gently into a blissful state of suspended baby animation lasting long enough that sometimes you can actually take a shower This device works so well that I think we should make a larger version and use it to calm hyperactive adults starting with both major candidates for president If you’re a psychiatric professional who would like to explore this idea let’s schedule a meeting I want to sleep on your couch Dave welcomes your comments complaints news tips and greetings no matter how rude! Mail them to: Dave Barry Miami Herald 1 Herald Plaza Miami FL 33132 AClIILDVAVTS Sara 12 is creative and prefers to spend her time reading and writing poetry and songs Her dream is simple - to have a successful future Due to neglect in her birth home Sara has been in foster care for two years She has four other siblings all placed separately who she will need to remain in contact with Sara attends the sixth grade and does well academically She is on an Individualized Education Plan for am Department at 801 If your carrier can not get a newspaper to your immediately we ll do it ourselves We offer free replacement each weekday 6:30 to 10 am and weekends until noon am delivery every day starting June ' Barry you're paper does not arrive by 6:30 world to read it “He seems to really reach into the heartland of America In New York City people tend to forget what the rest of the country wants” said executive editor Jennifer Enderlin “But James writes what everyday ordinary Americans want to read about courage honor love” Because of its elements of World War II Enderlin describes “The Last Valentine” as a “fictionalized version” of Tom Brokaw’s book “The Greatest I A If Warll - I start getting the newspaper in the morning what should I do if it doesn't show up when it's supposed to? When families where Sara All can be the youngest or only child will be considered She will need nurturing and loving parents who set limits and provide structure Financial assistance is available for medical care therapy purchase of adoption services and travel For more information contact The Rocky Mountain Adoption Exchange' 1065 E 3300 South Salt Lake City 0 UT 84106 or call 3 2i 1 til- - (ini' 203 W © i i i o - A V K 4 u’ 4 it ' I! b i f- - ii I r THE MERRY WIDOW by Leh£r two-pare- nt 412-020- ' The most ravishing of operettas Sung in English May 13 15 17 19-7- :30 May 21 -- 2:00 pm pm j jt Vi r i f k wwwutahoperaorg iI 1 1" 31 'A- -' TW1W w f'i'i i 3 ‘it h P