Prose in Precisely 100 Words

If time is a waterfall that carves its memory into a map on our skin, will you wade through the cascading flow with me? Let it wash away the pain even as it etches wrinkles on our faces. Let them see we have lived. Lived hard and long, without fear as deep as love dare go. Dare with me through the falls. What’s on the other side is meant for us to see and to claim. Isn’t it equally likely the dystopian writers are mistaken? Let us prove a new dawn is nothing to fear as water keeps us alive.

Random Thought - Not so random. I'm talking about COVID-19

I've been stuck at home without work since the middle of March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. That's four months.

Friends tell me their personal stories of how the virus has infected their loved ones. I stay home.

I've heard how a friend fretted over her brother because he caught Covid-19, spent fourteen days in an ICU ($240,000 bill), had to be quarantined at home for thirty days after that, and hasn't been the same since. He can't stand or walk for more than fifteen minutes at a time.

It's a hoax, some say.

I've heard how another friend fretted over her cousin who caught Covid-19 and spent time in the ICU, recovered, and caught the virus again.

It's a hoax, some say. I don't think so.

I saw a timeline on Facebook about a man whose friend said Covid-19 was a hoax. He went to a beach party, caught the virus and kicked the bucket the very next day. There is the mistaken idea that covid-19 doesn't affect the young. This is false. A friend who works in infectious disease control has seen youths/kids come into the hospital with the virus, and while they survive, they are not the same afterward.

It's a hoax, some say. I don't think so. I stay home.

I was talking to a cousin a few nights ago and her sister-in-law's brother died from Covid-19. I put on my mask the next day and went grocery shopping to get Milo's treats. I don't go anywhere outside without my mask on. After I touch door handles, I sanitize my hands. Over and over, every single time.

Tonight I saw a headline that my county just got a surge of 10,000 new cases in the past week, so the county mayor enacted a curfew effective until August 1st. I don't do any grocery shopping after 11:00pm anyway, so I'm fine with a curfew.

Some say it's a hoax. I don't think so. I stay home.

I do, however, feel trapped. Not because of the curfew, but because of the unsubstantiated argument that this is a federal power grab, a conspiracy, an infringement on individual liberties.

That's not the point in the slightest. This pandemic is a global threat to public health. The government has powers vested in it to address situations like this, and they are exercising them. These anti-government protesters wave their rifles, and threaten the health of everyone in close proximity, because they're "FREE". Wear a mask or suck on a ventilator for two weeks and bankrupt yourself into the next lifetime. Hard head make for a soft behind, that's all I know.

Put on your 😡mask in public. 

And wear it properly - over your nose and mouth. Ffs

On Writing - Dream Fulfillment in progress

June 3rd, I was debating myself over whether or not to pitch in PitMad the following day. Luckily, I have exceptional friends. Two called me to ask whether or not I'd pitch and when I waffled, they (screamed) cajoled me to go for it.

There was no denying their enthusiasm and they pushed into the PITCH camp. I fine tuned yet another Twitter pitch, and the following morning, I was revved up. Come to find out that Pitchwars/Pitch Madness added a new hashtag for Black authors #BVM for Black Voices Matter.

Bear in mind, I've pitched in PitMad before for the same manuscript. My pitches weren't that great, but I didn't know it at the time. I pitched my heart out to crickets. I'd pitched in DVPit (diverse voices pitch) 2019. One agent indicated interest by liking my pitch, but he passed away before signing me to his agency. I survived the rough and tumble of Pitchwars and the mentorship program and #ThisDarknessIsMine got fine tuned, structured and edited. When I pitched in January, I got interest from four agents, all of whom declined representation in the end. Rather three of whom declined representation and one of whom simply ghosted me (along with 95% of the mentees, so she's on our collective shit list).

That's the baggage I had to let go of for June 4th, and enter the contest with beginner's mind and a new well of endless hope.

I can't tell you how exciting the day was, but I'll try. With pitching contests on Twitter, the rules want retweets and comments from supporters, but LIKES are reserved for publishing professionals like literary agents, publishers and editors. They're sticklers for this, but I was advised not to be upset when non-industry-professionals like my pitches. There's an algorithmic metric for why, and I'll let it go at that.

I got dozens of likes from non-industry-professionals. I didn't sweat it.

I got hundreds of retweets.

The main takeaway is I got interest from 14 (FOURTEEN) agents and editors. I was simply over the moon, maybe even over Mars! The day's efforts were a solid golden opportunity, and I'd nearly talked myself out of putting my hat in the ring.

When it came down to the wire, two agencies offered representation. It's a writer's dream to get ONE offer. But I had two solid offers from heavy hitters to choose from and after a couple rounds of conversations, the choice was clear: Serendipity Literary. They're the largest African-American literary agency in the States and the president is a whirlwind, nonstop champion (who happens to have a pilot's license and flies planes in her leisure time).



A word about Kelly Thomas, who's representing me. She and I have a ton in common and every time she kept me in the loop about where she was in the manuscript, she always said, "I love this story and your writing is beautiful." Her passion got my attention, but when she mentioned #PublishingPaidMe, she won me over.

We're not going into negotiations willing to get lowballed. We know the score.

That's the key ingredient for a successful professional relationship. I'd always wanted a fighter to love my story and Michelle Delphinia's struggle because I knew the publishing game is a hard one, not for the faint of heart. Kelly is my champion and I believe we're going to kick some ass together!

Follow me on Twitter: @mackenzielitt13
Follow Serendipity on Twitter: @SerendipityLit


Have a magical day!
Mackenzie

On Writing - Trying my hand at short stories

To say staying at home on #Coronavirus/#Covid19/#pandemic #LOCKDOWN has dammed my creative juices is a woefully inadequate understatement. I produced blank pages (the equivalent of silence) the whole month of March, with the exception of my daily #vss365 one-tweet stories.

Seriously, it was depressing.

Given the number of go-go-go posts I've produced on overcoming fear, facing demons, staying motivated, my dry spell proclaimed personal failure, hypocrisy, and shame. Where was my advice when I needed it? (Right here, on the internet, easily accessible.)

A friend urged me to participate in a challenge to write a short story based on a visual prompt. Between being challenged and the thousand words implied in the photo, I did feel inspired. Prison Break came out of me and boy, did I feel triumphant and emancipated!

The story struck me as unfinished, so the following week, I wrote more.

How far could I push it? The week after that, I wrote even more, all the way into a corner. I was running out of creative juice, so Lucky Lucy suddenly had nowhere else to go.

Lmao, talk about life imitating art imitating life, however metaphorically.

Lockdown continues. I must carry on.

The same friend writes every single day, motivated by deadlines and challenges. She wrote a short story and entered it into a weekly competition, and invited me to join in also. The submission guidelines were straightforward, so I went for it.

It sparked an idea that I could possibly stick with this and enter every weekly competition. Maybe I'll win one.

If not, I'll at least build up a body of work and unleash it on the world to fame and glory.

😎

Sorry, I'm laughing maniacally at my own joke. Apologies if you don't find it as humorous as I do.

The fact remains that my job may or may not wait for me when lockdown ends, so I have several empty pages of days to fill. Stay tuned.

If you'd like to read my contest story - Back to Dreams Aphotic - it's posted on the writers' resource website Reedsy.

My submission leans into the dark side, about a weird asshole named Orland. Since the word count max is 3000 to enter, I decided to skip giving Orland a character arc, but rather treat the entry as a character study into a twisted mind.

If I've written it well, you'll probably hate Orland. To vote for it, LIKE it. Reedsy will ask you to create an account and they'll send you a follow up email. If you're a writer who enjoys or wants to start writing short stories, it's a fantastic opportunity to stay motivated. On the other hand, if you're a fan of reading short stories, it's a great way to find new writers, because you'll get a weekly email with the new prompts.

My short stories are listed here.


Be well, stay 6 feet apart, and have a magical day
Mackenzie

RANDOM THOUGHT - Thoughts on Prison Break's performance

The irony isn't lost on me that I've written a few different posts and tweets on breaking out of writers block, only to be cursed with a spell of it for over two months. Prison Break Part 1 marked an escape, so to speak, and I was so excited that I promoted it like crazy. Its popularity took off like a rocket, which made it that much more rewarding.

Part 2 also did well in terms of numbers of views. Truth be told, Parts 1 and 2 made it to the top 4 posts on my blog (the blog has nearly 150 posts since going live in July 2018, so that's saying something).

Part 3 turned into a bit of a disappointment.

I think I understand why.

Readers got attached to Lucky Lucy and Madwoman Cheri, but my imagination couldn't see a way for them to stay free, so I couldn't write their success. In that, I let Lucy and readers down. This just brings home the old truism for writers: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.

I don't have the slightest idea how to evade law enforcement. If I believed in Lucy or in myself as a writer, I would have asked some of my, how to say, more successfully rebellious friends for ideas on how to get Lucy to safe harbor.

Next time, friends. I promise I'll do better.

As it is, Lucy hasn't yet been read her Miranda rights, so it's possible I'll write Part 4, but I'm not committing to that, as of right now.

Have a magical day and please accept my apologies for poor storytelling.


Mackenzie

On Writing - Assignment 3 from class

The assignment was to write 500 words with a character who wants something, finds out s/he has a deadly disease and 24 hours to live, faces the choice of living or pursuing the initial want, and a conclusion.


Write or Die
by Mackenzie Littledale (for class)









Annabella took the cookie tin from the cupboard, and sat with her back to the window, the blinds drawn closed. She pulled out the money hidden inside and counted. Just forty dollars shy of six thousand, tantalizingly close to affording that three-week-long writer’s retreat in the US Virgin Islands, where she’d be surrounded by instructors, fellow writers, guest lecturers, famous authors, and palm trees. Annabella grinned, replaced the money and put the tin away. Her mind turned to the unexplained stomach pains she’d been having. As if jinxing herself, she doubled over in agonizing pain.

This time the pain was sharper, deadlier and she fell to her knees. Gasping, she crawled to her phone and dialed 9-1-1.

A short while later at the ER, she didn’t have to wait more than ten minutes before a doctor examined her. He ran CT- and PET-scans, took biopsies, and admitted her.

Feeling utterly alone and afraid of the smells of disinfectant mixed with misery, she struggled to sleep, only to wake, groaning in pain.

The following afternoon, Dr. Cherokov delivered the news. “Pancreatic cancer, and I’m afraid you’re in stage four.”

She felt in her guts that a second opinion would be the same. A sense of finality draped across her and seeped into her pores. She squeezed the bed rail. “What treatment is available?”

The doctor looked out the window and tapped his foot.

“Doctor?” she asked. “Tell me, please.”

“There is nothing beyond morphine at this point. You have twenty-four hours at most. Put your affairs in order. I’m so sorry.” Dr. Cherokov wiped his forehead and marched toward the door, but stopped short. “The university hospital is running an experimental treatment with one space left. The costs associated with the treatment are six thousand dollars. It’s an option. Lab results in small mammals have been promising, but the human risk is unknown.” He remained standing by the door.

Nothing rivaled the penetrating silence in the wake of his words. Annabella had no time to choose. Die before her dream trip or live and save up again from scratch. “The only choice is dying tomorrow. When would this experimental treatment begin?”

“In an hour.”

She fixed her gaze on her sweating hands. “Bring me the papers I need to sign.”

Annabella reviewed the papers and skimmed through the risks. She underwent the first round of treatment that night. The second round the next day left her nauseous. The third round left her lethargic and unable to get out of bed or eat for two days. When she woke up, she saw only black and grey static.

She reached blindly and pressed the button for the nurse. “I can’t see!”

“We’ll take note of that,” said the nurse when she got to the room.

Annabella shook her head. Of all the risks listed, she least expected to lose her vision. Even if she could still take her writers retreat, she’d be unable to participate. Was this worse than death, she couldn’t tell.

Local Goings-on - Rooftop 1 West Las Olas

You'd think I haven't eaten in a year! Facebook suggested I'd enjoy Rooftop 1WLO in Fort Lauderdale. They were correct!

This place rocks. Given my oddball work hours, I get to go on off nights, like Wednesday at 8:00pm when they offer movie night for only $10. That's one thing, but for that $10, you also get free rosé and a miniature kettle of popcorn (cheesy, salty, buttery popcorn).

The views are spectacular!

Bar at Rooftop 1WLO, Fort Lauderdale
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

Braised ribs grilled cheese, Rooftop 1WLO
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

Rooftop 1WLO Fort Lauderdale
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

Rooftop 1WLO Fort Lauderdale
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

View up Las Olas from 1 WLO Fort Lauderdale
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

View of Nova Southeastern University & Museum Plaza from 1 WLO Fort Lauderdale
Credit: Mackenzie Littledale

Last night they played The Proposal with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. We didn't get to hear all of it, but we had so much fun, it didn't matter too much.

I can vouch for the buffalo chicken empanadas and braised ribs grilled cheese.

Full bar, but they don't have a blender, so no frozen cocktails 😢
Valet parking is $27, unless you get the front desk to validate your ticket, then it's only $7.

Thursday evening is Ladies' Night - ladies drink free from 4:00pm - 7:00pm.

Facebook: @rooftop1WLO
Website: http://rooftop1wlo.com/

Go have some fun and take friends!

Have a magical day!
Mackenzie

On Writing - next WIP ideas

While This Darkness is Mine is being queried in hopes of landing a contract with a literary agent, I have a couple ideas for future novels.

Before that though, finding potential readers who would have a keen interest in This Darkness is Mine will be foremost in my mind. Since the novel is semi-autobiographical, I decided to take a few cues from Michelle, the lead.

A support group isn't the worst idea in the world, so I'm planning on visiting one in Hollywood - DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance). I've been to support groups before and felt ill-at-ease, but since #EndTheStigma is important, it's time I stop looking down my nose at people who have the same struggles I do. Maybe they're not the same, but worse or less. The fact remains, we're in this together and bipolar manifests in myriad ways in different people. It's incredibly difficult to know what's real when the mind itself is malfunctioning.

To say I'm fortunate that my meds work so well is an understatement.

Having gone off on that tangent - the next ideas for novels are:

1) a doctor and her patient who get entangled in a massive corporate lobbying effort
2) a young woman who develops peripheral neuropathy after becoming a widow, and the only time she can feel anything at all is when she heals others' pain
3) an historical fiction novel based on the life of an ancestor in early 1800s San Vincent


Make someone else's day magical!

Mackenzie

Facebook

As of November, you can find me on Facebook. I've tried to find the necessary time to document my journey towards getting published, and it's an ongoing thing still.

If you've been following this blog for awhile or enjoy the writing, please visit my author page and leave a review so others know there's more to me than This Darkness is Mine.

https://www.facebook.com/MackenzieLittledaleWriter/

The REVIEW button is on the left side of the screen.

Appreciate ya!

Make someone else's day magical!

Mackenzie

On Writing - FUCK YEAH

I'm not known for clean language, particularly, so let me start off by saying

FUCKING-A

(c) Deposit Photos

The adult fiction writers who were mentored in Pitchwars 2019 made fucking HISTORY. Every single entry got at least one agent interested enough to request more. Getting an agent's attention is hard. Getting them to take action is even harder. I wrote 17 pitch drafts before my mentor and I said, "Yeah, that one."

It's an absolute honor to be included with such ferocious talent. Determined writers who won't listen to anyone telling them they're not good enough, even when they're telling themselves that.

Not good enough? Keep writing.
Not talented? Keep writing.
No one is going to read my shit? Keep writing.

Because we are good enough for the here and now. Right here, right now.
We are talented. We don't have to be the most talented, we have to go the distance.
We take the scrapes, the bruises, the critiques, the bad weather, the naysayers. We blow past the whiners, the quitters, and the ones who won't try.

Fuck it, I'm going for it.


My day is perfect.

Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie

On writing - What is the dream?

When I sat down for the first time to start my manuscript, it didn't have a title or a plot. I knew the beginning, some of the middle, but wasn't sure where to end the story.

I watched a tutorial on writers digest.com.
The beginning changed.

I read.
The middle changed.

I watched more tutorials.
The ending didn't change much.

A busy period loomed at work and I feverishly got the manuscript to a ready state and sent it off to beta readers, giving them a full two months to read and make notes.
They all said the story kind of dragged around the same place. Good to know.

Then came pitchwars. I didn't know what it was, but I entered, figuring I'd get the right guidance for that slow spot. I didn't expect the second half to change much, because beta readers loved it.

I think I posted about this already, so I'll cut to the chase.

This Darkness is Mine has a soundtrack in mind. I wrote it out, chapter by chapter what music I think would be appropriate if it were ever made into a motion picture.

I wrote out a list of people who I'd like to send ARCs (Advance Reviewer Copies) in hopes they'd post reviews on B&N, amazon and goodreads.

Why stop there?

I looked up to see if it's common or out of the question for fiction to have a foreword. Forewords can be included in any genre (good to know!)

Reedsy has a blog and YouTube video for how to get endorsements, so I have a few names of celebrities and mental health advocates whose endorsements I crave.

So in it to win it!

My dream expanded even more after receiving feedback from reader and writer friends after the manuscript went through the pitchwars revisions.

"Holy fuck! This is blowing me away!"

"It's a masterful display of imagery that's sucking me in...I'm over 100 pages in and don't wanna stop."

"Mack...I'm shaking it's seriously good."

"I finished all you sent me of This Darkness Is Mine. I think I enjoyed this part even better than the first! You write so well, Mack."

"This is an important story."

"Maybe five or six books I've read in my life really stuck with me, and yours is now with them. Michelle's ambulance ride - what a hoot! Michelle's attitude at the support group. You know, you've really given people a glimpse into a mind that they'd never get."

"This is riveting. I couldn't stop reading it! A star is born, Wonderful!!!"

And, I mean wow! https://www.screencast.com/t/5NrFbjUWu A full length review that I'll just tuck away and peek at whenever I need a pick me up and reason to crush writers block and self doubt.

Pitchwars showcase is literally a couple days away. Wish me luck!

Make someone else's day magical!!

Mackenzie

On Writing - This Pitchwars thing is hard

One post to vent, cry, break stuff, wail, and generally complain.

Just kidding.

Pitchwars (for more on PitchWars, there's their website www.pitchwars.org, and also a podcast on Manuscript Academy's website at https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast Episode #64) has been a fascinating journey requiring me to toughen my hide and buckle down to get the task done. I didn't know what to expect. Really, I had no clue whatsoever. At the outset, since all my beta readers said the pace of This Darkness is Mine picked up around Chapter 15 and they couldn't put it down until the end, I figured I'd only be rewriting and editing Chapters 8-14. Not so bad.

That is not how it turned out.

The first half required the least work. A brand new Chapter 2. That was easy. A few overlays to add in some conflict between the characters, reveal motivations and stuff like that.

Those changes had ripple effects throughout the rest of the manuscript, which led me to writers block (it still happens to me, too).

The biggest hurdle and bluntest comments were about the character of Joe.

The relationship doesn't seem real.
It's too easy.
This remains difficult to believe.

OK. I wrestled here, but to be honest, I think the changes I made really deepen the bond between Michelle and Joe. My mentor hasn't weighed in yet, but we moved on to drafting pitches. I think we're going with draft #15. We moved on to searching for comps and now I'm back to that struggle. Finding adult contemporary fiction on mental illness in a minority family with a romantic subplot that deals with the effects of a cultish religion...not easy.

However, if you tell an agent there's "no book on the market like mine," they don't believe you and write you off as not knowing your genre.

On the flip side, when I think about the lack of suitable comparable titles, it leads me to toy with the idea that This Darkness is Mine is truly a seminal work. After all this turmoil, my ego needs the stroking. And it's plausible. This is not my first go round looking for comp titles and coming up with almost nothing.

What's in This Darkness is Mine?

• an imaginary romance
• a psychotic break on a plane
• a friendship-turned-romance that blows up and falls apart
• dysfunctional family dynamics
• contrast of bipolar managed well against not managed at all
• grief, loss, resilience, tenacity, denial, acceptance, and healing

It's a helluva story


Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie

Wall Street - Hello 2020

My Twitter posts about investing don't get much attention. Maybe it's because I'm not a hot shot Wall Streeter or hedge fund manager.

That's fair. I worked for over 5 years on Wall Street as an assistant and then executive assistant. I pay attention though. I read. I dig, research, create Excel spreadsheets, and dive into financial statements.

Before I give you a reiteration of my prognostication for water, clean energy, marijuana, and AI/robotics, I'll tell you a true story.

My dad talked about the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 for as far back as I can remember. He became a seasoned investor (by Wall Street standards), although he may not have been as savvy as he let on.

In 1999, I was living in NYC and every day the news mentioned some ordinary person who'd just made a killing investing in dot-com stocks. Taxi drivers, hairdressers, shoeshine boys retiring with millions, ok? MILLIONS.

I was happy for them, but filled with angsty wonder at how they made millions and my father lost so much. What did they know that he didn't?

I marched my fat ass down to Strand Books (8 miles of books) by South Street Seaport and parked myself in the Business & Investing section. I browsed through 3 stacks of books up to my knees for hours until I found an investing "bible": The Art & Science of Successful Investing by Todd Leigh Mayo. It's two inches thick. I picked it up, thinking I'd never read it, thumbed to a random page and was WOWED at how clear the writing was. Every word was solid gold advice that was at once useful and practical and compelling.

I bought that book and another that I've since forgotten, and I recommend Mayo's book to anyone interested in putting their hard-earned money to work for them in the safest way they can manage.

AT&T was about to spin off a tracking stock for AT&T Wireless (ticker AWE). My coworker and I wanted to make some fucking money and we talked about AWE. I didn't know jack about telecom, so I didn't want to put the money at risk.

Three investing seminars all said the same thing: If you'd invested $10,000 in the Dow Jones in 1967 and held it until 1997, you'd have $300,000 (gazillion dollars).

My only question: Where the hell do I get $10,000 to invest in the first place?

Enter the online discount brokers. One ad said investors could get started with $250.

WOO-HOO! I can do that! I opened an account and sent $10 or $20 every paycheck until my account balance had $250. I read Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks about how he came upon Starbucks as a marketing consultant, visited the baristas in Italy, and fell in love with coffee culture. He had a vision of Starbucks growing from a 2-guy shop in Seattle to a global powerhouse.

Dude. That's power and vision. The rest is legendary.



My coworker and I were at work after hours, and I placed my first trade. I let out a cheer. My coworker said, "What are you doing over there?"

I said, "I just placed my first trade!"

She asked, "What did you buy?"

"Starbucks!"

"How much did you buy?"

"Seventy-five!"

"Shares?" She peered around the corner at me.

"Nope. Dollars worth. I got three shares!" I can't overstate how excited I was.

She belted out a laugh. I mean, a long, loud laugh.

"I'm not rich," I said, still incredibly proud of my start.

She got quiet and came closer. "I'm not rich either. Show me what you're doing."


 

I  no longer hold SBUX (sadly), but I kept at it at my own pace with money I felt comfortable putting at risk, because the education I was gaining was shrinking my risk. Knowledge is power. The less you know, the more empowered Wall Street is to take advantage. The more you know (I mean REALLY know), the more empowered YOU are to avoid getting taken for a ride.

My prognostication:

Water. Global water scarcity is a definite real problem looming in the near future, and already a real problem in many places. There is an ETF for global water, but I'm liking ticker WTR as the second largest water supplier/utility in the States. That holding is up double digits from the time I purchased. Still long the position.



Clean Energy. Solar, wind, etc. There is an ETF for clean energy. If you don't want to learn how to read financial statements and all that dry stuff, go for the easiest route to diversification and low expense ratios with an ETF (exchange traded fund).

Marijuana. People are going to continue demanding medical and recreational weed. The government will cave in and regulate it. Example Canopy Growth. (I made over $1000 on a single trade. Sadly I sold it before Constellation Brands bought them out). One opportunity made, another lost. That's life.
Aphria (APHA) is way down. I'm not sure what their individual chances of success are, but at under $6.00 per share lately, there's some room for upside movement.



AI/Robotics. I seriously can't foresee my profession being replaced by AI or robots, but I've been wrong before. In the event it happens and I lose my livelihood, I expect to profit anyway.




The extra: Waste management and recyclers. The plastic crisis is for real. We can't give up plastic until we give up petroleum, which isn't going to happen overnight. The best we can do in transition to clean energy and natural packaging products is to find better ways to dispose of plastics or recycle them.

I'm not qualified to sell investment advice, so you'll have to do some research on your own. Get your eyeballs on The Art & Science of Successful Investing as a primer. It's got all the basics down in plain English.

That's all.

Make 2020 a magical year!

Mackenzie