Let Me Be Completely Honest

I wonder if there really is such a thing as being completely honest? And should we be, ever? I hear that phrase a lot and when I do, I begin to suspect what comes next. A person’s word and character should be such that we never doubt his honesty in the first place and don’t have to be forewarned when he decides to come clean.

I do believe in honesty and we need more of it in our embittered world. Lying is definitely a no-no and causes nothing but trouble and confusion. But, I think of exceptions. Go with me backward about 150 years to Georgia during the time of the War Between the States. What if Yankee soldiers came to my door and asked if I had Confederate soldiers on the premises? Well, what if it so happened that yes, I had one of my family in the barn, unarmed, ill, and hungry, hiding until danger passed. Would I say, “Let me be completely honest, my brother is out in the barn under the hay?”

I don’t think so.

Sometimes being completely honest is a disguise for being brutally honest. If someone asks my opinion about a recipe or a pair of shoes that she likes a lot, I’m sure I can find something good to say about the subject.

I have found that if I read a book I really do not enjoy, I don’t write a review. I know from experience that negativism hurts and is sometimes undeserved. When I see an eviscerating review, I wonder why the reader took the time if she hated the book so much, to finish it. That is not being honest, that is being brutal and offers a peek into the reader’s personality.

Which brings me to mention a really fun thing–my publisher, Pen-L, is continuing the .99 cent sale on Pen-L Publishing ebooks on Amazon. Take a look and see what you think.

http://www.amazon.com/Blanche-Day-Manos/e/B0090018EI/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

http://pen-l.com/Mystery.html