Packin' some HUSSY Power!

There's a lot of talk these days about the power for change. (Especially in my neck of the woods with elections coming up!) It got me thinking what kind of power I have. Do I have the power to change things? The answer is - YES.

We all do. Now I'm not going to run for office, picket something or write letters to the editor. But I carry my Hussy power with me all the time - it's in my wallet! I'm going to survive today by exercising the power of my dollars! If I like something, then I'll buy it. A product works? I'll buy another one. I like an author's work? I'll buy another book from her.

BUT...if it doesn't work for me, then I won't put out a single coin for it. It sounds simple enough, but think about it. A hundred people doing this - ho hum. A million people doing this? You've got power, babies!!!! Books, being near and dear to my heart, are a classic example. Recently I bought the first hardcover from a favorite author of mine. (I won't name names.) I have all her paperbacks and loved her sharp, snappy plots and sizzling hot romances. This hardcover? Halfway through I'm wondering if it's the same writer. The heroine was two inches shy of "Too Stupid to Live", spending all her time lusting for the hero even though bombs were exploding around her and body parts flying. Obviously somebody told this writer to up the sex quotient. It didn't work. I'm heartbroken and from now on I will NOT buy a hardcover with her name on it. Does my opinion matter? In the overall scheme of things, probably not. BUT...if a hundred thousand of her fans (and I'm sure she has at least that many) feel the same way...the point is going to get across to her publisher pretty darn quick.

So...YOU have the power, folks. All of us can use that power every time we open our wallets. If it's good, it gets our "vote". If it sucks...we don't buy it. Make today the day you decide to use YOUR power. We work hard for our money - why not make it work for us? Say no to that hand cream that turned out to be more like jello than silk. Cancel that magazine subscription to the one that's all glossy ads and nothing else these days. Remember the power you have folded into your purse. It's the bottom line, it's stronger than any voting bloc, and if we all use it wisely we can make the world a better place with products that really live up to their advance billing. We Hussies are a target "demographic" - women who are in the cross-hairs of advertisers and merchandisers alike. From this point on, I ain't buyin' it unless I KNOW it's going to work for me. If I have to try something new, I'll look for a sample or at least a coupon. I might try a new book from a new author...but if I don't like it, I won't buy another. THIS is the power, folks! We all have it! Let's survive today - and every day - by using it wisely! Our bottom line will thank us and perhaps we'll see more in the way of quality stuff coming down the pike. We deserve it.

And to that author? Honey, go back to what worked. Don't listen to your editor/publisher who demanded you put in all that sex instead of story. Trust your gut and write that next fabulous book. Just put it out in paperback, okay? Otherwise, I won't be picking it up....