Bio: As a lover of written words and the authors who wrote them, Antoinette taught 5th grade through high school. A toxic injury in 1991 led her out of the classroom and into a bookstore – where she went in short order from bookseller to event planner and developed a reputation among authors that soon led to her becoming a literary publicist. Seeing the changes coming in the publishing industry, she added book developer to her resume and soon thereafter founded the La Jolla Writers Conference. Now in its nineteenth year, the conference has been called by Writer’s Digest one of the 84 conferences in the country worth the money. Simultaneously, she also hosted Writers Roundtable radio show for eight years, was the Book Lady on KUSI-TV Good Morning San Diego for 20 years, and created Nightstand Press. What are manners? And how do manners differ from etiquette? Manners are the socially correct way of behaving, whereas etiquette is defined as the formal manners and rules that are followed in social or professional settings. For example, manners may dictate that we use utensils when we eat while etiquette may determine which fork or spoon we use for which course at a formal dinner. On a more practical level, good manners lead us to consider the feelings and comfort of others before we act. How would you describe manners to children? And why is it so important that we teach our children manners. I always described manners to my own children – and to my elementary school students – as the lubrication of society. Think about it. Whether we consider the microcosm of the family or the macrocosm of society in general, think of a machine. Without lubrication, there is friction between the parts and eventually, the machine grinds to a halt. Without manners, there is friction between people, and eventually that friction leads to a breakdown. It is mannerly to signal when you are going to make a turn with your car. Failing to do so can cause an accident. It is mannerly to be polite to those in your family or those at work. Failure to do so can engender conflict. It is mannerly to listen to someone when they speak to you. Failure to do so causes a breakdown in communication, not to mention hard feelings. Manners can make tense situations more workable and good situations even more enjoyable. Conversely, a lack of manners is an irritant that can impact everyone involved. Why are we talking about manners today? I brought it up because a lack of manners seems to be permeatin