Author Archives: Joanne Guidoccio

Be As You Are

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In her recent release, Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace, bestselling author Nedra Glover Tawwab shares inspiring advice for setting boundaries, rising above drama, and expressing ourselves with clarity and integrity. Here’s a thought-provoking reflection:

It’s a lifelong learning process to become acquainted with who you are. After all, you are constantly learning and changing even if you don’t realize it.

On average, I read about forty books a year. I love to read, and books have been my companion since childhood. When I share how many I read, some people say they’d like to read more. But reading for pleasure is not the same as having to read for school. People are uncomfortable acknowledging that they only read for utility purposes. But no one has to read unless they truly enjoy it.

Perhaps you don’t like to try new things as much as you’d like to be seen as someone who wants to try new things.

Perhaps you don’t like being in a group setting despite wanting to be more social.

Perhaps you are not as much of this or that as you’d like.

You are who you are, and you may not fit the ideal of who you’d like to be. But embracing who you are will simplify your journey in life.

Change is possible if it’s what you really want to do. However, accepting yourself is freeing. Sometimes, becoming yourself is about simply allowing yourself to be as you are.

Source: Consider This, p. 258.

Blurb Blitz: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Jess Ames. Today, Jess shares her new release, Everything You’ve Ever Wanted.

Blurb

Jenna Mitchell has spent her adult life under the control of her husband, her dreams of owning her own bakery pushed aside. But at twenty-eight, she’s finally ready to reclaim her life and pursue her passion. Well… almost.

With the unwavering support of the Sensational Six—her close-knit group of friends—Jenna can finally envision a day where she is in charge of her own destiny, a big step forward for her. As she works at her friend’s café, Jenna begins to discover the strength and courage she needs to break free from her past and begin focusing on her future.

But can she quiet the echoes that keep finding their way back to her? Will the doubts they’ve created make it impossible for her to see—and trust—the path forward before her chance at a better life slips through her flour-dusted fingers?

Fans of Rachel Hanna will enjoy this warm and uplifting story about self-discovery, finding the courage to start anew, and the unbreakable bonds of chosen family.

Excerpt

I’d prepared for this moment in therapy. We had role-played and rehearsed for weeks, and as I tilted the phone away from my ear in preparation of what I knew was coming next, I sent up a silent prayer that I could speak with the same resolve I’d finally achieved in my sessions.

“I’m just not so sure about that anymore, Craig. That’s not our home anymore, and for the record, I like it here.”

My therapist’s voice floated through my head. “Good. Very good. Keep going, Jenna. You’ve got this.” I focused on the tension in my shoulders and let them drop from somewhere near my earlobes.

“Oh, I’m sure you do like it there, living it up and doing whatever the hell you want, but you have to know it’ll never last, Jenna. You need me. You’ll never survive on your own. So, go down to the bank and get the money and get me the hell out of here,” he volleyed back. I could almost see his confident sneer as he waited for his words to take shape in my soft, pliable mind.

But what Craig didn’t know, and what I was finally learning, was that my mind could bend to my will, too.

I let the silence stretch long enough to gather up the scraps of my newly found strength, breathe in slowly through my nose, and look around to ground myself in the new life I was willing into existence, one bright white and navy throw pillow at a time. “Craig, I don’t think it’s a great idea for me to come bail you out right now,” I began with all the confidence I could muster, “but I’m sure your attorney will be able to work something out.”

“I don’t have an attorney, Jenna. I have a public defender,” he spit out.

“I know, Craig. But I —”

“Jenna, you’re being ridiculous. Come down here right—”

Taking a page from his own book, I cut him off. Hung up the phone. For the first time, I didn’t feel compelled to listen to him go on and on about all the ways I’d failed him, and all the ways he’d saved me. I no longer needed my subscription to his misguided savior program. It had become painfully clear who had been saving whom in our relationship, and I was no longer compelled to rescue him after what he’d done to land himself in jail. It was embarrassing enough to know that he had destroyed my friend’s home, just as I was starting to get my feet under me and maybe forge my own path to a little bit of independence. I can’t even imagine how Paige had felt to come home and find her kitchen and bedroom destroyed. And then to find out it was my husband who had done it out of anger and jealousy that she was offering me a chance to bake for her retreats—an opportunity to gain some independence (God forbid)… I’d been lucky that Paige was such an understanding friend and didn’t hold Craig’s actions against me.

Author Bio and Links

Jess Ames is knocking on the door of fifty, but has the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old and the body of a fifty-four-year-old (according to her fitness app).

She is “mama” to nine, “mimi” to four, “friend” to all, an adequate wife, and living the dream of the little girl who wanted to be a writer when she grew up.

They are both still waiting for that moment, so she’s writing in the meantime.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Ebook | Paperback | Signed Paperback

Giveaway

Jess Ames will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Jess on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Poetry Collection Review: All Along You Were Blooming

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

April is National Poetry Month, a month set aside to celebrate poetry and its vital place in our society. Launched by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, this month-long celebration has attracted millions of readers, students, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and poets.

Today, and for the next three Fridays, I will share my favorite poetry collections.

Today’s selection, All Along You Were Blooming, has been described as “a love letter from the poet to your heart, to your soul, and to your body.”

There is so much to like here, starting with the title and subtitle. These initial messages are reassuring, reminding us that we have been blooming for a while and that we can enrich our lives with “thoughts for boundless living.” I was also impressed by the striking colors and illustrations that accompany each piece of poetry and prose.

Morgan Harper Nichols—a multi-talented artist, musician, and poet—does more than create art. She also gives meaning to each season of our lives. Her work gently encourages us to live fully in the present moment and own our unique stories. Her backstory is an intriguing one. An introvert, she didn’t believe she could show up in the world. All that changed on a cold autumn day when Morgan took a deep breath and wrote an Instagram message to her followers. She invited them to share their stories, and one by one, she responded with a personalized poem, forging a deep and authentic connection with her audience.

Beautifully written and aesthetically pleasing, this book is a versatile gift for many occasions. Whether it’s for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, or holidays, this collection will delight the poetry readers in your circle.

One of my favorite poems from the collection:

You find yourself
beneath a canopy of trees
with broken branches,
covered with moss tangled at your knees.

Rest assured
the forest does not crawl on forever,

But you must begin the journey
here.

For this is the time,
this is the time to come alive,
to walk tall with a beating heart
and wide-open midday eyes,
to surrender,
here in the green,
for you are still free
to travel free,
without knowing
everything,
humbly following the traces of daylight,
even though the path is unmarked,
even though this was not a favored start,
this is your only Hope
to make it through
precisely here,
pushing through the land of the unknown
you will find your home
in Hope.

So for now,
while you are here,
turn your attention
to the lessons of strength
this present forest offers.

If You Are Feeling Lost…

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In a recent interview, bestselling author Brianna Wiest shared the following advice for anyone who may be feeling lost:

If you are feeling lost, you’re actually making way more progress than you think you are. And you’re doing a lot better than you think you are. Most people don’t even let themselves get to the point of feeling or admitting that they are lost. They are gripping so tightly to the old narrative and the old programming to even stop and say, ‘I don’t know what’s next. I feel lost.’ So, if you feel lost right now, that is your first signal that you have left the life that was wanting to go behind. So, step one is to acknowledge that Feeling lost is a victory, even though it doesn’t feel like it right now.

The second part is in that space of not knowing, anything becomes possible. You have no idea what kind of miracle is at your feet right now. You have no idea what you’ve actually opened up within your life.

Also, part of that feeling lost is the grieving and mourning of what you’ve had to let go of, and that’s okay, too. That’s a process that takes time.

It’s also about coming up with your vision. I think it’s about finding your next muse and figuring out What inspires me now. We’re meant to evolve, and I think people miss that. When we don’t move with life, ultimately, things do come to a grinding halt, and then we’re forced to let go. So, if you’re feeling lost, there’s nothing wrong with you. Actually, there’s something very right with you.

Brianna Wiest’s latest release, The Life that’s Waiting, is now available.

Interview with Judith Works

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Judith Works. Today, Judith shares interesting facts about her creative journey and new release, The Measure of Life.

Interview

What was your inspiration for this book?

I lived in Rome for ten years and after returning to the States wrote a memoir about the experience, titled Coins in the Fountain. But I wasn’t done writing about people in the expat community, some of whom didn’t live very happy lives. This interested me and I wanted to examine a life different from my own experience, and so The Measure of Life began a long gestation as a story began to take shape about a woman who struggles with disappointments and eventually finds happiness.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part is shepherding a book to publication and holding a copy in my hands when it’s published. The worst is the struggle to write an interesting story that will actually result in publication.

Describe your writing space.

My writing space is my office. After living abroad and traveled extensively, the room is filled with memoires of places I’ve visited along with a bookcase holding books on the art and history of Italy. My desk holds dictionaries, a thesaurus, style manuals, and a new desktop computer along with the printer. Hanging above is a large replica of a map of 17th Century Rome with small paintings of Italy surrounding it.

Which authors have inspired you?

Frances Mayes, who writes so beautifully about Italy, comes easily to mind. Other authors whose books I enjoy are Colm Tóibín, Hillary Mantel, and Tan Twan Eng all of whom are geniuses at setting, plot, and character.

What is your favorite quote?

“Rome is a city of echoes, the city of illusions, the city of yearning.”
Giotto 1266 -1387

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

To bring peace to the world.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

I love to travel and have visited over one hundred countries on every continent except Antarctica. Italy is my favorite, but France and Japan are a close second. Some of the less traveled places such as Togo, Zanzibar, and Bali could easily draw me back. My most recent adventures have been to Alaska and Hawaii. When my suitcase is in resting mode, I volunteer for literary events such as a local writing conference.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

As the joke goes about how musicians get to Carnegie Hall is practice, practice, practice. The same goes for writers: write, write, and write. But don’t forget to read, especially in your genre.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on a novel about a woman who inherits an old house and finds she has a family she never knew existed.

Blurb

A story of love and loss, lies and truth, begins in Rome when Nicole shares a cappuccino and cornetto with her Italian tutor. The meeting sets off a chain of events that upends the course of her life. While Rome also brings deep friendships and immersion into a sumptuous food scene there is no escape from acknowledging the consequences of her actions. In search of forgiveness and healing, she moves to an island near her childhood home in Seattle only to find the way to reunite the remnants of her family and discover her true path is to return to Rome and face the past.

Excerpt

I read about a new concept called blogging. Intrigued, I studied the process to launch my own blog. After a lot of false starts, I managed to post about the day I bought bread in the bakery Maggie recommended and ended up meeting the old man. I titled it FIAT PANIS (Let There be Bread):

Once upon a time I met an old man out of a fairy tale. He was tiny and perched in a gigantic carved chair where he presided over a treasure trove of books and antiques. And it was the same day I first savored the goodness of real Roman bread. The kind of bread that’s crispy brown on the outside and chewy inside. The kind baked in a wood-fired oven wafting a mouth-watering aroma out the door to compel you to follow the scent back to the bakery where fresh loaves await. I squeezed through the crowd toward the clerk to make my selection while imagining ancient Romans clustered at the baker’s stall—the baker pulling the rounds of whole wheat spiced with poppy and fennel seeds from the hot oven while his wife handed them to house slaves who gossiped about their owners, and matrons who gossiped about the neighbors as they handed over a few coins.

I included colorful photos of the bakery and a loaf of fresh bread on my kitchen table along with frescoes of loaves from the ruins of Pompeii.

Buy Links

Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Google | iTunes

Author Bio and Links

After I earned a law degree in midlife, I had the chance to leave the Forest Service in Oregon and run away to the Circus (Maximus). In reality my husband and I moved to Rome where I worked for the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization for four years as a legal advisor to the director of human resources. I could see the Circus that had hosted chariot races during the Roman Empire from my office window.

My husband and I reluctantly returned to the US after four years. But we pined for the land of pasta, vino, art, and sunny piazzas. Then the gods smiled and offered a chance to return to Rome with the UN World Food Program. Six more years or food and frolic in the Eternal City passed much too quickly. The indelible experiences living in Italy and working for the UN were the genesis of my memoir Coins in the Fountain.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Threads | BlueSky

Giveaway

Judith Light will be awarding a $20 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Judith on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I couldn’t put this book down and stayed up two nights in a row to finish it. Ms. Works is an expert storyteller with a keen eye for detail and a gift for creating a strong sense of place. She takes us on a transformative journey from sun-drenched Rome to the rain-soaked shores of Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest. I immediately connected with Nicole, the protagonist, as she navigated the complexities of an unhappy marriage, an extramarital affair, and parenting three children.

If you enjoyed reading A Year in Tuscany, you will love this sweeping romantic saga.



Be the Genie

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

In his recent release, The Art of Doing, Jesse Lipscombe shares simple and straight-forward tools that can help transform our lives. Here’s an inspiring excerpt:

I’m sure all of us, at some point, have fantasized about stumbling upon a genie in a bottle. I know I have. What would your three wishes be? Would you wish for a billion dollars? World peace? Good health?

If only life worked that way.

This is just another example of how we keep looking outward for ways to fulfill our dreams when we should be looking inward. You and only you are the magical vessel you need to find to achieve your goals. And the coolest part about this realization is that you’re not locked into the whole three-wish paradigm. You can grant yourself as many wishes as you like. You simply need to give yourself permission to do it first.

For some of us, that’s the hardest thing in the world. It has been ingrained in us from our very beginnings that we have to look externally for permission.

Parents are the first people to give us permission, and the first people we have to ask for permission when we want something. If we wanted a second helping of dinner, we had to ask. If we wanted to watch TV or stay out late, we had to ask. Learning to give ourselves permission is a process that happens as we grow. The more we practice doing it, the easier it becomes.

We live in a world that promotes hustle culture, where working every waking hour with few breaks is seen as the norm. We complain about our co-workers, our bosses, and the fact that we never have enough time off or don’t get paid what we’re worth. We lament that there is never enough time. What we fail to do is give ourselves permission to change it all.

I like to put it this way: A person wouldn’t ask a professional hockey player how to fix their car, so why would you ask anyone else to “fix” your life? Granting ourselves permission—permission to do something new, to act differently, to change our circumstances, even to disappoint others or fail at something—is the key to being the genie of our own bottle.

Source: The Act of Doing, pp. 107-109

The Power of Eleven Downward Dogs

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author and journalist, donalee Moulton. Today, donalee shares an entertaining quiz about yoga and her new release, Bind.

Here’s donalee!

In my new book, Bind, three women discover everything that happens in a yoga studio is not Zen. Sometimes it’s grand larceny. Hand in hand with two cops, and one damn cute dog, they discover who’s stolen a Patek Philippe watch from what was supposed to be a secure locker. Time is ticking.

Throughout the book, the first in the Lotus Detective Agency series, the women (and even the cops) find themselves in a yoga studio doing everything from child’s pose to bird of paradise – or trying to. In their honor, here’s a fun little quiz on the ups and downs of yoga.

Should yoga be done in front of a mirror?

Ahh, no. The last thing you want to see is the rearview of your downward dog. It’s said mirrors can breed judgement and self criticism – and create unnecessary competition.

North Americans love their yoga. How much you ask?

Americans spend around $16 billion on yoga classes, clothing, equipment, and accessories each year. The number of yoga and Pilates studios in the US increased to 38,000 in 2020. Here’s another figure for you: 300 million. That’s the approximate number of yoga practitioners worldwide. And a final number: $66.2 billion – the projected value of the global yoga market by 2027.

The world’s largest yoga lesson had how many attendees?

The largest yoga lesson was attended by 100,984 participants, with hats off to the Government of Rajasthan, Patanjali Yogapeeth, and the District Administration of Kota in India, on June 21, 2018. That’s nearly double the participants of the previous largest yoga lesson. Even Wembley stadium can’t hold that many people. This record-breaking community event was organised to celebrate International Day of Yoga 2018. The enormous assembly practised yoga together for two hours in the early morning.

What is the most dangerous yoga pose?

Probably not a good idea to try headstands. It’s contraindicated for much of the population for a slew of reasons — high blood pressure, glaucoma, and pregnancy, to name a few. It’s absolutely contraindicated for anyone with neck injuries. Interestingly, savasana – where you lie down with your eyes closed and relax – is one of the most difficult yoga poses to master.

The world’s oldest yoga teacher taught until she was how old?

The oldest yoga instructor recognized by the Guinness World Records was Tao Porchon-Lynch, who was teaching yoga up until her passing at the age of 101 in February 2020. Bless her heart.

Yoga should be practiced while wearing what type of clothes?

Loose clothes are best because you’ll be stretching, bending, and binding in all sorts of directions. You’ll want clothing that allows for a full range of motion. Recommended: garments with stretchy fabrics and a relaxed fit to ensure you can move freely.

The most ancient yoga text, Goraksha’s Century, describes how many poses?

The Gorakṣaśataka is one of the first texts that teaches Haṭha yoga’s physical methods. The first verse states that the text is for those who have renounced ordinary life to attain liberation. The text was written by an Indian sage said to have lived in the 9th or 10th century and who is believed to have been a student of Matsyendra – the first person to learn the teachings of yoga.

Here’s a multiple-choice question for you. Yoga can do what for your body according to scientific evidence and not just yoga practitioners?
(1) Improve blood flow
(2) Boost your immune system
(3) Enhance sexual function

They’re all right, but we want it to be (3). Yoga can work every muscle in your body. Research has shown that practicing yoga can delay aging and it boosts your immune system.

Yoga classes were originally intended exclusively for whom?

Yoga classes used to be just for men; women were not invited until 1937. And today 72% of yoga practitioners are women. Women were not allowed to practice yoga because it was believed to make them infertile or subject to evil spirits.

Prisoners in what country can reduce their sentence by getting top marks in a yoga test?

In 2010, prison officials in Madhya Pradesh, a state in India, launched a program to reduce inmates’ sentences if they completed a three-month yoga course. The prison authorities found that yoga not only improved the prisoners’ fitness but made them calmer, less violent, and more positive towards life.

What kind of yoga is growing in popularity?

Laughter yoga. You laugh for no reason to help reduce stress and depression. Laughter yoga releases endorphins and the “feel good” hormones, dopamine and serotonin. It also suppresses that pesky stress-hormone cortisol. These effects are linked to a better mood, reduced pain, lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and lower stress levels and rates of depression.

Author Bio and Links

donalee Moulton’s first mystery book Hung out to Die was published in 2023. A historical mystery, Conflagration!, was published in 2024. It won the 2024 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense (Historical Fiction). donalee has two new books in 2025, Bind and Melt, the first in a new series, the Lotus Detective Agency.

A short story “Swan Song” was one of 21 selected for publication in Cold Canadian Crime. It was shortlisted for an Award of Excellence. Other short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and magazines. donalee’s short story “Troubled Water” was shortlisted for a 2024 Derringer Award and a 2024 Award of Excellence from the Crime Writers of Canada.

donalee is an award-winning freelance journalist. She has written articles for print and online publications across North America including The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Lawyer’s Daily, National Post, and Canadian Business.

As well, donalee is the author of The Thong Principle: Saying What You Mean and Meaning What You Say and co-authored the book, Celebrity Court Cases: Trials of the Rich and Famous.

Facebook | Goodreads | LinkedIn | Instagram | Bluesky | EBooks and Print | Website

Book Blast: Mean Cuisine

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Wendy W. Webb. Today, Wendy shares her new release, Mean Cuisine.

Blurb

Beluga Stein is taking a cooking class and it’s a real killer. This time she’s traded her signature loud muumuus for ill-fitting chef attire, including a toque the size of her ego.

A well-liked chef is found dead and it’s up to Beluga and her feline familiar, Planchette, to investigate. There’s no recipe to follow, only the hope that her erratic psychic ability will hit the spot. Is a supernatural entity stirring up trouble, or something far more dangerous?

Beluga and Planchette can’t stand the heat, but there’s no way out of this kitchen while murder is the main dish.

Excerpt

Beluga Stein’s Diary

Such a day.

And while Chef Pernod tried mightily to restore order with an impromptu lecture on the differences between Grande, Classic and Nouvelle cuisines, I’m afraid the distinctions were lost when the frozen body was wheeled past us to the waiting ambulance.

The sight of such a spectacle took a toll on the chef as well, I should add. Fortunately for me there was no mention of Planchette in the kitchen, but for the rest of us the chef’s well-practiced lecture took a sudden nosedive into a stream-of-consciousness series of French words. I think I heard her say that a traditional kitchen brigade had positions with names sounding something like “poisoner,” which is rather ominous if you ask me, and “chefs who party,” which might warrant further investigation if things start to get dull. Or one finds herself in immediate need of hors d’oeuvres and a tropical cocktail.

Author Bio and Links

Wendy W Webb (aka one of the many Wendy Webbs) has published dark fantasy short stories and novels, co-edited anthologies, and has had productions of stage and radio plays. After a hiatus as a doctoral student of emergency management and as a disaster responder, she welcomed the return to fiction with The Wild Rose Press writing the gothic Widow’s Walk, and two updated books in the Beluga Stein supernatural-humor-murder mystery series, Bee Movie and Mean Cuisine. Sunbury Press under the Milford House imprint published the paranormal, travel, “memoir,” Eye of the Gargoyle. She adores her husband; two dogs, one of which turns on iTunes whenever Wendy leaves her office; dry red wine; theatre; and travel as long as she doesn’t see any more ghosts!

Barnes & Noble Paperback | Barnes & Noble eBook | Amazon Paperback | Amazon eBook

Giveaway

Wendy Webb will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Wendy on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.