Author Archives: Joanne Guidoccio

Give Yourself More Grace

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.

A long-time fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to reading their emails and blog posts. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:

It’s incredibly easy to overestimate the significance of a single decision, outcome, or event in the heat of the moment. But you must remind yourself to take a deep breath when things don’t go your way. Your results in the long run — good or bad — are always the byproduct of many small steps, outcomes, and events that transpire over time.

The truth is we all fail sometimes. The greater truth is that no single failure ever defines us. Learn from your mistakes, grow wiser, and press on. Character and wisdom are sculpted gradually. They come with loss, lessons, and triumphs. They come after doubts, second guesses, and uncertainty. The seeds of your success are planted in your past troubles and failures. Your best stories will come from overcoming your greatest challenges. Your praises will be birthed from your pains. So, keep standing, keep learning, and keep living.

Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.

On Dreaming and Writing

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Last Thursday, I participated in a WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association) webinar with writer, educator, and certified dreamwork professional Tzivia Gover. She is the author of Dreaming on the Page: Tap into Your Midnight Mind to Supercharge Your Writing, The Mindful Way to a Good Night’s Sleep, and Joy in Every Moment.

Tzivia began by reminding us that we are all storytelling beings who dream several times each night, whether we remember the dreams or not. Many of those dreams are filled with vivid imagery and strong emotions that can provide a gold mine of metaphors, memorable characters, plot twists, and out-of-body experiences. By tapping into these dreams, we can unlock a wealth of creative material that is unique to our own subconscious, empowering us to transform our writing in ways we never thought possible.

Continue reading on the Soul Mate Authors blog.

10 Last Chances

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Molly Wills Fraser. Today, Molly shares ten “real-life” last chances and the anthology, Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense.

Here’s Molly!

Have you ever had the misfortune of saying “this is it: my last chance?” You’d fit right in with the protagonists of Larceny & Last Chances, the latest short story anthology edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and published by Superior Shores Press.

The stories in the anthology are all fiction, but if you were looking for some real-life drama, read on for 10 non-fiction last chances.

Last Chance Creek, Helena, Montana: After months of digging downstream, prospectors here said, “this here upstream is our last chance” and finally struck gold. The 1864 find set off the Last Chance Gulch bonanza and netted those prospectors $40,000. That’s $850 million in today’s dollars!

Last Chance, Colorado: An hour outside of Denver lies this ghost town, established in 1925 to sell gas and ice cream to folks heading out on the road. When the I-70 was built in the 1960s, it skirted the town by 40 miles and the town’s prospects dried up like the Colorado plains.

Last Chance Camp, Cheyenne, Wyoming: Stay in a 20-foot teepee or a renovated horse box trailer at this rag-tag campsite. There are hundreds of spots for trailer camping and it’s only five miles to the nearest rodeo.

Last Chance Clearance Store, Phoenix, Arizona: Reviews vary widely from “the best high end designer showcase” to “disorganized mess.” This flea-market style shop features many top brands, but you’ll feel like the prospectors when trying to find that golden outfit.

Last Chance for Animals: This international agency has been working since 1985 to reduce exploitation of animals. They call themselves the “FBI of Animal Rights” and use a combination of militant activism and undercover investigations to expose the cruelty of corporations to the animal kingdom.

Last Chance Rock and Roll Bar, Melbourne, Australia: A dive bar featuring craft beer, live music every night and a side of gritty activism. Their current campaign is to save a cherished live-music venue from developers bent on gentrification and stop the landlords from committing rent larceny.

Last Chance Half Marathon, Calgary, Alberta: If you spend your spring tiptoeing through the tulips instead of running on roads, you need a late race date. Be There Races’ mid-November half marathon gives you one more chance to steal the gold medal before the Canadian winter sets in and your dreams freeze up.

Last Chance Antiques & Cheese Café, Tannersville, New York: A more surprising pairing than dark chocolate and smoked gouda, this off-beat combo in the middle of the Catskills has deluxe cheese plates served in front of antique teacups and vintage snowshoes.

Last Chance, Mars: Discovered by the Mars Rover Opportunity in 2004, this rocky outcrop has thin ripples of less than an inch wide. The thinness and steepness of these ripples suggest that they were formed by water. Water on Mars? That means this planet could one day be humanity’s last chance!

Last Chance Saloon, Wayne, Alberta: There were once many Last Chance Saloons scattered throughout prospecting territory, but the last one standing is in this coal-mining ghost town. On the menu are bison burgers and bullet holes in the walls. At night, be haunted by the pro-union coal miner ghost who has taken up residence of the third floor.

Molly Wills Fraser’s short story, ‘Not This Time” is included in Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense. Mary teaches high school drama in suburban Ontario. When she isn’t giving students one more chance, she’s nurturing her works in progress — three children, a garden, and more than a few fictional characters. Find out more about her at https://mollywillsfraser.com.

Larceny & Last Chances: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense

Sometimes it’s about doing the right thing. Sometimes it’s about getting even. Sometimes it’s about taking what you think you deserve. And sometimes, it’s your last, best, chance. Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk and featuring stories by Christina Boufis, John Bukowski, Brenda Chapman, Susan Daly, Wil A. Emerson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, Molly Wills Fraser, Gina X. Grant, Karen Grose, Wendy Harrison, Julie Hastrup, Larry M. Keeton, Charlie Kondek, Edward Lodi, Bethany Maines, Gregory Meece, Cate Moyle, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Kevin R. Tipple, and Robert Weibezahl.

Buy Link: https://www.books2read.com/larceny

The Hippo

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.

Here’s a thought-provoking poem from Steven Hickman:

The Hippo

The hippo floats in swamp serene,
some emerged, but most unseen.

Seeing all and only blinking,
Who knows what this beast is thinking.

Gliding, and of judgment clear,
Letting go and being here.

Seeing all, both guilt and glory,
Only noting. But that’s MY story.

I sit here hippo-like and breathe,
While inside I storm and seethe.

Would that I were half equanimous
As that placid hippopotamus.

Book Blast: Private License

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Kevin R. Doyle. Today, Kevin shares his new release, Private License.

Blurb

All Lorie Jones wants is a little help with her divorce. Some extra information, a bit of ammunition to take into court against her no-good husband. And when she hires the biggest and best investigation firm Kansas City has to offer, that’s exactly what she gets. But after their operative wraps up Lori’s case, he decides he doesn’t want to move on, and Lori soon realizes that she’s got an even bigger problem than she had before, one that threatens her privacy, and maybe even her life.

It’s up to Sam Quinton, one-man detective agency, to take on the largest firm in the business, and as Sam digs into the background of Lori’s harasser, he soon finds something bigger, and much more dangerous, than one overzealous guy who just can’t let go.

Excerpt

Lorie hadn’t reported the latest invasion of her home. Maybe she was tired of running to the police and getting nothing accomplished, but when I considered the last intrusion and threatening note had happened before Karyn Roberts had suggested coming to me, my stomach fluttered a bit.

“Not exactly the kind of stuff you go to local cops for,” I said. “No offense.”

Sloan grunted. “None taken, mainly because you’re right. And actually, she didn’t initially bother us with the first two incidents.”

I nodded. “It was the third went over the top for her.”

“Yeah.” Sloan closed the file. “Which kind of fits because messing around with someone’s home is cop business. The rest of it lies with the post office and the banking people.”

“So what did you do?”

“About what?” Sloan looked up at me.

I sighed and managed to keep myself from shaking my head. And here we’d been getting along so well. “Did you look into her allegations?”

“These would be the allegations that a respected employee of a respected firm in the city was screwing around with her mind and emotions.”

“No,” I said, dropping my voice an octave or so. “Those would be the allegations a licensed private investigator, an ex-cop at that, was harassing and intimidating his own client.”

“You implying somehow we slow walked this because the guy she mentioned used to be a cop?”

Author Bio and Links

A retired high-school teacher and former college instructor, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of four novels in the Sam Quinton mystery series, all published by Camel Press. He’s also written four crime thrillers, including And the Devil Walks Away and The Anchor, and one horror novel, The Litter, along with numerous short horror stories published in small magazines over the years. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel, and the fifth in the series, Private License, will be out in August of 2024.

Website | Facebook | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Kevin R. Doyle will award a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Kevin on the rest of his Goddess Fish tour here.

Blurb Blitz: Catch a Cowboy

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Rachelle Paige Campbell. Today, Rachelle shares her new release, Catch a Cowboy

Blurb

Kincaid Ranch’s lead cowboy, Ted Stirling, isn’t looking for romance or entanglements. He settled in Herd, Montana over a decade ago after a devastating loss. He’s seeking comfort and friendship. Nothing more. If he was going to try for love again, he would pick someone sweet and sunny, exactly like kindergarten teacher, Stephanie Patricks. But she’s too young for him.

Stephanie has nursed a crush on quiet, handsome Ted for years. Unfortunately, every time she’s around him, she gets tongue-tied. She only seems to be able to find her words when she’s working with her students. When Ted’s sister unexpectedly arrives in town with his five-year-old niece in tow, he needs help, and Stephanie is just the woman to provide it.

A sudden emergency puts into sharp focus exactly how fragile life is, and Ted needs to decide whether to open his heart again, or let love slip away forever.

Excerpt

Stephanie glanced at the bag in her hands and back up to the cabin’s door. Nibbling her lip, she couldn’t decide if self-confidence or self-sabotage had spurred her to drive to Ted’s house after dark. Whatever motivated her, she was here, readying herself to knock with the lamest excuse possible.

She fisted her hand and raised it to the door, knocking quickly before dropping the heavy appendage to her side to grip the tote bag again. Like a flimsy canvas sack containing an assortment of Maddy’s things—mostly socks and sweatshirts she’d slipped off during the school day—from her car would provide her with protection from embarrassment. She couldn’t stop thinking about the stolen moments they’d spent together. Each had been spontaneous and natural. Tonight, she was forcing an encounter.

The door opened.

“Stephanie? Hi,” he murmured, slipping outside. “I thought I heard a knock at the door but wasn’t sure. What’s up?”

She thrust the bag forward, hitting him square in the chest. “I’ve been collecting Maddy’s lost clothing. I realized just how much I had and figured you’d probably need it. You know. To do her laundry?” Stephanie’s voice was squeaky and awkward. Her skin flushed.

“Oh, right.” He held the bag to his chest. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

She took a deep breath. She was glad he hadn’t asked why she didn’t just give the items to him tomorrow or let Maddy bring them inside. She’d wanted to see him. But now, once again, her small talk vanished.

Buy/Read Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books2Read | Goodreads | Bookbub

Author Bio and Links

Rachelle Paige Campbell writes contemporary romance novels filled with heart and hope. She believes love and laughter can change lives, and every story needs a happily ever after.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

Giveaway

Rachelle Paige Campbell will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Find out more here.

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

Focus on Progress

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.

Best-selling author Brianna Wiest inspires readers to reclaim their power and improve their lives in The Mountain is You. Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt:

Don’t worry about doing it well; just do it.

Don’t worry about writing a bestseller, just write. Don’t worry about making a Grammy-winning hit, just make music. Don’t worry about failing, just keep showing up and trying. At first, all that matters is that you do what your really want to do. From there, you can learn from your mistakes and over time get to the place where you really want to be.

The truth is that we actually do not accomplish great feats when we are anxious about whether or not what we do will indeed be something impressive and world-changing. We accomplish these sorts of things when we simply show up and allow ourselves to create something meaningful and important to us.

Instead of perfection, focus on progress. Instead of having something done perfectly, focus on getting it done. From there, you can edit, build, grow, and develop it to exactly what your vision is. But if you don’t get started, you’ll never arrive.

Source: The Mountain is You, p. 37

Spotlight on Fox Tale

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome best-selling author Karen Hulene Bartell. Today, Karen shares her new release, Fox Tale.

Blurb

Heights terrify Ava. When a stranger saves her from plunging down a mountain, he diverts her fears with tales of Japanese kitsune—shapeshifting foxes—and she begins a journey into the supernatural.

She’s attracted to Chase, both physically and metaphysically, yet primal instincts urge caution when shadows suggest more than meets the eye.

She’s torn between Chase and Rafe, her ex, when a chance reunion reignites their passion, but she struggles to overcome two years of bitter resentment. Did Rafe jilt her, or were they pawns of a larger conspiracy? Are the ancient legends true of kitsunes twisting time and events?

Excerpt

“Ava, are you all right?”

“Yes…” His anxious eyes cleared my mind like fog lights cutting through mist. “I am all right…no thanks to you.”

“I deserve that.” His chin dropped on his chest.

“That and so much more.” This time, anger rose in my throat like acid reflux.

After the breakup, I couldn’t mention the bastard’s name for a year. Always questioning what I’d done wrong, I finally realized his leaving was his flaw–not mine. Then I fantasized telling him off, rehearsing what I’d say and how I’d say it…

But now, face to face, the bluster left me.

Worry lines radiated from his glistening eyes.

Mute testament to what? Grief? Remorse? Like drops of water eroding stone, what thoughts etched those furrows? His face was haggard. His looks have changed, but has he?

“Your behavior two years ago was unconscionable.” I pressed five, and the elevator doors started to close. “I shouldn’t have come.”

He intercepted, and the doors reopened. “Please stay…”

I took a deep breath, debating. Then rather than hold up the car again, I stepped into the vestibule.

“Can you forgive me?” A deep V showed between his red-rimmed eyes.

“No. Standing me up on my birthday was bad enough, but eloping…That was unforgiveable–and crocodile tears won’t help.”

“Yet here you are…” A light flickered in his moist eyes.

“I know.” I glared at my nemesis in a silent standoff, annoyed as I stifled a sigh. “What I don’t know is why.”

Author Bio and Links

Author of the Trans-Pecos and Sacred Emblem series, Karen is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life, who writes multicultural, offbeat love stories. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved often, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.

Facebook | MeWe | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Website | Instagram | BookBub | LinkedIn | Amazon Author Page | Email

Giveaway

A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble Gift Card. Find out more here.

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

Getting Started (Or Restarted)

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.

A long-time fan of bestselling author Claire Cook, I look forward to reading her monthly newsletter. Here’s an excerpt from her creativity self-help book,
Life Glows On:

Being creative is not about being discovered or getting famous or becoming rich or producing a mountain of award-winning work. Not that there’s anything wrong with those things, but I think they’re different goals altogether. Or at least add-ons, like extra cheese and guacamole.

Sometimes the creative goal or project is secondary to the creative journey it takes us on. Sometimes it’s all about the goal, and we just want the satisfaction of hitting that creative finish line.

One person’s creativity is not another person’s creativity. There are no rules. But even though I can’t find your creativity for you, the good news is you can find it for yourself.

Being creative is about touching hearts. It’s about finding our own heart. It’s about tapping into our past and remembering the unique experiences and insights that make us who we are. It’s about flipping our adversity and challenges and experiences into a point of view, a vision, a style, a voice. It’s about standing strong in our authenticity and individuality and distinctiveness.

Being creative is about reaching forward and seeing things in new ways. It’s about growing and learning new skills. It’s about sharing not only what we create but also how we create it, as a way of providing value to others, because we can, because we want to.

Creativity is a habit, a practice, a style of living. It’s a way to find and refine your story, to share what you have to share with the world. It’s a safe haven, a place that is always there for you when you need to get away from it all.

Once we decide to let creativity in, it’s ours. To find it, we don’t even have to click our ruby slippers like Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz.

We simply have to keep doing creative things until creativity becomes a habit that enhances our life. Our creative pursuits can be as simple or as complicated as we want them to be. One way of being creative isn’t better than another way of being creative.

We can play. We can dabble away to our heart’s content. We can choose a goal and then put a structure in place to reach that goal. We can go the professional route and earn money from our creativity. We can shoot for the moon and go as big as we can go. Or keep it small and close. It’s up to us.

I think it’s basically a matter of finding the approach that suits our personality as well as our goals and priorities. One approach can eventually lead to another. Or not. It’s all about choice.

But thinking it through ahead of time and being intentional about the creative path we’re choosing, at least as a jumping off point, is important. It can make a huge difference in terms of both getting where we want to go and enjoying our journey along the way.

You can follow Claire on her website.