Since July 2013, I have interviewed over 150 women for the Second Act series on my blog. Originally, I had planned to feature only boomer women and their older sisters, but I have expanded to include women of all ages from across Canada, Australia, United States, and United Kingdom. The only criteria: an inspiring reinvention story.
Author Archives: Joanne Guidoccio
Happy September!
September derives its name from the Latin word “septem,” which means “seven.” In the original Roman calendar, September was the seventh month of the year. That changed when the months of January and February were added.
Here are ten interesting facts about September:
1. The aster and the morning glory are September’s birth flowers. A symbol of love and patience, the aster comes in various colors, from purple and pink to white and red. The morning glory is a trumpet-shaped flower that blooms blue, pink, purple, and red. It symbolizes affection and mortality.
2. In the second verse of her poem, “September,” Mary Howitt provides the following vivid description:
There are flowers enough in the summertime,
More flowers than I can remember—
But none with the purple, gold, and red
That dye the flowers of September!
You can read Mary’s poem here.
3. The birthstone for September is sapphire. This gemstone is associated with loyalty and sincerity and is thought to encourage divine wisdom and protection. In the past, some people believed that if a sapphire was placed in a jar with a snake, the snake would die.
4. People born between August 23 and September 23 fall under the sign of Virgo, and those born later in the month fall under Libra. People born under Virgo are wise and highly analytical. Compassionate and empathetic, Libras dislike conflict and avoid confrontation.
5. September is a month of remembrance, a time to honor and remember those who have made sacrifices for their country: Patriot Day on September 11, POW/MIA Recognition Day on September 18, and Gold Star Mother’s Day on the last Sunday of September.
6. Labor Day, the first Monday of the month, is observed in Canada and the United States.
7. This year (2023), the Autumnal Equinox occurs on September 23. On this day, the sun is directly above the equator, and day and night are equal in length. In the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the start of fall.
8. September has been designated Hispanic Heritage Month, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, National Suicide Prevention Month, National Self-Improvement Month, National Chicken Month, and National Happy Cat Month.
9. Famous people born in September include Estee Lauder (September 1, 1908), Keanu Reeves (September 2, 1964), Beyoncé (September 4, 1981), Colin Firth (September 10, 1960), Sophia Loren (September 20, 1934), and Stephen King (September 21, 1947).
10. September has more pop and classic songs with its name in the title than any other month. Some of the more famous songs include “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “September Song” by Frank Sinatra, “It Might as Well Rain Until September” by Carole King, “Maybe September” by Tony Bennett, and (my favorite) “See You in September” by The Happenings.
Write Something for Yourself
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 post on the Writer Unboxed blog, writer Kelly Allgood shared the following excellent advice:
About a year ago, I was feeling completely stuck in my writing. I’d finished the third full rewrite of a book I’d been working on for years, then trunked it after feeling so bogged down in the details of its convoluted plot that I couldn’t tell up from down. I’d drafted another book that felt like it was between genres, and had no idea how I’d pitch it to agents once I got to that point. I felt, in essence, like writing was quicksand, and that I was rapidly sinking beneath all the pressure I’d been putting on myself to write something good, to get an agent, to get published, to start my career, and on and on.
I wish I could remember what prompted me to do this, but one cold winter’s day, I decided to sit down and write something that would never see the light of day. No pressure to publish, to get feedback, to make it good. It could be the worst piece of writing that ever existed and it wouldn’t matter, because no one would ever see it. So I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. The block I’d been sitting before shattered in front of my eyes.
It is honestly some of the best writing I have ever done, and it would never have existed had I not given myself permission to write badly.
Source: Writer Unboxed
Spotlight on Ten Stories that Worried My Mother
I’m happy to welcome back multi-published author Winona Kent. Here’s Winona’s new release:
Popular Canadian mystery writer Winona Kent introduces her eleventh book with the publication of Ten Stories That Worried My Mother, an anthology of short stories spanning her four decades of creative writing, with a Foreword provided by well-known BC author A.J. Devlin (The “Hammerhead” Jed crime fiction series).
Ten Stories That Worried My Mother begins with Winona’s first published short story, Tower of Power—about one night in the life of a rock and roll radio newsman—which won first prize in Flare Magazine’s fiction competition in 1982. The journey finishes with two mysteries starring Winona’s professional musician/amateur sleuth, Jason Davey: Salty Dog Blues and Blue Devil Blues, the former being shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada’s Awards of Excellence for Best Crime Novella in 2021.
Between these two milestones are seven more pieces of short fiction featuring an unhinged Saskatchewan farmer; a bored secretary in England taking on an opinionated tea lady named Mrs. Thatcher; a shy high school kid with a crush on his soon-to-be-married social studies teacher; a creative writing instructor whose main claim to fame is one episode of the 1960s TV spy series, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; a subversive temp working at a Canadian government office responsible for administering grants for cows; and two adventures featuring Winona’s time-travelling romantic heroes Charlie Duran and Shaun Deeley.
The collection includes four prize-winners, three mysteries, two previously unpublished works and one where the hero manages to spare-change John Lennon at the premiere of A Hard Day’s Night in 1964.
And yes, these stories really did worry Winona’s mother…
Author Bio and Links
Winona Kent was born in London, England but grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and a Diploma in Writing for Film and TV from Vancouver Film School. She’s the current BC/Yukon Representative for the Crime Writers of Canada, and is also an active member of Sisters in Crime-Canada West. She lives in New Westminster, BC.
Ten Stories That Worried My Mother is published by Winona Kent and Blue Devil Books. It’s available in e-book and paperback formats on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Apple Books and Kobo.
Author Website | Blue Devil Books | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Fun Friday!
Five Qualities of Joyful People
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.
I look forward to receiving weekly emails from Robert Holden, a British psychologist, author, and broadcaster, who works in the field of positive psychology and well-being. Here’s an excerpt from a recent post:
Describing joy is very difficult and very worthwhile. The more you tune in to joy and let yourself feel it, the more you learn about what true happiness is. I encourage my students to describe joy by meditating on joy, by painting joy, by singing joy, by dancing joy, by crafting a poem on joy, or by finding a symbol, in nature, for instance, that represents joy. What emerge are commonly felt qualities of joy, five of which I will share with you now.
Joy is Constant
When people tune in to the feeling of joy, what often emerges is an awareness that this joy is somehow always with us. Joy is quietly, invisibly ever-present. It is not “out there,” and it is not “in here”; rather, it is simply everywhere we are. Joy feels somehow beyond space and time. Joy does not come and go; what comes and goes is our awareness of joy. Ironically, we often feel the presence of joy the most when we stop chasing pleasure and we stop trying to satisfy our ego.
Joy Inspires Creativity
Upon discovering this joy, many people experience a greater sense of creativity that rushes through them. Your ego may get the byline, but really joy is the author. Joy is the doer. Joy is the thinker. Joy is the creative principle. In one of my favorite Upanishads, classic sacred texts of Indian literature, it is written: “From joy springs all creation, / By joy it is sustained. / Towards joy it proceeds, / and to joy it returns. No wonder so many artists take the course.
Joy is Often Unreasonable
I like to describe joy as “unreasonable happiness” because it doesn’t seem to need a reason. It is a happiness that is based on nothing. In other words, it doesn’t need a cause or an effect in order to exist. Certainly good things, favorable circumstances, and a happy state of mind can make you more receptive to joy; but joy still exists even when you are not receptive to it. Joy needs no reason. And this is why we can be surprised by joy even in the most ordinary moments.
Joy is Untroubled
Unlike pleasure and satisfaction, joy does not have an opposite. It does not swing up and down, as our moods do. And it does not wrestle with positives and negatives, as our mind does. Joy does, however, have a twin. If pleasure’s twin is pain, and satisfaction’s twin is dissatisfaction, then joy’s twin is love. When people describe joy to me they always mention love—even the lawyers, the politicians, and the psychologists.
Like love, joy is fearless and untroubled by the world. It is as if nothing in the world can tarnish or diminish the essence of joy. As such, it is free.
Joy is Enough
Many people describe a sense of emptiness and a “fall from grace” that follows an encounter with great pleasure and satisfaction. This is not the case with joy, however. One of the most beautiful qualities of joy is the abiding sense of “enoughness.” Unlike the ephemeral states of pleasure and satisfaction, joy does not induce a craving for more, because joy is enough. If ever we feel joy is missing, it is because we are absent-minded-caught up, probably, in some grief over a passing pleasure or preoccupied with a new object of desire.
Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Robert Holden’s website.
Book Blast: And Then I Met You
I’m happy to welcome author Mackenzie Lee. Today, Mackenzie shares her new release, And Then I Met You.
Blurb
Have you ever wondered whether your beloved watches over you from their heavenly post? Have you often had the feeling that your loved one has remained right by your side, even after the final goodbyes? And Then I Met You is the true story of a love so enduring and eternal, it transcends the barriers of time, space, and life itself.
In these pages, you will meet two people whose love is challenged at every turn. The countless barriers that stand between them and true togetherness seem endless. And then the unthinkable happens–and all the barriers vanish in the most unexpected and miraculous of ways.
This epic love story will linger in your thoughts long after the last page, and remain as a twinkle in the sky and a smile in your heart. Who knows? You may even look at life, love, and death in a whole new light.
Excerpt
“Have you heard from Mike for your birthday?” asked my friend Angie.
It was late October of 2018, a full month after my birthday. We were sitting at Willie’s Steak House at the time, having a belated celebratory dinner.
“No, I haven’t…and it’s been too long. Even for him.”
Mike and I always managed a phone conversation on or near our birthdays, no matter how far apart we might be, geographically speaking. He wasn’t usually able to call me on my actual birthday or his, but he always snuck in under the wire and called me sometime in my birthday month (and his).
Close enough. As long as he got the month right, that was good enough for me. After all, we were separated by many miles now, with me being up north and him down south.
Circumstances were such that I couldn’t call and had to wait for him to call me. First, July—Mike’s birthday month—came and went and I didn’t hear from him. When September—my birthday month—rolled around, and I still hadn’t heard from him, I felt a little uneasy. But I hadn’t paid any attention to the vague emptiness I felt until I heard Angie’s question.
“What’s his full name?” she asked, pulling out her phone and going onto Google. “Oh, no, is that him?”
I looked at her phone and saw the website of a funeral home. “Oh, dear God. It can’t be him…but it is.” All I could think was, Oh, Mike, don’t let me down.
Don’t let me down…I’m in love for the first time, Don’t you know it’s gonna last, It’s a love that lasts forever, It’s a love that had no past… (The Beatles)
“…He died peacefully at his home,” read the death announcement. Mike had died on May 18th, 2018, five months earlier. Photos of him, along with words that had been written about his passing, stared back at me.
Author Bio and Link
Mackenzie Lee is an aspiring author known for her ability to weave heartwarming tales that touch the soul. Her book, “And Then I Met You,” is a poignant and uplifting true story that explores the depths of enduring love and its ability to transcend the boundaries of time and space.
Amazon Buy Link – https://www.amazon.com/Then-Met-You-Unbelievable-Story/dp/0228887739
Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.
Follow Mackenzie on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Book Blast: Slightest in the House
I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Barbara Casey. Today, Barbara shares her new release, Slightest in the House.
Blurb
On some level she was aware that an elderly woman had come out of the darkness and put her arms around her. Meredith heard her say that everything would be all right. But on another, more conscious level, the one where all of her senses saw, felt, processed and recorded what was happening, Meredith watched two black body bags being loaded into the back of an ambulance. Then she watched the ambulance turn around and drive off in the opposite direction. Her long, tumbling mass of blond curls hung loosely over her face, shielding it. For Beth, the reality of what had taken place would come later. But Meredith had seen what had happened and understood. That knowledge was now seeping through every pore of her body.
Seventeen-year-old Meredith and her four-year-old stepsister, Beth, face the numbing reality of suddenly losing their parents in a freak accident. With no other family, they are taken from their mobile home in Georgia to go live with a grandmother they have never met in a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Beth soon adjusts to her new environment; but Meredith withdraws from everyone and everything, unable to blot out the image of the horrible crash that killed her parents. It is only when she reaches out to a homeless woman that Meredith is finally able to find herself and face her demons. With the help of her grandmother’s long-employed staff, a family doctor, a museum curator, an attorney who is more than just her grandmother’s legal advisor, and, of course, her conniving grandmother who is dealing with her own guilt for having been estranged from her son and his wife (Meredith’s and Beth’s parents), Meredith is able to pull herself from the depths of despair into a life filled with faith, hope, and generosity.
Slightest in the House is a contemporary novel with strong, interesting characters from different walks of life, brought together because of life’s difficult and often unexpected circumstances, and bonded together by their faith and belief that everything works out as it should.
Excerpt
After saying goodbye to Meredith, Ellen walked back toward the ocean hoping to find Matt on her bench. Much to her disappointment, no one was there and the wind was blowing so hard she couldn’t stay. With nowhere else to go, she walked back to the parking deck and the public restroom. By now it was raining hard again, and this time it didn’t let up.
The streets were practically disserted, and the parking deck was empty of all but a couple of cars. Ellen waited in the restroom until her watch said 4:45 p.m. Then, after refastening her straw hat and cinching the strap of her tapestry bag a little tighter, she fought her way down the street through the gale-force wind and driving rain toward Chapel Hall. “Surely Matt will be there,” she repeated over and over. But even as she said this, she knew something was seriously wrong.
There was no line of people waiting when Ellen finally got to Chapel Hall. In fact, there was no one around at all. She walked up the steps to the front door. Her dress was clinging to her legs, and her wet feet sloshed inside her open-toed shoes. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Then she saw a note someone had tacked inside a glass frame on the side of the wall: No meals served until further notice due to hurricane.
Ellen was stunned. She had heard of hurricanes, of course, but she had never been in one before. If only she could find Matt. Matt would know what to do. She began to shiver. One thing was certain, she couldn’t just stand there. She had to find shelter.
She started walking back the way she had come—back toward the parking deck. This time the wind was to her face. Blowing sand pelted her bare skin, and the noise of the pounding waves of the ocean nearby was almost deafening. It was completely dark. Even the street lights were blackened by the amount of rain falling from the sky.
Slowly Ellen forced her way back to the parking deck. This time she climbed to the second level where she and Matt had slept the night before. Even holding onto the guard rail, it was a struggle, the pavement was so slick. Twice she fell, scraping her knees and bruising her arm. When she at last got to the second level, she was horrified. The concrete wall that had made a safe buffer for Matt’s bags the night before was now a natural rain gutter. As Ellen stood clutching her tapestry bag to her body, ankle-deep water gushed down the deck like a small river.
Author Bio and Links
Barbara Casey is the author of over two dozen award-winning novels and book-length works of nonfiction for both adults and young adults, and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Several of her books have been optioned for major films and television series.
In addition to her own writing, Barbara is an editorial consultant and president of the Barbara Casey Agency. Established in 1995, she represents authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan.
In 2018 Barbara received the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and Top Professional Award for her extensive experience and notable accomplishments in the field of publishing and other areas.
Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with three cats who adopted her: Homer, a Southern coon cat; Reese, a black cat; and Earl Gray, a gray cat and Reese’s best friend.
Website (Author) | Website (Agency) | Goodreads | Amazon Buy Link |
Barnes & Noble Buy Link
Giveaway
Barbara Casey will award a $20 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Find out more here.
Follow Barbara on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Choosing to Fail Forward
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 email:
In those moments when you find yourself standing face to face with an issue you battled before — one bearing a lesson you were sure you’d already learned — remember, repetition is not failure. Ask the waves, ask the leaves, ask the wind. Repetition is required to evolve and grow. And repetition allows you to fail forward. We learn the right way on the way.
Truly, failures are opportunities to begin again smarter than before. If you’ve heard differently, forget what others have told you. Fail often, fail fast, clean it up, learn from it, move on, and then repeat. Just because things didn’t work out for you today, doesn’t mean there’s not something big in store for you tomorrow. Rest easy and get ready. Don’t waste your energy justifying your next step to the naysayers.
Note: I highly recommend subscribing to Marc & Angel’s website.
Spotlight on The Flapper, the Imposter, and the Stalker
I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Charlene Bell Dietz. Today, Charlene shares her creative journey and novel, The Flapper, the Imposter, and the Stalker.
Interview
What was your inspiration for this book?
The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker holds dear to my heart because this book grew out of my forced association with a cantankerous old aunt, I knew little about. As her only relative, I ended up caring for her. She told stories about her life in 1923 when she was a teen. She refused to tell me juicy details, for the most part, so this book really is fiction. My aunt stole my heart, and this story did too.
Describe your writing space
If you were to imagine an ideal place to create and write, where would it be? Would you love a retreat in a forest where deer and wild turkeys, with their babies, walk right up to your patio or window so you could see them up close? How about a place to rejuvenate by strolling through tall grasses and wildflowers between ponderosa pine and pinon trees with mountain tops visible nearby? I have all of this. We live in the foothills of the mountains in central New Mexico, fifty miles from the nearest city. Our nearest neighbor is over a half mile away. There’s nothing better than the fresh smell of falling rain, or the sweetness of clover, filling the air. I can sit at my computer in my studio, surrounded with windows, and watch the birds, clouds, and whatever is out there, brings me inspiration. Writer’s block doesn’t happen. If I feel bogged down, I take a long, long walk. That’s when my characters come alive and speak to me. I’m one lucky author.
Which authors have inspired you?
Alice Hoffman, with her engaging magic, teaches me to add to my stories a touch of that other world we don’t truly understand.
Philippa Gregory’s eye for the historical unique and vivid detail she shares with her readers, are gifts we all should strive to embrace.
Michael Connell takes a flawed character, and humanizes this person to the point his readers become avid fans. He knows how to twist and turn plots, and takes the ugly and turns it into something worth reading.
I read over seventy-five books a year and have discovered many wonderful authors. I’ve only mentioned a few, of the many, who stand out in my mind.
What is your favorite quote?
Fear is the Mind-Killer. – Frank Herbert, Dune
(also) Courtesy is contagious.– attributed to the Air Force Space Command, but my father said this to me as a child, many, many years ago.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
I write in my studio, built for drawing, painting, and sculpting; however, those arts are neglected. Writing and reading take up a good deal of my time. This last year, I started keeping bees. Building a hive and learning all about the art of bee keeping has added a valuable dimension to my life.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
Start your writing knowing many rewrites are in your future. The rewrites are where you’ll find the exact and perfect verbs. Excellent choice of verbs makes your writing strong. When rewriting, you’ll discover there are many, many ways to write the same concept. Try them all out, but pick the simplest one that gives your reader the best information to understand your story. To make your writing sparkle, you’ll rewrite to make room for your readers to share in the writing process by using their own intuition and imaginations. You’ll do this by not writing “on-the-nose” dialogue, eliminating redundancies, and learning the power of subtext.
What are you working on next?
I’ve started a (minimum) three book historical mystery series set in New Mexico at a fictitious high school in downtown Albuquerque in 1967. This was the year test scores across the nation for high school students plummeted. They’ve never recovered. This was a year when schools suffered over-crowding, unsupervised latch-key students, and lots of drugs being passed around. This year and subsequence years became nightmares for dedicated teachers.
Blurb
A privileged teenager from Minneapolis in 1923, scraps her college scholarship and runs away to become a flapper in dangerous, chaotic Chicago. In her search for illusive happiness, she confronts the mob and then must contrive a way to not be murdered.
Excerpt
Crystal stood and moved her hand toward the hall stairway. Sophie and Kathleen set their plates down and followed. Before they left the parlor Kathleen picked up her pocketbook and valise and nodded for Sophie to do the same. She didn’t want Crystal to rummage through their things while they were upstairs trying on dresses—or whatever they were to do. When they reached the top of the stairs, a door stood open at the far end of the long hall. A single hanging lightbulb illuminated a rack of dresses with shoes lined up underneath, and at the back stood a large chest of drawers.
“Goldie, I’ve told you—keep that door closed and locked. Now hurry.” The girl lunged down the hallway. Crystal guided Kathleen and Sophie into the first door on the right.
“This is one of the bedrooms. The other is right next to this. Down the hall next to the closet you’ll find the bathroom. We don’t have hot water, but I’m sure that’s not a problem when you consider your rent is free.”
“Free rent and free dresses?” Kathleen congratulated herself. Even with moths batting around in her brain, she knew a ploy when she heard it. Crystal pushed open the door into a small bedroom. The room contained a table, a chair, and a bed. With the shade pulled down, the cleanliness remained questionable, and the room smelled funny, maybe from sweat or body odor. Kathleen couldn’t identify it.
“Goldie does have an eye for size. This dress should do you nicely. Tell her what size shoe you wear. Now, let’s go next door and see what Goldie has for Sophie. Isn’t this fun?
Buy Links
Barnes and Noble | Amazon | Treasure House Books
*********The book will be $0.99 during the tour.*********
Author Bio and Links
Charlene Bell Dietz’s award-winning mystery novels The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur combines family saga with corporate espionage, and The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker propels readers back into 1923 in frenetic Chicago. The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut gives readers a frightening Caribbean vacation. Her latest novel The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor is a historical biography about Lady Margaret Brent, the first American woman to be called an attorney, whose integrity and intelligence saves pre-colonial Maryland from devastation. This book won the New Mexico Press Women’s first place award and an award by the National Press Women. The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor will be released as a second edition by Artemesia Press in February 2024. Two of her Flapper books have won the coveted Kirkus stars, and two were named best book of 2018. Charlene, a retired educator, lives in the foothills of the mountains in central New Mexico where abundant wildlife, solitude, and natures’ beauty inspires her creativity.
Website | Facebook | Email
Giveaway
Charlene Bell Dietz will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.
Follow Charlene on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Joanne Guidoccio 