Hobby or Identity?

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 is a thought-provoking reflection from Gordon Duncan of the Authors Community:

You can’t live on the street corner of inspiration.

As an artist, speaker, author, or creative, we love inspiration. It’s when the moment strikes, and we can barely make it to the computer, the canvas, or the blank piece of paper.

However, living on that corner often means that our work is created slowly or not at all.

Additionally, there are parts of creating that rarely enjoy moments of inspiration. For example, has anyone ever been inspired to edit their book? Maybe, but rarely.

No, the hidden secret behind creativity is that it is hard work. In fact, inspiration’s best friend is creativity.

It’s like the old adage, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” For the artist, it should be, “The harder I work, the more inspired I get.”

To get us there, here are a couple of tips to help you supplement your inspiration with some sweat:

One: Schedule writing time weekly, and even daily, if you can. Prolific authors like John Maxwell and Stephen King writer everyday…every day.

Two: Create consequences and benefits for your deadlines. A deadline is only a deadline if it has consequence. Otherwise, it’s a wish. Let’s say you want to have 100 pages written by the end of the month. If you hit that number, take yourself and someone you love out to a nice dinner. If you don’t hit it, then deny yourself that extra coffee or that movie you were going to see. It doesn’t have to be painful, but it does need to be consequential.

Three: Seek out accountability. This one is huge. Very few of us have the drive of a Maxwell or King. Entrusting a friend to keep you accountable or enlisting the services of a coach will help. Give them the right to speak honestly into your life. Give them the freedom to be blunt with you.

Four: Make a decision. Is your art a hobby or an identity? Is it something you do here and there or is it part of who you are? If it is part of who you are, then you have to organize your time towards those things. Hobbies are things you just pick up here or there.

Note: I encourage authors and other creatives to visit the Authors Community website.

Miracles Never Cease!

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back multi-published author Susan Hanniford Crowley. Today, Susan shares the miracles in her life and her upcoming release, Lady Fallon’s Dragons.

Here’s Susan!

Thank you for hosting me on your amazing blog, Joanne. Being here is always so much fun.

A friend of mine brought up the topic of miracles, and it caught my breath. As my life has been one filled with miracles. Some are obvious. Others are subtle.

*Recently, I fought breast cancer with the help of God, dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff. So far, we’ve won.

*My husband is still with us after having a heart transplant in 1990.

*I have two daughters and three grandchildren.

*My tenth book, Lady Fallon’s Dragons, the first in a young adult and teen series of contemporary dragons is about to come out in a matter of days.

I normally write vampire adventure romance with love and heroism as the focus. To check out those and the other books I’ve written, visit my Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Hanniford-Crowley/e/B004YXOGXG If you click Follow, Amazon will send you an email when my new book is out.

Writing Lady Fallon’s Dragons actually happened many years ago. After too much conflicting advice from professionals, I put it on a shelf. My editor never forgot. Neither did my critique partner or my beta readers.

In 2019, in the chemotherapy infusion room, I finished reviewing the edits for The Vampire with a Blanket of Stars. It came out the week after my surgery. Then my editor recommended I review past versions of Lady Fallon’s Dragons.

The dear! She kept all the prior versions. In my dreams, dragons flew again. So began the great rewrite. It has a sweet (no sex) romance in it.

Blurb

A wondrous tale of contemporary dragons and a young woman fighting for her life!

Eighteen-year-old Aleasya gazed briefly at each person in this exclusive area of the plane. Carefully she put her carry-on in the overhead before taking refuge in her personal suite near the window.

Tears poured down her face in endless silent rivers. Not able to stand it another minute, Aleasya sat up and took her tablet out of her tote. She searched for New York City news. It wasn’t the first story but it was there, the footage of the car being pulled out of the water. The car door was pried open. For the briefest of seconds, she saw her father’s hand with the ring showing the Fallon crest.

They were supposed to meet for dinner. When the time came and went, she called. Every time the phone went to voicemail. It didn’t make sense, her father always picked up on her calls no matter how busy.

Now she knew he would never call her back. In her head, she heard his voice. “Run, Sya Bear, run.” She sobbed, shaking so much that it hurt.

Aleasya gave the dragon prayer ring on her right forefinger a spin. I need help! Danger is closing in on me!

Excerpt

Alice took her over to a table where a dark blue cloth covered a birdcage. “This,” she said, “is a Lyra.”

With a sweep of her hand, she pulled off the cover revealing what seemed at first glance to be a small blue and gold bird.

Aleasya looked again. With her heart caught in her throat, she couldn’t breathe only gasp. She couldn’t believe her eyes, and couldn’t take her eyes off it. How could it be true? How could she believe? Looking right at the creature, how dare she not?

“Are you all right, my dear?” Alice asked.

Aleasya nodded and gave her ring a spin. The ring hummed. Remembering her father made her feel grounded.

“You’re wearing a dragon prayer ring!”

“Yes, it was a gift from my father. He got it on a trip to Tibet. It has two parts; the outer part spins.” Returning to the subject at hand, she asked, “Is it really a dragon?”

“It is,” Alice answered. “Hush, it’s waking. You want to be polite now. After all, you’re just meeting.” The little animal stirred and stretched out its wings. These weren’t feathered golden wings but smooth and stretched like a bat. Tiny bright blue scales covered the body and head. Gold talons gripped the bars of the birdcage, and two golden eyes now fixed on her. The small creature hopped over to the closest bar.

When Aleasya stepped closer for a better look, the dragon tilted its head.

The beauty and wonder of what only could be a dragon transfixed her. Here was the creature of her dreams. Everything she knew to be real said this couldn’t be happening. But her heart knew better, and Aleasya fell completely in love with this perfectly wonderful being. She couldn’t stop trembling with excitement.

The dragon trembled too.

“The Lyra is the smallest known dragon in the world,” Alice continued. “They are nearly extinct in the wild, found in only a few remote locations. The Lyra is famous for its song, which is said to give the listener pure ecstasy. This Lyra has not sung since arriving in my store. The legends say that when a bond is made between the Lyra and its human companion, the Lyra will love that person with great devotion all of its natural life. Although small, it is fierce in protecting its companion. The Lyra loves its human so much, that if it is rejected, it will die from a broken heart.”

A tiny but long forked tongue flicked through the cage bars and licked Aleasya’s hand. It was exactly like her dreams. Her gaze locked with the dragon’s, and something deep inside clicked. But she was afraid.

*Lady Fallon’s Dragons is coming soon to eBook stores and to Amazon Print. Look for the announcements on her Website, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

Susan’s books are available here:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords | Walmart Books

Spotlight on Four Cuts Too Many

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Debra Goldstein. Today, Debra shares interesting facts about her protagonist, Sarah Blair, and her new release, Four Cuts Too Many.

Here’s Debra!

I’m delighted to be visiting Joanne Guidoccio’s blog. Because Four Cuts Too Many is the fourth book in Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series, I thought it would be fun to address Ten Points of Comparison between Sarah Blair and me.

1. Although Sarah Blair seems real, she is a fictional character. I’m not.

2. Sarah Blair is a twin. She is tall, with great-bodied dark hair. Her sister, Emily, a former cheerleader, has thin blond hair. I am the mother of boy-girl twins, who are as different as night and day. When people ask about them, I explain that I had a litter. My twins and I have great hair.

3. Sarah Blair married at eighteen, divorced by twenty-eight, and is trying to find her way in life. I didn’t get married until I was thirty, but we’re still hanging in there.

4. The only job Sarah could find after her divorce was as a receptionist/secretary for lawyer, Harlan Endicott. Although her skills and confidence have improved since One Taste Too Many, the first book in the series, she still isn’t the most proficient secretary. I have been timed as typing ninety-nine words per minute.

5. Sarah isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. Although she knows some things she doesn’t like and plays with the idea of going back to school, having dropped out of college after only two weeks to get married, she’s uncertain what career and personal paths to choose. Her twin sister, Emily, knew from childhood that she wanted to be a chef. Emily’s focus was graduation, culinary school, and finding good jobs that would enable her to move up in the restaurant industry.

I’m goal oriented, but I’ve learned to follow my passion. When I graduated college early, I had two goals: get a job in publishing and become a Jeopardy contestant. In case things didn’t work out, I looked for a job by day, but typed law school applications by night. Eight months later, having accomplished my two goals, I went to law school. My first job was doing international tax, but I realized I hated working with numbers, so I switched to a more people-oriented area. For twelve years, I was a labor litigator for the U.S. Department of Labor and then I was appointed as a federal Administrative Law Judge. On the side, I wrote boring briefs and opinions. I talked about writing creatively but didn’t. Eventually I followed my passion. Six books, forty plus short stories later, I’m enjoying my second childhood.

6. Unlike Emily, Sarah finds being in the kitchen more frightening than murder. I feel the same way. I have cooked more during the pandemic than in thirty-seven years of marriage. In doing so, I have caught the interior of the oven on fire, blown the computer brain of the stove/oven, and showered the cabinets, stove-top, and floor in hot oil (I mixed up tsp and tbsp and then added more olive oil to the non-stick frying pan).

7. By Four Cuts Too Many, Sarah is part-owner of Southwind restaurant, with Emily and Emily’s boyfriend, Marcus. Emily and Marcus are fantastic chefs and Emily has a head for the business aspects of running the business. Sarah owns the building that the restaurant is in. Although I understand business issues, I don’t have ownership in any restaurant. To write the Sarah Blair series accurately, several of my friends took me behind the scenes of their restaurants. For Four Cuts Too Many, one specifically taught me about knives and knife cuts.

8. Sarah Blair is devoted to her Siamese cat, RahRah, and her more recently acquired rescue pup, Fluffy. RahRah runs the roost, but also provides Sarah with comfort and often acts as a sounding board. Although we had dogs as pets, never a cat. Consequently, I spent time researching how my friends interact with their cats.

9. Sarah has a propensity for finding bodies. In Four Cuts Too Many, Grace, a friend of Sarah’s who teaches knife skills at the community college, has a run-in with her department chair. When he is found dead, Grace is the prime suspect. Although I have taught new judges and often teach writing related subjects, no one, as yet, has died on my watch.

10. Sarah Blair’s life revolves around family and friends. Consequently, whether it is her twin, their colorful mother, Maybelle, or a friend, Sarah puts their well-being first. I do the same.

Blurb

Sarah Blair gets an education in slicing and dicing when someone in culinary school serves up a main corpse in Wheaton, Alabama . . .

Between working as a law firm receptionist, reluctantly pitching in as co-owner of her twin sister’s restaurant, and caretaking for her regal Siamese RahRah and rescue dog Fluffy, Sarah has no time to enjoy life’s finer things. Divorced and sort-of dating, she’s considering going back to school. But as a somewhat competent sleuth, Sarah’s more suited for criminal justice than learning how many ways she can burn a meal.

Although she wouldn’t mind learning some knife skills from her sous chef, Grace Winston. An adjunct instructor who teaches cutlery expertise in cooking college, Grace is considering accepting an executive chef’s position offered by Jane Clark, Sarah’s business rival—and her late ex-husband’s lover. But Grace’s future lands in hot water when the school’s director is found dead with one of her knives in his back. To clear her friend’s name, there’s no time to mince words. Sarah must sharpen her own skills at uncovering an elusive killer . . .

Includes quick and easy recipes!

Buy Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Bio

Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington’s Sarah Blair mystery series (Four Cuts Too Many, Three Treats Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, One Taste Too Many). She also authored Should Have Played Poker and IPPY Award winning Maze in Blue. Her short stories and novels have been named as Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Silver Falchion finalists. Debra serves on the national board of Mystery Writers of America and is president of SEMWA. She previously was on Sisters in Crime’s national board and president of SinC’s Guppy Chapter.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub

Book Blast: Fostered Identity

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome award-winning author Maggie Thom. Today, Maggie shares her new release, Fostered Identity.

Blurb

Her teenage sister has run away. It’s her fault. And on her watch.

Shyla thought she was doing the right thing by helping her teenage sister get a little freedom. She never expected she’d bolt on her. Desperate to keep their mom from discovering she has a missing daughter, Shyla sets out to find her wayward sister.

A fluke encounter gives Shyla a clue. Only she gets a lot more than she bargained for. She finds her sister, but she gets pulled into doing a heist. An impossible heist. And not just any heist but that of stealing her mom’s million-dollar jewelry. Ones that recently arrived, with no explanation.

Damien is a good guy running from an awful past. When his brother ends up in the hospital, Damien is determined to stop the one man who has and is destroying their lives—their father. Damien will break all of his promises, even steal, if it will end their father’s control.

Shyla and Damien find themselves thrown together, not trusting each other but not having any choice. They will have to work together if Damien is going to stop his father once and for all. And if Shyla is going to protect her family. An impossible crime that will bring them surprises they didn’t see coming.

Can they catch a thief by being a thief?

Book 1
The Twisted Deception Series

Emerald grew up in a foster family. It wasn’t an ordinary foster family. She was the first of eight girls to move in. The jewels that she was given to play with as a teenager, that she was told were baubles, are now resurfacing thirty-five years later. They are worth millions. And it appears worth stealing. Who is sending them out? And who wants them back at all costs?

“…fast-paced and kept me guessing. I like a mystery enveloped with family secrets and jewel thieves. I want more, and I want to know the secrets. I will be excited to read the second novel…” Author Christine H-Jackson

Excerpt

“When did I come in? I had an accident, right?”

“You came in this morning. You had a lump on your head, with no idea how you got it. I don’t know if you were in the same fight as your brother?”

“My brother?” It came flooding back really fast. Jordan had been beaten and he was sure that if his dad hadn’t done it, he was at least responsible for it. “Where is he?”

The nurse nodded at the curtain. “The other side of that.”

Damien sat up and swung his legs over the side before the nurse could stop him, but she was there quickly, blocking his way. “Uh-uh. I’ll open the curtain so you can talk to him. But he is still out. He has come to a few times but still needs his rest.”

She got Damien settled and then briskly walked around and pushed the curtain back to the wall. “Anything else?”

Damien shook his head, not bothering to look at her as she left. His gaze was glued to his brother in the other bed.

“J? … Jordie? … Jordan?” When there was no response, Damien glanced toward the door before easing himself out of bed. Taking a moment to let the earth stop spinning, he grabbed his IV and made his way over to his brother’s bed. He reached for his brother’s hand. “Jordie. I am so sorry. I swear that son-of-a-bitch will pay for this. Never again. Never again.”

He made his way back to his bed, easing himself down. Resting his head on the pillow stopped it from pounding so much. At some point, he must have dozed off. Sounds brought him out of his sleep. This time though, he remembered where he was.

***ON SALE FOR $0.99 DURING THE TOUR***

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Google | Apple Books | Universal Book Link

Author Bio and Links

Take the adventure beyond your fingertips.

Multi-Award-Winning Author, Maggie Thom has written all types of stories but finally settled on her love of puzzles, mysteries, and rollercoaster rides and now writes suspense/thrillers/mysteries that keep you guessing and take you on one heck of an adventure.

She is the author of 8 suspense/thriller/mysteries. The award-winning Caspian Wine Series – Captured Lies, Deceitful Truths, and Split Seconds – and her other individual novels Tainted Waters, Deadly Ties, and Fractured Lines. And now a new series – The Twisted Deception Series – Fostered Identity, Book 1. On her website, you can find her free novel – Blurred Lines.

Her motto: Read to escape … Escape to read …

“Maggie Thom… proves her strength as a master of words, plots and finely chiseled characters… she weaves a brilliant cloth of the many colors of deceit.” Dii – TomeTender

Website | Facebook | BookBub | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page

Giveaway

Maggie Thom will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

Blurb Blitz: Millennial Money Queens

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Maria Alcantara. Today, Maria shares her latest release, Millennial Money Queens

Blurb

The ultimate personal finance guide for millennial ladies, finally live your dream life, banish debt, make more money and create true wealth.

Millennial Money Queens brings millennial women the crucial financial education and life-changing mindset training needed to succeed. Maria shares her decade-long experience along with top financial and psychology insights to empower you to live your dream life. Master your money mindset, start your dream business and invest like a pro.

In this book, Maria starts by giving your money mindset a makeover! We all operate according to belief blueprints we’ve inherited and developed, what she calls the money in our mind. Travel through time and learn how the blueprints for wealth and poverty were created and how they trickled through millennia all the way to our present society. During her career, Maria quickly noticed how some people could have astronomical sums of money and still feel poor, while others could create wealth time and time again while feeling like they were living their dream lives, sharing their fortunes, growing their riches and supporting the causes that mattered to them. They are vibrant, accomplished, healthy and wealthy individuals in every way. The first step to master money is to adopt their blueprint, which Maria has broken down into easy and clear steps, the cornerstones you need to finally have a solid foundation for financial freedom for the rest of your life.

Once your unshakable financial blueprint is in place, it’s time to get to work with the money in our world. The first step is to stop for most millennial women is to stop spending their well-earned money on debt, whether it is student loans or credit cards, the majority of millennial women spend extravagantly on interest payments. Maria shares the best proven strategy for millennial ladies to stop this money leak. Once your debt is in control, learn where else in your life there may be money leaks and how you can make the most of the current expenses, we all have so you can live your desired lifestyle, this is the new way to budget. Whether it is in housing and moving to your dream home, transportation and driving your dream car or personal spending and funding your shopping sprees or trips to exotic destinations, learn about smart and conscious spending to truly live like a money queen. Spending is only a part of the money equation, to increase our wealth, we need to increase our income. We all have something unique to share with the world, Maria shares her secret process to help you find out what your superpower is that will allow you to build your million-dollar dream business. It’s time for millennial women to step into their power, to lead in entrepreneurship and create amazing organizations that will contribute to making our world a better place. With the access to technology and the education many of us have and can continue to gain, the sky’s the limit to what we can create! The final step is learning the money magic that will allow your wealth to grow exponentially. Investing has so far been kept out of reach for many millennial women who believed they weren’t ready to begin investing, who couldn’t afford the professional fees and who continuously postponed creating their portfolios, this ends now. Learn the best strategies to invest like a pro without the exorbitant fees and or the professional knowledge needed to succeed in the markets.

The truth is that many of us are actively keeping wealth away from us with limiting beliefs about ourselves and money and we are lacking the financial education and tools we need to create our wealth. This will no longer be your reality, once you read this book, you will be fully equipped with knowledge, secrets, tips and strategies you need to finally master money and live your dream life. With captivating stories of real millennial women, so you can learn from their journey and timeless wisdom from humanity’s greatest minds, you are in for a life-changing transformation. Maria believes that the true power in knowledge is in its application, so to help you embody the concepts and make the most of all the opportunities the knowledge in this book will give you, every chapter includes a money queen move to help you put into action all the invaluable information that is being shared. It’s your time to shine and become a millennial money queen.

Excerpt

Social media has the magic of being able to connect people worldwide, but it also has created a very insidious culture of idolizing money. Especially for a generation who is so far going down in modern history as one of the worst with money, especially us ladies. This book’s mission is to change that and instead to empower our generation with the financial literacy it so urgently needs.

Financial wellness today has a lot less to do with where you were born or how smart you are and a lot more with what education you receive and how you behave with money. So far, the financial education you’ve received is slim to none, and so, your money life is in shambles. That changes now.

Any of these RKOI kids can blow their money just as any millennial woman who is given proper financial skills can understand money, make it work for them and become a zillionaire, self-made, amigas. Get ready for your money makeover.

If you want to become a millionaire but think it can’t happen for you unless you win the lottery or marry rich, think again. Making money, getting out of debt and growing a fortune is based on a few simple principles you are about to learn.

Applying these principles leads to stories like the secretaries Grace Groner and Sylvia Bloom who died with massive multi-million-dollar estates. Ignoring them leads to stories of boom and bust like Kim Basinger, who, despite living with crippling anxiety, won multiple academy awards and still had to file for bankruptcy.

Author Bio and Links

Maria Alcantara is the founder of Millennial Money Queens, a leading financial empowerment movement for millennial women worldwide.

She is a chartered investment manager and money coach with over ten years of financial insights experience working with high-net-worth individuals to manage and grow their wealth. After a decade devoted to mastering money, she realized the gap existing between young women and financial education.

Deeply touched by the current state of millennial women’s finances, where many have fallen into debt, are unable to create inspiring opportunities for themselves and their communities, and are suffering financially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually, Maria created Millennial Money Queens to create a much-needed shift. After working with millennial clients and friends, she expanded her method to impact a whole generation, our younger sisters and our descendants. She specializes in using behavioral economics and finance to help women achieve financial literacy, freedom and independence. The results are life-changing, with the right financial and psychological preparation, young women are finally able to create purpose, independence and the confidence to live fulfilled lives.

Born and raised in Brazil, Maria witnessed the polarity of money. She vowed at a young age to make a difference in the world. During her childhood, her family moved to Canada where she studied economics, psychology and finance. She started out with big dreams like saving the rainforests of the world and creating animal-assisted therapy programs. The defining moment happened when she was not able to get funding to make those projects come to life. Feeling discouraged and powerless was a huge catalyst. Sometimes in our lives, our temporary defeats hold our most precious gems, Maria decided to master money so that she could personally fund all the projects that were important to her and reflected her values of sustainability, health, welfare and abundance for all.

Thus, she embarked on a journey to understand the financial world. She worked in banking, brokerages and wealth management, carefully observing how people handled money differently and the effect it had on their overall life satisfaction. While money can’t buy happiness, the lack of can certainly create chaos in one’s life. She found this to be true most clearly with millennial women. With promising futures and careers ahead, the women she spoke with, read about and worked with all shared tremendous baggage of feeling insecure when it came to money. While many millennial women are incredibly well educated, many are uncomfortable discussing money, including negotiating their hard-earned salary and requesting equal pay. Maria dove deeply into the history of women and money and found that outdated societal beliefs widely held by both men and women still influence our behavior today. In order to create lasting change, millennial women need to be the rising tide. It is our time to rise to our potential and pave the way for the younger generations. Financial literacy including both the psychological and external world perspectives of money are key to empowering women worldwide. That is Maria’s mission in creating the Millennial Money Queen movement.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Book Link

***Millennial Money Queens is on sale for $0.99***

Giveaway

Maria Alcantara will be awarding a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

One Hard Thing You Have to Do to Be Mentally Stronger (and Happier)

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 longtime fan of bestselling authors and coaches Marc and Angel Chernoff, I look forward to receiving their daily emails. Here’s some excellent advice for these challenging times:

Far too often we think that mental strength is all about how we respond to extreme circumstances. How did she perform on stage during that televised event? Did he bounce back from that heart-wrenching divorce? Can she keep her life together even after suffering from a major, debilitating injury?

There’s no doubt that extreme circumstances test our bravery, determination and mental strength, but what about common, daily circumstances?

Just like every muscle in the body, the mind needs to be exercised to gain strength. It needs to be worked consistently to grow and develop over time. If you haven’t pushed yourself in hundreds of little ways over time, of course you’ll crumble on the one day that things get really challenging.

But it doesn’t have to be that way…

Choose to lift some weights when it would be more comfortable to sleep in. Choose to do the tenth rep when it would be more comfortable to quit at nine. Choose to create something special when it would be more comfortable to consume something mediocre. Choose to raise your hand and ask that extra question when it would be more comfortable to stay silent. Prove to yourself, in hundreds of little ways, that you have the guts to get in the ring and wrestle with life.

Mental strength is built through lots of small, daily victories. It’s the individual choices we make day-to-day that build our “mental strength” muscles. We all want this kind of strength, but we can’t think our way to it. If you want it, you have to do something about it ritualistically. It’s your positive daily rituals that prove your mental fortitude and move you in the direction of your dreams over the long-term.

The bottom line is that when things get difficult for most people, they find something more comfortable to do. When things get difficult for mentally strong people, they find a way to stay on track with their positive daily rituals.

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

Built Myself Up Layer by Layer

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome multi-published author Pamela Thibodeaux. Today, Pamela shares her inspiring reinvention story and her novel, My Heart Weeps.

Here’s Pamela!

Thank you, so much Joanne for hosting me on your incredible blog! I absolutely love the idea of reinvention. So many times in our lives we have to start over or ask for and take a second (or third, or fourth) chance for a do-over. Reminds me of those movies of people trading places so popular in the 80’s.

I guess you could say my first act, after being born into a great family with three brothers was marrying at the tender age of sixteen (yes, 16!). That union lasted ten years and sadly ended in divorce which brought about my first need for change. Five years later I married a wonderful man who died a short seventeen years afterward, throwing me into my 2nd second act and time of reinvention.

For most of my adult life I was someone’s wife or mother. After my husband’s death in 2009, I began the long and arduous journey from wife to widow to individual.

When I separated from my first husband (with no self esteem intact), I adopted the motto, “What you see is what you get. You like it? Good! You don’t? Hit the road, it’s your loss.” This was out of self preservation, not a sense of self worth or self love. With my second husband, I always felt beautiful and worthy in his eyes, but never in my own.

Years after being thrust into the dating scene—something I never felt comfortable with anyway—I learned the true meaning of self worth and self love. Now, when I say that motto, I know what I bring into a relationship, therefore I mean it on a deeper level.

Today I am happy with myself, my life and my relationships!

If anyone planning to pursue a second act would ask my advice, the first thing I would tell them is to work on their inner self and internal dialogue. After all, you’re going to take you into every aspect of your life so you might as well love and appreciate yourself! I built myself up layer by layer by writing and repeating positive ‘I Am’ affirmations….

I am love and I am loving. I am forgiven and I am forgiveness. I am healthy, whole and complete. I am beautiful. I am peaceful. I am joyful. I am happy and others are happy with me. I am (YOU fill in the blanks).

Read books like, You Can Heal Your Life and Mirror Work by Louise Hay, The Power of I Am by Joel Osteen and other similar titles. Positive affirmations are one of the kindest and most rewarding things you can do for yourself in any situation, but especially when you are in need of, or in the midst of change.

My Heart Weeps is Melena Rhyker’s second act—her journey from grief into new life and parallels my own.

Blurb

After thirty years married to the man of her dreams, Melena Rhyker is devastated by her husband’s death. Relief comes in the form of an artist’s retreat at the Crossed Penn ranch in Utopia, TX. She rediscovers a forgotten dream as her artistic talent flourishes into that of a gallery-worthy artist. Will she have the courage to follow the path she was destined to travel?

Garrett Saunders has been on the run most of his life. Abused and abandoned as a child, he escapes the clutches of a past filled with pain and shame, and hides from his calling as a Native American healer. His years as a CIA agent aid in overcoming his childhood and honing his talent and skill as a fine art photographer.

Follow their journey as two people who come from totally different backgrounds, but share gifts of gigantic proportions, find meaning and purpose in the Texas Hill Country.

Excerpt

At 6 p.m., she pulled into the carport, turned off the engine and laid her head on the steering wheel.

“Well, I’m home again. Made it through another agonizing eight hours or so, now to get through another night.”

Gathering every ounce of courage she could summon, she disembarked from her vehicle, retrieved the mail from the box beside the door, and entered the house. She thumbed through the envelopes and advertisements, then laid them on the table and poured a glass of juice. She reached for the bottle of over-the-counter pain reliever and froze.

It would be so easy to end this pain.

Oh, what an enticing thought. Just take a handful of pills and end it all. Would she wake up in heaven? Would Jesus meet her there? Would Jonathan? What about the kids or Mama—would they understand? Or would she destroy them? Where was the faith she claimed to have? Why was it failing her now?

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

Author Bio

Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!”™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!

Where to find Pamela…

Website | Blog | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Instagram

Spotlight on Susan Van Kirk

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Susan Van Kirk. Today, Susan shares two amazing days in her creative journey.

Here’s Susan!

Hi, Everyone, and thank you Joanne for inviting me to your blog!

When I began writing mysteries eleven years ago, I always thought the most amazing day in my future would be the day my first box of books with my name on it arrived on my front porch. And it was. But recently, I had another most amazing day, one that I hadn’t imagined back then.

After writing a series called the Endurance Mysteries, I decided to go in a new direction and begin a mystery series about a younger protagonist, one who would have a dream job. She’d be a historical researcher whom famous authors paid to do their digging, and she’d explore amateur genealogy on the side. Beth Russell appeared in my head, the woman who would have the job I’d love.

Leaving her home on Long Island, Beth ventured to Illinois when an investigator told her he thought she was the lost daughter of a wealthy family named Tippitt. Here she was, a genealogist, who didn’t even know who she was. Soon, the little town of Sweet Iron materialized, and Beth discovered a family she didn’t know she had, and the murder of a mother she’d never met. Well, as they say, the story now twists and turns with a murder case from 1971, a group of suspects still around, and the same people interested in Beth’s speedy departure from Sweet Iron…one way or another. Then we have her missing biological father, someone watching the Tippitt house from the woods, and the ghostly smell of Chantilly perfume, the scent her mother wore.

But then there’s the #2 best day of my life, which I mentioned at the beginning of this twisty tale. In late March, my publisher, Encircle Publications, joined with Orange Sky Audio by Findaway to do an audiobook of A Death at Tippitt Pond. Seriously? My words in an audiobook for all the world to hear. And even better, the professional narrator they hired was Patricia Santomasso, who lives in New York City and has done 150 audiobooks prior to mine. I loved her voice.

So, the second-best day of my book-writing life began with a download of my own words, previously typed in my little office on my laptop in downstate Illinois and now read by a professional. When I heard the first paragraph, I must confess to a few tears of joy, and then the few became many. How amazing—my words read aloud for all the world to hear.

Blurb

Everyone in the small town of Sweet Iron knew the teenage daughter of Judge Tippitt and his wife, Jolene. Melanie Tippitt’s exotic green eyes sprinkled with gold flecks only added to her haunting beauty. That is why her shocking murder in the summer of 1971 shattered the innocence of the town. Soon, the inhabitants sighed with relief when the murderer was sent to prison. Case closed. Four decades later, historical researcher and genealogist, Elizabeth Russell, arrives in Sweet Iron with plans for a brief visit. She extends her stay when she discovers reasons to research the Tippitt family genealogy and the disturbing tragedy of their daughter’s murder. Her decision cracks the tranquility of the town and challenges the truth of what happened that day at Tippitt Pond … Case closed. Or was it?

About the Author

Susan Van Kirk is a Midwest writer, living in downstate Illinois. Her writings include the Endurance Mysteries: Three May Keep a Secret, The Locket: From the Casebook of TJ Sweeney, Marry in Haste, and Death Takes No Bribes. Harlequin Worldwide Mystery is currently republishing her entire series. Her latest mystery is A Death at Tippitt Pond. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and is President of the Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her website and blog are at http://www.susanvankirk.com

Links

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

Checking In With Your Boundaries

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 on Spirituality & Health magazine, therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab shared what she considers the four most important words in our increasingly chaotic world: Set Boundaries, Find Peace. Those words are also the title of her recent release.

Here’s a thought-provoking excerpt from that interview:

It is a spiritual practice to tune into yourself and consider the why of your feelings. What’s trying to come up that I may be trying to push down? What’s trying to be released that I need to let go of? Often, when we’re having uncomfortable feelings, there is a boundary that needs to be addressed.

Of course, we can’t live a life without uncomfortable feelings. But what are they trying to tell us? What things do we need to practice to deal with that feeling better, or even reconfigure the trigger for those feelings?

The real breakthrough is not, “Oh my gosh, I have an issue with anger.” The real breakthrough is realizing that when I put myself in situations where there are no boundaries, I have an issue with anger.

Source: Spirituality & Health, February 2021, p. 49