A Short Lesson on Gratitude
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 was moved by this story on Nick Ortner’s blog, The Tapping Solution:
Today I have a short story for you about gratitude. A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat – spare change from folks as they hurried past. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.” I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.” Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see…
On Tour with Goddess Fish – Day 7
It’s my seventh Monday on tour with Goddess Fish.
I’m visiting the Hope.Dreams.Life…Love blog and chatting about my writing journey and No More Secrets.
Stop by and visit for a while. Remember to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a $20 Amazon gift card.
Find out more here.
Up for Another Award
Thanks to everyone who voted for No More Secrets earlier this month in the Créme de la Cover Contest. I won and will receive a ¼-page ad in the January issue of InD’Tale Magazine.
No More Secrets is now competing in the Créme de la Cover finals. The winner will receive a full-page ad in the magazine!
I would appreciate your vote here.
10 Interesting Facts About the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series
I’m happy to welcome Canadian author Judy Penz Sheluk. Today, Judy shares interesting facts about the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series and her new release Where There’s a Will (Book 3).
Here’s Judy!
1. The Glass Dolphin is the name of an antiques shop where, according to owner Arabella Carpenter, “authenticity matters.” In early drafts of the novel, it was called the Blue Dolphin, until Judy discovered there was a Blue Dolphin Antiques in Maine (there’s also one in Oregon, and there are probably others, too). It just seemed easier to change the name.
2. The Glass Dolphin got its name from Arabella’s first antique “find,” a pair of cobalt blue dolphin candlestick holders, made by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company in Sandwich, Mass. Production of dolphin candlesticks began about 1840 and continued for 35 to 40 years. They were produced in clear or opaque milk glass, as well as in colored glass, including green, canary yellow, and cobalt blue. Blue is generally the most sought after color.
3. The Glass Dolphin is located on historic Main Street in Lount’s Landing, a small town about ninety minutes north of Toronto, Canada. The town of Lount’s Landing (on the Dutch River), is loosely based on Holland Landing (on the Holland River), where Judy lived for 25 years.
4. The fictional Lount’s Landing was named after Samuel Lount, a blacksmith, farmer, and politician who lived in the village of Holland Landing in the nineteenth century. He was hanged for treason on April 12, 1838. There is a historic plaque dedicated to Samuel Lount in front of the Holland Landing Library and Community Centre.
5. Lount’s last words as he headed to his death were, “We die in a good cause; Canada will yet be free.” These words play a pivotal part in The Hanged Man’s Noose, book 1 in the series.
6. The Hanged Man’s Noose is the name of a local pub, owned and operated by Betsy Ehrlich, a history buff and a good friend of Arabella’s. Her signature drink is the Treasontini, a blueberry vodka martini. [Download the recipe here: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/How-to-Make-a-Treasontini.pdf%5D
7. The Hanged Man’s Noose also offers a good selection of pub food, including Arabella’s favorite: Full Noose Nachos. [Download the recipe here: http://www.judypenzsheluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/FULL-NOOSE-NACHOS.pdf%5D
8. Arabella’s sleuthing partner is Emily Garland, a former freelance journalist and local magazine editor, and now a partner in the Glass Dolphin. A bacon eating “vegetarian,” Emily’s name comes from Emily in Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery and Judy’s namesake, Judy Garland.
9. Arabella’s ex-husband, Levon Larroquette, is an antiques picker (think American Pickers). He is also a major character in each book. In Judy’s head, Levon looks like a young Kris Kristofferson (think A Star is Born, 1976). Levon’s name is a combination of the Elton John song, Levon, and the last name of actor John Larroquette.
10. All factual information in each book has been carefully researched; Judy was the Senior Editor at New England Antiques Journal from 2008 through 2018, and prior to that, the Editor for Antiques & Collectibles Showcase. And like Emily Garland, she was also a freelance journalist for many years.
About the Glass Dolphin Mystery Series
A cozy mystery series without the cats, crafts, or cookie recipes, the Glass Dolphin mysteries follow the investigations of amateur sleuths Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland. The books include: The Hanged Man’s Noose (#1), A Hole in One (#2), and Where There’s A Will (#3). While it is always preferable to read a series in order, any one of the titles can be read as a standalone.
About Where There’s A Will
Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll stretch the rules to get what he wants.
While Pemberton racks up enemies all around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate, along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?
Things get even more complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market? And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple
About the Author
A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the author of two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans and Heartbreaks & Half-truths, which she also edited.
Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors. Find her at http://www.judypenzsheluk.com.
Samuel Lount photo courtesy of Ontarioplaques.com
Free…and One by Me!
Help yourself to one (or more) of our Christmas cookie recipes–bar, drop, gluten-free, no-bake, refrigerator, rolled, shaped, and pressed–all from the kitchens of The Wild Rose Press authors.
I’m happy to share a family-favorite recipe for Francesca’s Chocolate Snowballs on page 122.
Happy Holidays!
Pay Attention to Your Language
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 highly recommend The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life by eminent psychologist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger. Here’s a short excerpt that highlights the importance of our words:
When we talk as though we’re forced or obligated or incapable, that’s how we’re going to think, which means that’s also how we’ll feel, and consequently, how we’ll behave. We become captives to fear: I need to do this, or else; I want to do that, but I can’t. To free yourself from the prison, pay attention to your language.
Listen for the I can’t, the I’m trying, the I need to, and then see if you can replace these imprisoning phrases with something else: I can, I want, I’m willing, I choose. This is the language that enables us to change.
Source: The Gift, pp. 139-140
Spotlight on Harmony’s Embrace
I’m happy to welcome Wild Rose Press author Amber Daulton. Today, Amber shares her new release, Harmony’s Embrace.
Blurb
Reuniting with the man who broke her heart has never felt so right.
Divorced dad Birley Haynes is too busy raising his children and running his family’s music academy to start a relationship. Then Harmony Holdich, his high school sweetheart, returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont for Christmas and falls into his bed. She brings light and fun back into his life, but he can’t brush aside the threatening incidents around his workplace.
Harmony hadn’t expected a complication like Birley, especially so soon after the death of her unfaithful husband. With her life a mess, she plans to move across the country and start over. All she can offer him is a fling, but her heart yearns for more.
When the threats rise, how will Birley keep his children safe and convince Harmony to give love another chance?
Excerpt
He sighed heavily. Snapping at her wouldn’t convince her to stick around. “Have you thought about me over the years?”
Her bottom lip trembled, then she sucked it between her teeth. “Of course I have. High school was a long time ago, and our dreams clashed. You wanted a laidback life, even though you cut loose with Susannah in college. I wanted big-city living, and I got it. I like it.”
“So a rich-ass condo means that much to you? You want a new job slaving away five or six days a week for some major corporation until you’re exhausted?” He silently cursed. Not only did he slave away at his job, he was growing more tired of it by the day.
Good job, man. Way to control your temper.
In the back of his mind, he’d always believed he and Harmony would find one another again. Susannah and Claude didn’t compute. How crazy was that? Did he marry someone so different from himself because, subconsciously, he didn’t want the relationship to work?
A frown creased her brow. “I don’t need or want expensive things, but I like to work, to feel useful. My dream home is a little yellow bungalow with a big yard in a suburb.” She rocked in the chair as though she longed to jump up and run out the door. “I don’t want to argue. Let’s finish eating and hit the slopes.” She polished off her chips in a handful of loud crunches.
“What did you expect?” His throat constricted. “We’ve never hashed this stuff out since Susannah and Claude were always stuck up our asses. It’s time we deal with it.”
She scowled, then finished her grinder.
Birley gritted his teeth. Why had he been so stupid all those years ago? He’d wanted her to attend the University of Vermont with him, but she balked at another lengthy stint in school. He never should’ve walked off, leaving her crying on the porch of her parents’ house. She wanted time to think about her future—they’d only graduated from high school that morning—but her refusal didn’t mean she’d stopped loving him.
Too bad he hadn’t realized the truth at the time. She’d hurt his pride and broken his heart. Nothing mattered but hurting her in return. They avoided each other for the rest of the summer, then he headed off to the university.
God, how he’d missed her. She’d continued to work for her uncle while earning her accounting degree at a local community college and later moved to New Jersey for her job. Any chance of repairing their relationship had left with her, but by then, he was with Susannah.
Birley ate the rest of his sandwich, which slid down his gullet like cardboard. “No matter what you decide, I’m happy you’re home now.” The hope in his chest deflated. He stood and tugged on his gloves. “Let’s hit one of the blue squares. You okay with that?”
She nodded and followed him up. After they threw away their trash, they left the lodge.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple/iBooks | Universal Link
Now Taking Sign Ups for my Newsletter, Amber Daulton Romance – Here
Easily read in one sitting, Harmony’s Embrace is a beautifully written second-chance romance set during a holiday season in small-town Vermont. From the start, I found myself rooting for the delightfully flawed protagonists—Harmony and Birley—as they struggle to overcome pasts fraught with heartache and abuse. I strongly recommend setting aside large blocks of uninterrupted reading time. You won’t be able to put this book down.
Well done, Ms. Daulton!
About the Author
Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.
Website | Facebook Author Page | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | BookBub | Instagram
On Tour with Goddess Fish – Day 6
It’s my sixth Monday on tour with Goddess Fish.
I’m visiting Eileen Troemel’s blog and chatting about my writing journey and No More Secrets.
Stop by and visit for a while. Remember to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a $20 Amazon gift card.
Find out more here.
Spotlight on Life with Ollie
I’m happy to welcome author Donna G. Bourgeois. Today, Donna shares her new release, Life with Ollie.
Blurb
If you are of dating age or married, I wrote this book for you.
This is not a self-help or a how-to book. This is the story of the metamorphosis of a timid, fear filled child who finally blossomed into a warrior. I have many scars that no one can see, but they are healed now. Through these battles to become a warrior, I have helped the wounded souls that have come to me and seen them overcome their demons to stand tall and proud of who they are. It has brought me great joy.
Through the years, I have heard along the way that the ancient Chinese would fix their broken china cups or figurines with gold to make them whole again, and more valuable. I believe that humans can be repaired with love and a sense of self-worth. Each and every one of us are here for a purpose and we are given gifts to help fulfill our purpose.
I would love for you to come on this journey with me.
Excerpt
My stepdad was a newspaper man, then the editor of Truck Transportation magazine. He then went on to work in the public relations department at Bell Canada. He received many awards for his films and articles about Bell.
There were still fights and I got to know when they would arrive home from the press club. I would always wake a half hour before they arrived, no matter what the time was, and I would start to sweat in fear of what was coming. By now, I was getting hauled out of bed to take sides. God, what a mess. I told them if the fighting didn’t stop, I was leaving. That helped for a while.
I met a man named John and we began dating. He was tall and handsome, but what I liked the most was that he was stable. His “yes” was yes, and his “no” was no. He would be my pillar and I could count on him to take a stand with me against my mother. Or so I thought.
He had asked me if he could borrow my car for a week. Even though I was twenty years old, I still felt I had to ask my mother. She said yes. I told my boyfriend that he could have my car for the week. Then, a few days before he came to pick it up, Mom decided he could not have the car. I reminded her that she had said yes and I told him yes, and that I was not going back on my word. Mom would do this all the time, say yes and then say no. It kept me off balance. I, on the other hand, believed you should always keep your word. We had a big fight over this. I told her I was twenty years old and I thought it was about time I had a say over my own life. It didn’t matter how much she argued with me, I stood firm. My boyfriend had the car for the week. His car was in the shop and I was not going to leave him high and dry.
It probably scared her that she was losing control over me. Then—poof!—she told me my father wanted to see me. I am not always the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, because it didn’t hit me until later that she had phoned him and asked him to back her up—that I should still do as I was told. I couldn’t believe that, all along, she’d known where he was and she had purposely kept me away from him. I could have had my father for most of my growing-up years. He was back home from England and had been in Ottawa for years. Still, she’d kept me from him. I would often ask her what he was like; she never badmouthed him, but she made the idea of him sound so final that I wouldn’t ask after him again for a long time.
Author Bio and Links
Donna G. Bourgeois enjoys writing and painting, both excellent activities to soothe the soul. She went to university at 65-years-old and earned an associate degree in theology, just to keep the grey matter healthy. She considers her greatest quality to be the ability to love greatly and be kind to those who life have put on her path. Life with Ollie is her first book, although she has many more story ideas waiting in the wings. She believes if you listen to your inner voice, you will find your bliss.
Giveaway
Donna Bourgeois will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.
Follow Donna on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
Joanne Guidoccio 