Learning the Right Lesson

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

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

In her recent release, Secrets of Adulthood, bestselling author Gretchen Rubin shares witty and thought-provoking reflections. Here’s one of my favorites:

Experience is a great teacher, but make sure that you’re not learning the wrong lesson.

In Aesop’s famous fable, the Hare challenged the Tortoise to a race. The Tortoise agreed, they set the course, and at the signal, they both started off. The Hare bounded ahead, but because he was so sure of winning, he stopped to take a nap. Meanwhile, the Tortoise plodded on. The Hare woke with a start just as the Tortoise was crossing the finish line.

The traditional moral of the fable is “Slow and steady wins the race.” But wouldn’t a more fitting moral be “Those with great gifts can be defeated by their own arrogance and idleness”? Or “Overconfidence fosters carelessness”? Or, as Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach wrote, “Since its famous victory over the hare, the tortoise thinks it’s a sprinter”—in other words, it’s easy to attribute a victory to our own abilities, when in fact we won due to circumstances or someone else’s mistakes.

Wisdom comes from discerning the truest lesson from an experience.

Source: Secrets of Adulthood, pp. 125-126

A New Direction

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Gemma St. Claire. Today, Gemma shares an inspiring comeback story and her new release, Dreaming of the Dance.

Here’s Gemma!

Oh, how life can sometimes get in the way!

Nine years ago, I was tooling along, churning out a paranormal/ghost romance series as “Claire Gem.” The ideas just kept coming and I couldn’t type fast enough to get them down, and then…

The Big C came to call. A diagnosis of stomach cancer completely derailed my life. My doctors said it was “treatable,” and “if you had to get cancer, you got the best kind.” (Whoop dee do, I’m such an overachiever.)

But my writing life—along with lots of other things in my world, took a back seat while I endured 24 radiation treatments and the resulting burns and internal damage to my stomach and lungs.

Then, just when I thought I had this beast beat, another speed bump tripped me up (literally!), this time resulting in a fall that not only broke my shoulder but caused nerve damage—to my right arm and hand. I am right-handed… or was. For nearly two years, I couldn’t type, write, or even hold a fork with my right hand. I struggle with the residual nerve pain to this day.

“Claire Gem” got tired of waiting and drifted off somewhere. But my writing muse, sitting atop my monitor with a stern expression, demanded I continue to write. Thus, “Gemma St. Claire” was born.

To anyone who is faced with a life challenge that derails your plans, this quote by American media personality Germany Kent states my advice perfectly:

“Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.”

My new series is sweet historical romance, where I take you back to 15th C Flanders to visit Coudenburg Palace in Brussels, when Duke Philip the Good reigned. You will meet the Daughters of the Duchess, a collection of the duke’s illegitimate daughters who were sprinkled about his dukedom. The Duchess Isabella has decided (in my fanciful recreation of her personality) to gather these forgotten daughters, one by one, and provide for them a better life. And, mayhap, love.

Tag Line

She dreams of a knight, but he shuns the title. Can a flawed but proud maiden see past the façade of knighthood to recognize real valor?

Blurb

Fifteenth Century, Burgundy. Eva of Utrecht is an unrecognized, illegitimate daughter of the Duke Philip III. Flawed by a birth defect that labels her a “creple,” Eva’s dreams of becoming a knight’s lady seem impossible… until a missive arrives from Coudenburg Castle. An invitation to the May Day Festival may be her chance to win the heart of one of duke’s knights.

Mathieu of Liège is the duke’s ostler, in charge of the horses and hunting falcons, a role he loves. Although a son of a knight, Mathieu has no interest in pursuing the warrior’s path, as he bears the scar on his face as evidence of “noble” brutality.

When he is charged as chaperone to the crippled Eva, his initial resentment turns to something he doesn’t know how to deal with: an affection for this flawed but proud and stubborn young beauty. Can he break through Eva’s pride to win her heart?

Buy Links

Ebook | Paperback

News Flash: Book Two in the Daughters of the Duchess series is now on preorder! https://amzn.to/42LrkZC

Author Bio and Links

Gemma St. Claire grew up in upstate New York many moons ago. She achieved her Bachelor of Arts from the New York Institute of Technology, followed by her Master of Fine Arts from Lesley University. She married her very own, HEA husband and raised three beautiful humans before bouncing about the country. She has landed in Florida and is finally able to devote her life to her writing.

Gemma is passionate about history, particularly the Middle Ages. She’s been to Belgium once and is set to travel back there in August of 2025, where she hopes to discover even more stories to spin and share with her readers.

She loves to hear from her readers, so drop her a note! You can find her here:

New Beginnings for Women Over Fifty

Posted on May 14, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

Here are ten phenomenal woman who achieved success in their fifties and beyond:

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker at fifty-seven.

Julia Child was fifty when her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published.

Deb Haaland became the first Native-American to serve as a cabinet secretary at age sixty.

Arianna Huffington started The Huffington Post when she was fifty-five and Thrive Media at sixty-six.

Kris Jenner pitched her first TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, when she was fifty-two.

Toni Morrison wrote her first novel, The Bluest Eye, when she was forty. She won a Pulitzer at fifty-six, and a Novel Prize in Literature at sixty-two.

Maxine Waters was first elected as a congresswoman for California at age fifty-two

Betty White didn’t achieve icon status until she was cast on The Mary Tyler Moore Show at age fifty, and her popularity soared until her final days at ninety-nine.

Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book, Little House in the Big Woods, at age sixty-four.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was fifty-two when she got her first radio show, Sexually Speaking.

Source: Ageless Aging by Maddy Dychtwald, pp. 37-38.

Learn What Works for You

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

In a recent post on the Writer Unboxed blog, author D. L. White shared advice for new writers. Here’s an excerpt from that post:

Read. An author who doesn’t read is like a chef who never eats food. An artist who never goes to a gallery. Where do you discover new technique and new inspiration and let other people’s success motivate you? Where do you find community with readers and other authors? Read! In your genre for study (and of course enjoyment), outside of your genre for breadth of knowledge and to be able to say you read widely. I call all of that dessert. I like dessert.

Make sure you get some dessert!

I am also not a ‘write every day’ person, but determine at what cadence you’ll write and take that seriously. Plan it out, don’t make excuses, show up for yourself. Three-month break, one month of prep, thirty days of writing like a wild person, then edit? That’s how it’s gonna have to be. Learn what works for you, and lean into that, and don’t try to write like X author because you are not that author with their brain and personality and strengths. Learn yours and use them to your advantage.

Read the rest of the post here.

Honoring St. Peregrine

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

Today, we celebrate the liturgical feast of St. Peregrine, a beacon of hope for those suffering from cancer, AIDS, and other life-threatening illnesses. His life and miracles continue to inspire and comfort many in their times of need.

A bit of history…

Peregrine Laziosi was born in Forlì, Italy, circa 1260, the only son of an affluent family supporting the community’s anti-papal faction. When Philip Benizi, Prior General of the Friar Servants of Saint Mary, was sent to reconcile the differences in Forlì, he was attacked by eighteen-year-old Peregrine Laziosi, Later, Peregrine repented and asked Philip for forgiveness.

Philip received Peregrine with kindness and succeeded in changing the younger man’s outlook. Peregrine started praying and channeling his energies into good works. Later, he was ordained a priest and founded a new Servite house in Forlì. He became known for preaching, penances, and devotion to the sick and poor.

One of his penances was to stand whenever it was unnecessary to sit. If tired, Peregrine would support himself on a choir stall. At the age of sixty, he developed an infection in his right leg. His condition deteriorated to the point where the physician decided to amputate his leg.

The night before the operation, Peregrine prayed before a fresco of the Crucifixion. In a moment of divine intervention, he received a vision of Jesus Christ descending from the cross to touch his impaired limb. The following day, the doctor arrived to perform the amputation, only to find no sign of the tumor. Peregrine’s miraculous recovery stands as a symbol of hope, inspiring many in their own battles against illness.

And I would add…the power of prayer.

Peregrine died of a fever in 1345 at the age of eighty-five. In 1609, Pope Paul V declared him blessed, and in 1726, Pope Benedict XIII canonized him.

Shrines to St. Peregrine

National Shrine of Saint Peregrine, Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica, Chicago (Illinois)
The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, Portland (Oregon)
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, Christ the King Catholic Church, Mesa (Arizona)
St. Peregrine Laziosi Parish and Diocesan Shrine, Muntinlupa City, Philippines
Statue of St. Peregrine, Mission Church of San Juan Capistrano, Southern California

Note: You do not need to be near a statue or shrine to ask St. Peregrine for his intercession.

Prayer to Saint Peregrine

Glorious wonder-worker, St. Peregrine, you answered the divine call with a ready spirit, and forsook all the comforts of a life of ease and all the empty honors of the world to dedicate yourself to God in the Order of His holy Mother.

You labored manfully for the salvation of souls. In union with Jesus crucified, you endured painful sufferings with such patience as to deserve to be healed miraculously of an incurable cancer in your leg by a touch of His divine hand.

Obtain for me the grace to answer every call of God and to fulfill His will in all the events of life. Enkindle in my heart a consuming zeal for the salvation of all men.

Deliver me from the infirmities that afflict my body (especially…..).

Obtain for me also a perfect resignation to the sufferings it may please God to send me, so that, imitating our crucified Savior and His sorrowful Mother, I may merit eternal glory in heaven.

St. Peregrine, pray for me and for all who invoke your aid.

Source: https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/novena/peregrine.htm

Making the Best of It

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

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:

We often yearn for a very small and selective range of life experiences — the fun times, the happy holidays, the things that make us feel comfortable. And yet the full range of our daily reality is often quite different. Life gives us an extensive array of experiences that evoke feelings ranging from sadness to uncertainty to frustration to curiosity to nervousness… to happiness to excitement and more. These feelings are all part of being alive.

So we can revolt against the wide-ranging experiences life naturally provides, or we can make the very best of them. Starting today, let’s do the latter…

This means embracing every moment with our full presence, being open and vulnerable to reality, being gentle with ourselves when times are tough, and practicing sincere gratitude whenever possible.

It means accepting life as it is, and accepting ourselves as we are.

It means not expecting the best to happen every time, but instead accepting whatever happens, and making the very best of it one step at a time.

And it won’t always be easy of course, but it’s worth working on.

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

I am BACK!

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome back author Nancy Lee Badger. Today, Nancy shares an inspiring comeback story and her new release, Heaven-Sent Warrior.

Here’s Nancy!

On the way to publishing my latest book, I have a personal story to tell. Back in early May 2023, I published a book, the third in a series. One week later, my life imploded. While traversing the airport underground garage, I fell off a curb. My sister was waiting for me and I said “Take me to the hospital.”

Many hours later, my left wrist was in a cast and the pain from my five broken ribs required a trip to another hospital because the doctor said, “At your AGE, you need to stay overnight.” Did he have to say it that way? Couldn’t he just mention the drugs they filled me with? Or, the difficulty breathing plaguing me? One ambulance transport later, I ended up staying three nights.

What did this mean to my writing you ask? Have you ever tried to type with one hand? I survived because I had set up lots of promotions in advance for my book’s release. It took a while to get back to writing (and shopping, and doing laundry, etc.) and the results were a short story and a poem for my local writing group’s fundraiser in 2023 and 2024. The latest news is the re-issue of my favorite book series starting with Heaven-Sent Warrior. Did I mention as I lay in my recliner in pain FOR MONTHS that my publisher closed their doors? I love my Warriors in Bronze series, so have edited and updated the three books. I even submitted a short story for the writing group’s 2025 fundraiser for this year, which was accepted. I am back! If you find yourself beat down, but ready for life’s second act, you can do it too!

Tag Line

Asleep inside a bronze statue, a naked Frenchman wakes a century later to save a half-Fae, museum curator from a demon bent on ruling our present-day world.

Blurb

Henrí Chevalier’s last memory was Auguste Rodin and his dusty Paris studio in 1886. To escape his broken heart, Henrí volunteered to sleep inside a statue until needed. Expecting to die, he discovers powers Heaven has given him. Will he fail his mission against otherworldly creatures, such as demons and faeries?

Kenzie Mackintosh, a dedicated art museum’s curator, spies a naked man hiding among bronze statues. Unaware of her fae heritage, their relationship heats up as he disrupts her job. While Henrí tries to process modern buildings, cars, and a broken elevator, a demon attacks and forces Henrí and Kenzie to enlist the aid of her powerful fae relatives. When the demon possesses the body of her ex-lover then use her to take over the world, Henrí and Kenzie must learn to trust each other. Kenzie’s death might be the only answer to the world’s salvation.

Buy Links – https://nancyleebadger.blogspot.com/p/books.html

Author Bio And Links

Nancy Lee Badger grew up in Huntington on New York’s Long Island. After attending Plymouth State, in New Hampshire, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and met and married her college sweetheart. They raised two handsome sons in Rumney, New Hampshire while she dreamed of being a writer. When the children had left the nest, and shoveling snow became a chore, she retired from her satisfying job as a 911 Emergency Medical Dispatcher and moved to North Carolina, where she writes full-time.

Nancy is a former member of Romance Writers of America and its local chapter, The Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, as well as the Fantasy-Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers. She is currently a member of the Triangle Association of Freelancers based in the Raleigh area. She finds story ideas in the most unusual places.

Poetry Collection Review: Healing is a Gift

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

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

Each Friday of April, I will share a favorite poetry collection.

Today’s pick is Healing is a Gift: Poems for Those Who Need to Grow by Alexandra Vasiliu, a collection described as “a valuable resource for anyone seeking personal growth, self-improvement, and inner peace.”

From the very first lines, it’s evident that Ms. Vasiliu writes with raw honesty and heartfelt intention. Her collection, composed in free verse, reads like a quiet conversation with the soul. There is a simplicity in her language that belies the emotional depth beneath. At times, it felt like I was reading a distilled self-help guide wrapped in poetic form.

The titles, among them, “No Permission Needed,” “Your Golden Trophy,” “Such Bad Manners,” and “No Pills,” suggest a stripping away of pretense and a return to fundamentals. These poems don’t seek to impress. Instead, they challenge the reader to confront and reconsider long-held beliefs about pain, recovery, and self-worth.

This slim volume can easily be read in a single sitting, but its impact lingers. I found myself pausing often, underlining lines that struck a chord, and marking pages to return to later. It’s a book you’ll want to keep within reach—not just for comfort but as a reminder of how powerful honesty can be.

Here’s one of my favorite poems:

Hope

When everything around you
is falling apart,
remind yourself
that Hope is a magical place
where all implausible dreams
stop being impossible,
where all good powers
belong naturally to you,
where love,
self-confidence,
and peace
call your name out loud.

When everything around you
is falling apart,
remind yourself
that you can find refuge
in Hope,
in that magical,
invisible place
where you can go without a car
or a passport.

When everything around you
is falling apart,
remind yourself
that for moving on,
all you need is Hope.

And Hope is the name of a pure heart.

Inspiration from Martina McBride

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

In November 2006, Martina McBride released Anyway, a powerful song about hope, love, perseverance—and above all, faith. More than eighteen years later, its message feels even more relevant today.

Honoring Pope Francis

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Joanne Guidoccio

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis became the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on March 13, 2013—marking several historic firsts: the first pope from the Americas, the Southern Hemisphere, and the Jesuit order. He was known globally for his humility, concern for the poor, and progressive views on social and environmental issues.

He advocated for migrants and the marginalized, often symbolizing this commitment through powerful gestures—such as washing refugees’ feet on Holy Thursday and urging global solidarity to address inequality. He reached out to the world’s margins, becoming the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula and traveling to conflict zones like South Sudan, Myanmar, and the Central African Republic to promote peace and reconciliation.

In all he has done, Pope Francis has shown that leadership is as much about presence as policy. Cardinal Dolan of New York observed: “The way he lived and the way he died, he was a great teacher. He taught us at the end by letting us watch him die.”

Earlier today, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88.