Creative Energy Overload

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have author Kim Handysides sharing several colorful acts and introducing the Stolen series.

Here’s Kim!

kim1I am an author-in-waiting. My books (one completed, one in progress and one in planning) and the right publisher are poised to meet. It’s going to be some time this year. The stars and my aptitude are aligned. But it’s taken almost half a century to get here. Let me explain:

kim2When I was a kid I was either going to be a biologist —sucked at math, so forget that, a writer or a Shakespearean actress —cue the trumpet flourish. I studied English and Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor, but graduated in Communications Studies—you know TV, radio, film production.

My first career related job was as a copywriter for radio. You get to wear many hats in a small market. Within a 2-year period, I morphed into newsreader, reporter, disc jockey, producer, music director and freelanced as a Master of Ceremonies and a club DJ.

kim3I fell in love with Montreal on a vacation, decided it would be my new home and either work in radio there or write a novel. Two days before my holiday ended, I got a job as an overnight DJ at a major radio station. Within the next five years I was a DJ, Music Director, TV field producer and weather woman, and created my own production company with two other women. Throughout this time, I began voicing commercials, documentaries, and acting in films and summer theatre. I once was on a film set with Robert De Niro, and though he was only 13 years old at the time, did voice work with Ryan Gosling. I became primarily a voice actress and over the next 20 years moved to the top of my field in my city.

kim4I also wrote during this time, because I’ve got ‘creative energy overload’. Mostly for the media outlets I worked for, but also for magazines and newspapers. And I started writing novels. Romance novels because frankly, it was the time of my life when I was falling in love with Mr. Keeper. (Married 21 years now) I got to the point when I started to get requests for re-submissions from a New York Harlequin editor, but when children entered the equation my free time evaporated. I figured I’d get back to writing when they went to school. But lo and behold, in Grade 1 my oldest was a very bright and very unhappy dyslexic, with no accommodation available for her, so I began to home school. Both of them. And that lasted nine years. (Kids are currently straight A students in college and university.)

Fast forward to now. It’s been almost four years in the making, but I’m extremely proud of the Stolen series, based on the reluctant love stories of the Beaumont family, Matt, Arabella and Seb. Stolen Kiss features the first of the Beaumonts, Matt and his lady-love-to-be Ruby. And it’s actually more of her story than his.

stolenStolen Kiss opens with Matt Beaumont doing just that. Stealing a kiss from blueblood, Ruby Jamison, that ruins her life and launches them into a chase to retrieve a stolen ’73 orange convertible. Weaving through betrayal and blackmail, they run into border issues, are helped by an aging hippie godmother and crash on the scene of a mob-related drug bust. But will their blossoming love survive the journey?

Stolen Heart pits marina biologist, Arabella, with her awkward high school nemesis, ex-Marine, Gus MacIsaac. The mob threatens the Beaumonts to keep incarcerated Seb quiet. Gus, the last person Ara ever wanted to see again, becomes her bodyguard. Following whale sharks in spite of voodoo threats, a tropical storm, and engine troubles, Gus attempts to break the barriers erected around Ara’s solitary heart.

Stolen Love will be Sebastian’s story. All I know about it so far is that Seb is on a path of redemption, wanting nothing to do with his former mob ties. His social worker, Mari, a single mom of three young kids has her hands full and has no time for love. Especially with a billboard handsome ex-con with a shady past and no solid plan for the future.

Where to find Kim…

Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Profile | Twitter

Joanne here!

Wow! I’m simply blown away by your creative overload. If you’re ever looking for another creative project, consider writing a memoir. BTW…The Stolen series sounds delicious.

Oprah and Shawn Achor

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Yesterday, Oprah welcomed Shawn Achor, author of the international bestseller, The Happiness Advantage, and Before Happiness, to Super Soul Sunday. Throughout the telecast, Shawn shared concepts and strategies from his books and the Happy course he teaches at Harvard. With one out of every six students enrolled, the course is more popular than economics.

According to Shawn, we must define happiness before we can be happy. And therein lies a major obstacle. Most people mistakenly believe happiness will be experienced when goals are reached. Unfortunately, success is a moving target. Shawn urges us to get rid of this scientifically-broken model and redefine happiness in terms of joy. He admits that happiness is an easier choice for some people, but each of us can improve our baselines for happiness by rewiring our brains.

To promote happiness hygiene, Shawn recommends we try the following two-minute habits for 21 days:

When you wake up, come up with three different things for which you are grateful.

Think of one meaningful thing that happened in the last 24 hours and write every detail you can recall about it.

Send a thank-you email, tweet or FB message to one person you know.

Simple meditation–Watch your breath go in and out.

Quotable quotes…

Happiness is the joy we feel striving toward our potential.

Joy is inextricably linked to meaning.

The opposite of happiness is apathy.

Being successful doesn’t make you happier. Being happy makes you more successful.

Happiness is a choice and a practice.

It doesn’t matter if the glass is half-empty or half-full if there is a pitcher nearby to refill it.

Three Steps, No Failure

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When asked about her extraordinary success, recording artist and motivational performer Jana Stanfield said, “I believe in the power of small steps to create great changes.”

Jana left a lucrative career as a broadcast journalist and moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of securing a recording contract. While waiting for her breakthrough, she signed up for voice lessons and took classes in song-writing, stand-up comedy and dance. She took advantage of Open-Mic nights and sang for free in the evenings. With the help of a small producer, she made a few recordings.

None of the record companies were interested.

Continue reading on the Soul Mate Author Group blog.

A Late Bloomer’s Story

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Brenda Stinnett sharing insights and advice gleaned from her writing journey.

Here’s Brenda!

brendastinnettI graduated from California State Univ. Stanislaus with a BA in psychology. I taught kindergarten for twenty-one years in California, but I’m now a Florida transplant and a full-time writer. I have to admit that I’m a late bloomer. I didn’t get my teaching degree until my mid-thirties. However, I started writing after my daughter was born in my mid-twenties. Once I started teaching though, I got distracted from my writing and focused mainly on my family and my teaching career. Of course, I don’t think this was a bad thing.

Once my daughter started the Air Force Academy, I found more time to focus on my writing, so I took Writer’s Digest classes and went to some conferences. I also subscribed to Writer’s Digest and Romantic Writers Report. Both of these magazines have helped me tremendously in my goal to a writing career.

In my mid-fifties, I retired from teaching and focused more on my writing. It seems once I reach midway in a decade that I decide to try a new direction. My favorite pastime has been traveling and I’m fascinated by history and the paranormal, so I combined those interests into my passion for writing.

I submitted my paranormal romance, “The King’s Vampire,” to Soul Mate Publishing and I was fortunate enough to get a contract with this great publishing organization. My latest novel, “Tenth Degree of the Paranormal,” veered off into strictly paranormal suspense, so I decided to try the Indie route with it.

Second acts in life are scary and I think persistence and courage are major factors when we want to change our lives. It’s important to avoid people who send out negative vibes and seek out supportive groups who encourage us in our endeavors. I’ve found the authors at Soul Mate Publishing to be some of the most helpful, generous people around. I think we just have to hang on to our dreams and make sure we actually know what it is we want to do. We need to break down our goals into small steps. If we take five small steps every day to achieve our long-term goal, I think we have a good chance of fulfilling our dreams. We need to take joy in every step of the process and enjoy the journey as well.

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Blurb

Whether a hunch, intuition, or something more sinister, Barbara knew she had no choice. Self-deception was no longer an option—comfortable but not an option. She knew each denial she’d ever made left a scar on her soul, each more painful than the last.

An epic battle between good and evil pits a mother who struggles to deny her paranormal powers against a megalomaniac intent on world destruction.

Barbara Stevens has always struggled with her inexplicable powers. Her unwillingness to acknowledge her pent-up abilities has not stopped her young daughter Tiffany from exercising her own powers.

Recruited by a group intent on honing and harvesting these paranormal powers to create a super race, Barbara and Tiffany are soon kidnapped and held on an island off the coast of Russia.

Suspicion soon grows that Tiffany may, in fact, manifest the ten highest paranormal abilities of astral projection, aura reading, bio-energy transference, levitation, past life regression, precognition, spontaneous healing, telekinesis, and telepathy.

If proven true, Tiffany’s abilities will trigger an opening to the gates of hell. But can this descent into evil be stopped in time?

Where to find Brenda…

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Joanne here!

A fellow teacher and late bloomer, I found myself nodding in agreement as I read your post. Your advice is spot on. Thank you, Brenda, for sharing your inspiring story.

Beyond Seven-Year Itches…

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Anne B. Cole chatting about seven-year itches and her debut novel Souls Entwined.

Here’s Anne!

anne coleMy First Act is similar to many other women.

• Married my high school sweetheart after 7 years of dating
• Taught Elementary school for 7 years
• Stayed home to raise three children for 7 years
• Taught preschool for 10 years.

Whoa! What happened to the seven year itch my life seemed to be following?

It happened…I just didn’t know it…

Seven years into my preschool teaching I found myself at the pool where my children were competing in a very long swim meet. Swimmer parents know these things can take up to six hours for one session. I had kids swimming in both sessions, so I was parked at the pool for over ten hours.

I love to watch my kids BUT there is gobs of wait time in between their events. I grabbed my bag at the beginning of warms up and found that I forgot to pack my library book. Darn! For someone who is constantly on the go I have a hard time sitting still with nothing to do. Knowing that I was too far away from home to get my book, I turned the heat sheet over and started to jot down ideas. That outline became the foundation of my Second Act.

I began to carry composition books around with me so I could write in the car, at the pool, anywhere I could find a minute or two. What started out as a hobby became an obsession. Two years later, I finished writing my novel and found two wonderful critique partners. One pitched my story in a contest last year. A month later I found myself with a contract with Soul Mate Publishing.

On April 30th I became an author.

During last minute edits two weeks ago I saw a quote that inspired me;

“No Pressure. No Diamonds.”

My Second Act is a little more frantic since I remain a wife, mother of three teenagers, and a preschool teacher. Add to that; learning social media, writing a sequel, and promoting the release of my novel.

My advice to anyone with a seven year itch? It’s never too late to do something new.

Thanks, Joanne for having me here on your Second Act Series!

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Blurb

When a cursed family heirloom sends Gretta Dobbs back in time, a hunky construction worker, Sam Daggett, suddenly finds himself love struck and joins her adventure. Their souls entwine within the bodies of young lovers on a Greek island in 1829, where they begin to unravel the mysteries behind Gretta’s ring all while avoiding a bloodthirsty pirate who is determined to seek revenge. Gretta and Sam must find the secrets needed to save her and her relatives from an afterlife in purgatory and return to their own lives—or risk becoming prisoners of the past, continuing the evil cycle of the ring’s curse.

Where to find Anne…

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Joanne here!

Anne, Thanks for sharing your inspiring story. I’ve just started reading Souls Entwined and am enjoying it immensely. Best of luck with sales.

Connecting Purposefully and Passionately

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Smiljana Orlic sharing the struggles and strong sense of commitment that shaped her life.

Here’s Smiljana!

smiljanaI have been an individual with many interests. The truth was not the fact that I could not focus but I saw much excitement and fulfillment in life. I have always been passionate and I have always followed my heart.

Hence, this made it difficult growing up and in a society where I was told it was not possible, I needed to figure out my one purpose, get a safe job or just told it can’t be so. This created doubt, lack of confidence and consistently being hard on myself. At the time, I closed down and found it easier to be “normal” and more “like” other people. This consistent battle within myself caused me much pain and robbed me of complete fulfillment.

After much experience in the corporate world, I was tired of chasing the power and fulfillment I sought. I no longer could divide myself in two between my Divine self and the Power I knew was within to the superficial power that comes when we look for the answers outside of ourselves. Hence, I created my own business that incorporated the strong spiritual principles inherit within me and I intertwined them with strong business strategies to help others build their dreams. I have a process that I take individuals through and together we create systems that they can walk away with and incorporate to get the goals they desire in their business and/or lives. I love sharing the true ‘secret sauce’ of life, connecting them with their passions, empowering others and seeing them succeed in living their unlimited potential of themselves!

The advice I would share to professionals alike is not to ignore the voice of your spiritual soul, your uniqueness or your passions, as they are the nuggets that will lead you to building and creating a life of purpose. There is always a way without compromising your true authentic nature.

Success to me can be measured in many ways, beyond living the life I desire, living in the state of flow and having the things that make me happy, I rate my success on how many others I can help bring passion back in their lives and in their businesses. Seeing them truly free themselves in becoming all they can be and deserving of the business and life they desire brings a great smile to my face. Living a life that is thriving and not just surviving is what truly invigorates my core being and purpose!

transformingsmiljana

Where to find Smiljana…

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Pinterest

Joanne here!

Smiljana, Thank you for sharing your journey and insights. You are an excellent role model for your clients. Best of luck with all your future endeavours.

Oprah and Arianna Huffington

oprah and arianna

Yesterday on Super Soul Sunday, Oprah and Arianna Huffington chatted about mothers, success, and spirituality while having tea at at Starbucks.

Well known and acclaimed as one of the world’s most influential people, Arianna attributes much of her success to her mother, a woman who provided her daughters with unconditional love and an enriched upbringing, despite modest beginnings in Athens. After selling all their belongings, the family moved to England where Ariana obtained a scholarship to Cambridge University. At age 21, she held the distinction of being the first international student to become president of the famed debating society, The Cambridge Union.

After moving to New York in 1980, Arianna married, had two daughters and become politically involved. In 2005, she founded the Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read media brands. But this success came at a price. On April 6, 2007, Arianna collapsed from exhaustion and woke up to find herself lying in a pool of blood.

This wake-up call forced Arianna to ask the difficult questions about success and the true meaning of life. She eloquently speaks about this search in her fourteenth book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being.

Arianna’s advice…

We must disconnect with technology to reconnect with ourselves. To improve the quality of her sleep, Arianna transformed her bedroom into a device-free sanctuary.

Take a nap in the afternoon. There are two (well-used) nap rooms at Huffington Post and Arianna is planning to add a third room.

Give up what no longer works. Several years ago, Arianna found it liberating to drop several projects that were no longer relevant or necessary.

Quotable quotes…

Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen.

A eulogy has nothing to do with our resume.

We can integrate death into our lives, not in a morbid way but to give life meaning.

Failure is part of the journey to success.

Failure is not the opposite of success. It is a stepping stone to success. (Arianna’s mother)

Failure is God trying to move you in a new direction. (Oprah)

No experience goes wasted. Whatever arises in life is the right material to fuel your growth…All of life is here to greet you like an old and faithful friend. (Marcus Aurelias)

Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor. (Rumi)

A Satisfying Life

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Janis Lane sharing a lifetime of experiences.

Here’s Janis!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGrowing up: It’s an interesting thought to consider life having first, second, third, etc. acts. They’re the early days when I was growing up which included schools, proms, first kisses, learning to drive a car and a standard shift in a pick up, and skinny dipping once with my girlfriends. College and that sort of thing. Those were big changes as I left home really for good, only visiting after that. I wrote letters home and made them amusing.

Marriage and Babies: I had a few memorable adventures in my early marriage days. We moved around a lot initially, which I was eager to do. Life was a constant surprise and I was up for it. Hubby bought an airplane. Then came the beautiful baby girl and I wanted instant stability. I remember how puzzled my hubby was at the change in me. I thought he was weird not to understand. We planted ourselves in Western NY and there we welcomed a sturdy baby boy to go with our gorgeous little girl.

Years of Mothering: At the time they seemed to go on forever, but now it seems they were too fleeting. I wrote a bit. Seems I meant to do that when I majored in a few courses in college, but life was too interesting and I just couldn’t settle. The muse was knocking, but “…I hear ya knocking, but you can’t come in…” I painted, learned all about wild flowers, birds, nature, and how to be a Blue Bird leader and that seemed to subdue the urge to create. In between, I read tons of books from all sorts of genres and played an excessive amount of tennis. I earned this bum knee quite honestly.

Empty Nest: You think I’d sit down and write, don’t you? Nope. Freedom meant I could go with hubby and travel became an intense hobby. We made it a habit to “collect” art museums all over the country and quite a few out.

Beginning to Write: Then one day I sat down and started to write. I always meant to and the time seemed right. And I wrote, and I wrote, and I finished a novel. It was satisfying. I joined a local writers group and that was satisfying and illuminating. There were people like me!

I don’t know how long this writing bug will continue. So far I have more ideas than I can possibly get written and I have a lovely office all my own. I do know there is a deep urge in me to continue, some call it the muse, and some call it a creative talent. I call it having fun and living a satisfying life, which runs with hills and valleys but always interesting.

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Blurb

MURDER IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD is the first of handsome Detective Kevin Fowler Mysteries. MURDER IN THE JUNKYARD and THE GLASS CAT (a short story) are due out sometime in May.

Life in a peaceful neighborhood is turned upside down when middle-aged women are found dead on their front steps. Detective Fowler races the clock searching for the identity of a madman and is aided by that beautiful, home town, princess reporter, Beverly Hampton.

Where to find Janis…

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Joanne here!

What a rich and colorful life! Thank for sharing, Janis and best of luck with all your releases.

Carpe Diem

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Lori Anding King talking about her personal challenges and sharing remarkable insights and advice.

Here’s Lori!

loritranslationladyI’m happy that I got a degree in something I enjoy: biology. I was grateful to land a job at a biotech company founded by Jonas Salk working on a Phase III study to boost the immune system of HIV infected people.

The same year I started, Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive and HIV was thrown into the spotlight. I worked hard for a great cause and played hard too. I traveled all over Europe with a backpack on my back, biked through Northern Italy and traveled solo down under for 3 months when I decided to leave the company. I earned the nickname of “Indiana Lori” for my adventurous spirit and lack of fear for traveling to the unknown.

Then, I got serious, and took a partner position in a translation agency. All work and no play. This provided the foundation to venture out on my own to create AXIOM Translations with a business partner. I learned more in the 9 years as a small business owner than I did in my whole life. It was exciting, painful, fun and arduous. Towards the end of my 1st Act, I realized that I was recruited into this line of work recruited into someone else’s dream. Wake up, Lori, it’s time to live your dream. What is your passion?

What woke me up?

As I was walking on the treadmill of life, I didn’t even notice the pace was picking up to the point that I was running until signs of stress began to set in. A full blown breakdown occurred with my husband after dropping off the kids at school: “I just can’t handle all this juggling anymore!” With the relief of letting off some steam, I jumped back on. Next, my neck gave out. I was in a brace but could still function so I kept on running. Then, my neck gave out again, this time I could barely move it. “What, I can’t drive!” Flashes of my responsibilities run before my eyes. “I can’t drive the kids to school or pick them up? Who else is going to do it?”

I lose it.

Then, I remember, I need to let go. I am not in control. This is the way it is.

B R E A T H E

Months later, I found out a fellow alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program unexpectedly and suddenly died while 9 months pregnant. The news of Sandra Huerta’s death rocked my world. She was a beautiful spirit who lived life to the fullest and I asked myself: “What are you doing with your life?” Subsequently, I read an article asking: which one would you pick 1. A raise or 2. Time off. Hands down, TIME OFF! I tell this story to my business partner who takes it as “Lori is going to take a few months off.” Cool. I go with it. And that is how I took the summer of 2013 off of work. I couldn’t bring myself to get back on the treadmill. I resigned as an active partner in the business in December 2013.

I wish I could say I have it all figured out; but I don’t. My mother always said, “Do what makes your heart sing.” That is exactly what I am doing, delving into the world of social media. My passion is for empowering people and small business owners to thrive. As a small business owner, I know how all-consuming it can be and how easy it is to lose sight of what is truly precious – family.

What I’ve learned:
– I will honor my passion.
– I will frequently check-in to be sure I’m not consumed by work.
– I will seize the day!

If you are pondering a 2nd Act, I have a few questions for you.

1. Are YOU happy?
2. Is what you are doing resonating with YOU?
3. Are YOU listening? Take time to really L I S T E N

I couldn’t hear on that treadmill; the wind in my ears prevented me from really listening. A mother’s death woke me up. Now, every day, I practice listening because I have time.

Life is too short to ignore your heart.

This is dedicated to Sandra Huerta, a much loved daughter, sister, mother, friend who was taken from this lifetime much too soon. She touched many souls with her kindness, love, zest for life and generosity of heart. Carpe Diem

Where to find Lori…

LinkedIn | Google Plus | Twitter

Joanne here!

Lori, Thank you for sharing your story and posing the difficult questions. I invite everyone to follow Lori’s progress online.

How Katie O’Boyle Got Her Wings

Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have Soul Mate author Katie O’Boyle talking about the perfect storm that inspired her second act and her debut novel Stepping Up to Love.

Here’s Katie!

Katie O'Boyle (2)As a young teen I passionately wanted to teach English, because I loved language, loved writing and wanted everyone to love literature. My first three years teaching in a tough public school convinced me I was a failure as a teacher, so I searched for a more practical, promising career. It was the early 1970s and women were making inroads in the new field of computers. I picked up degrees in Library Science and Computer Science and worked for fifteen years as a software engineer. The deeper I got into technology, the farther away I was from the users—schools, libraries, people. When my company offered an “Engineers into Education” deal, I jumped at the chance to get my doctorate in Education with an emphasis on technology.

Unfortunately, I leapt into the perfect storm. The stress and uncertainly of a career change precipitated a health crisis which forced me to stop working entirely, and I had to spend my entire life’s savings to get back on my feet. When the flood waters receded I had: my doctorate; a chronic health problem; the beginnings of a second career as a professor, consultant and technology planner; and an entirely new network of professional colleagues. I worked as hard as I could in my new field for twenty years and enjoyed every aspect of my work—teaching teachers, consulting with schools and colleges, and writing and speaking at conferences everywhere. And I still enjoy it, but in smaller and smaller assignments.

In the past two years I’ve resurrected my love of writing fiction and begun to publish the Lakeside Porches romance novels. I’m not so much “Dr. Kate” anymore, as “Katie O’Boyle,” and I’m loving my new act as an author. Writing is the most important work that I do now, and it doesn’t feel like work.

Looking back, that perfect storm that engulfed me as I jumped from “heavy techie” to Dr. Kate taught me a lesson that I practice to this day: value your network and keep it strong and current. My transition from Dr. Kate to Katie O’Boyle has taken two years and I continually work at my personal friendships, my connections to the colleagues who will be part of my network after retirement and to the wonderful new colleagues and friends I’m making as an author.

When I was struggling terribly to recover from illness and get my second act off the ground, I saw an inspiring bookmark that said:

Sometimes you have to take a leap and build your wings on the way down.

Scary job! But I wasn’t doing it alone. Faith and Hope were working along with me, insuring success. And my friends were cheering me on. With that change of perspective, the hard work became less of a nightmare and more of a thrill.

steppinguptolove

Blurb

When her boss Joel Cushman catches her using the spa shower at The Manse, junior accountant and graduating college senior Manda Doughty comes clean about the alcoholic drinking that has led her into a disastrous relationship with a predatory professor. Joel, who is also a trustee of the college, is faced with more problems than a beautiful, naked woman in his shower. While he’d rather make love all night with funny, brainy Manda, Joel knows his desire for her has no future if Manda cannot stay sober, grow up, and face her problems. While Manda immerses herself in AA, Joel uncovers harassment and embezzlement that threaten the existence of the college his ancestors founded. Can he fix the problems at the college without exposing Manda to public humiliation? Can Manda clean up her mess and trust the love she feels for Joel? The odds may not be in their favor, but miracles happen for those who are willing to change their lives and open their hearts.

Where to Find Katie…

Amazon | Website | Twitter | Facebook

Joanne here!

I am in awe of your strength and courage, Katie. And I can easily visualize you flying higher each day. I enjoyed reading Stepping Up to Love and look forward to the next book in the series.