Tag Archives: Joanne Guidoccio
Hunting for Adventures
Welcome to my Second Acts series!
Today, we have Jodie Esch talking about a life jam-packed with adventures.
Here’s Jodie!
Act 1— Schools, Schools & More Schools.
I appeared destined to become a teacher. Some people joked that I was born clutching a package of felt pens. I was the kind of child who constructed little classrooms around our house and dutifully instructed my baby brother and sister.
My Air Force family moved constantly. Vancouver Island, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec became my classrooms. Eventually, I took teacher training in Quebec and ventured out into the world of schools.
My college roommate and I decided we wanted to work together. In that era, there was a buffet of choices. We signed up for job interviews only in places that had access to skiing. Both of us landed jobs in Quebec City. This was our dream job because we skied every Wednesday night and every weekend.
Operating in a rather ‘abstract random’ style I then chose to work for the YWCA in Quebec City, studied Modern dance in Toronto and generally tried to find myself. I believed that the Canary Islands would be my next destination.
But I was running out of money, so I headed to Canada’s Arctic where I taught Grade 2 and discovered my husband-to-be. However, I had only two years of teacher training, so the writing was on the wall. Change careers or sign up for more education.
I decided to follow my dad’s mantra, “When in doubt, go back to school.” And so I did. I acquired graduate degrees and continued to teach. I worked at Simon Fraser University and Vancouver Community college.
In the fullness of time, I found my perfect elementary school on Vancouver Island. Perfect staff, perfect students, perfect parents. It was a stellar experience.
But something was missing. Finally, I left school administration after a total of twelve years, loving the work but on the hunt for the next adventure.
Act 2—Looking Within
I dug deep and unearthed the lost link in the land of words. I decided to embrace fiction writing. I bought craft books, took classes, joined groups, entered contests, met with editors and agents and sent my work to publishing houses. And I continued to read and read. Very obsessive I know. But that has turned out to be my style.
I wrote and wrote, not really knowing what I was doing. Everything was a thrilling venture. I tried romance, women’s fiction, romantic suspense and a middle grade novel. I finished all of these manuscripts, over a ten year period.
Finally I stumbled upon the Young Adult genre. Ah yes! I could utilize all the voices, all the drama, all of the compelling stories of my life with students.
And so, for your reading pleasure, I now have The Girlfriends Series –Best Friends Forever. (Available on Amazon). Less than a latte!
Book #1 Little White Lies
Book #2 Little White Pills
Book #3 Little White Magic (to be released at the end of Sept. 2013)
The moral of this story? It’s never too late to find what you’re looking for in your life. Embrace your own journey. You will discover what you want and need.
Thank you Joanne for inviting me to join your blog. I wish you all the best in your writing adventures.
Blurbs
In Little White Lies, Book # 1 of the Girlfriends Series, eighth grader Rachel Scott finally has the perfect boyfriend. He’s good looking, athletic and wealthy. The only problem is he doesn’t actually exist. Rachel’s escape into her fantasy world worries her parents and they insist she meet with the school counselor. Frustrated with her life and without her best friend’s approval, Rachel heads down a dangerous path, looking for love in all the wrong places.
Tenth grader Steph Baxter has it all, perfect looks, perfect grades and a perfect life. She’s a model high school student and a member of the cheerleading squad. But in her quest for excellence, she makes dangerous choices. Soon her simple solution becomes a complex problem. Follow Steph and her best friend Rachel as they cope with Steph’s unexpected journey. Can Steph find support before it’s too late?
Where to find Jodie…
Website: http://www.JodieEsch.com
Author Page: http://bit.ly/JodieEschAmazonAuthorPage
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JodieEsch
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JodieEsch
Movie Review: The Butler
Director Lee Daniels faced many daunting tasks while filming Lee Daniels’ The Butler. In addition to the legal wrangling that resulted in adding his name to the title, Daniels had to condense seven decades into two hours, prevent all the famous cameos from becoming a distraction, and effectively demonstrate the conflicts that existed between black fathers and their sons during the Civil Rights Movement.
Forrest Whitaker delivers a stellar performance as Cecil Gaines, the White House butler who believed that the only way to advance in life was to be hard-working and non-confrontational. Two attributes that served Cecil well as he worked through seven presidencies, Eisenhower to Reagan.
His son Louis (David Oyelowo) believed in forcing the issue and taking a stand, behavior that led to threats from the KKK, beatings and incarceration. After Martin Luther King’s death, Louis became even more radical and joined the Black Panthers.
The tension between father and son lasts decades and contributes to even more turmoil in Cecil’s home. His wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey) is an alcoholic who resents Cecil’s devotion to his job. Despite limited screen time, Winfrey delivers an excellent performance in this supporting role. Other notable supporting actors include Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, and Vanessa Redgrave.
During the 1960s, I was aware of the turbulent race relations in the United States, but this film clarified many of those issues and, more importantly, demonstrated how the White House dynamics changed during the second half of the twentieth century. While “dramatic license” was taken with real-life Eugene Allen’s life (inspiration for Cecil Gaines), all the White House scenes actually happened. I found many of these scenes amusing; in particular, the Lyndon Johnson bathroom scene.
An excellent film worthy of many Oscar nominations. Bring Kleenex—you’ll need it.
Cover Reveal
COMING SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
TO AMAZON KINDLE
A New Invention
Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today, we have Professional Certified Coach Penny Gundry talking about trapezes and transitions.
Here’s Penny!
Ever thought of doing something a bit different? I was talking to a woman the other day who was telling me she felt quite trapped. She wanted to do something completely new with her life, to reinvent herself, but she couldn’t because it would be letting her family down. Also she couldn’t see how she could leave such a well-paid job. As I listened to her story I felt quite sad.
I started thinking about how important transitions are in our lives. It reminded me of the story by an anonymous writer about trapezes and transitions. As we hang on to our current trapeze bar we feel safe, it is familiar, and we know what is expected of us. But sometimes in the distance we spot another trapeze bar coming towards us. What do we do? This new bar may offer us a whole new world of many possibilities. It starts to swing closer and closer. There comes a time when we have to make a choice. Do we jump or do we stay? The decision is difficult enough but if we do let go, for a few terrifying moments we are in the void between bars with nothing to hang on to. The writer tells us:
“What this also means, of course, is that for some moment in time I must leave behind this bar and hurtle through space in order to reach the new one. Each time I am filled with terror. It makes no difference that in all my previous hurdles across the void of unknowing I have always made it. Each time I am afraid I will miss, that the new bar won’t hold me, that I will abandon the safety of what I have, only to plummet into the bottomless chasm of the unknown. But somehow, I have to take the chance. No guarantees, no safety net, no affordable blanket insurance policy – but there you are, soaring across the dark void of ‘the past is gone, the future is not yet here’, It is called transition.”
Bio
My life has evolved and changed over the years just like many of us. I started my career as a youth worker in Dublin Ireland working with teenage girls who lived on the streets and were often drug users. I was later involved in a number of conflict resolution programmes as part of the Peace Process In Northern Ireland before the Good Friday Agreement was signed. I wanted to be useful, to make a difference in the world but all too soon found out that change comes from deep within us not through trying hard to save others. It was my brief time living in Venezuela, South America which had the biggest impact on me. At one point I took a trip to the Angel Falls in the centre of the country. As we were slowly drifting down through the Rain Forest in a dugout canoe watching the toucans fly overhead and the monkeys leap from branch to branch I realised I was in paradise but I was not at peace. The contrast was so defined I made a decision that day to start on a spiritual quest and it has led me on an extraordinary journey.
About four years ago during times of meditation I started to see pictures almost like visions and noticed full sentences were coming into my mind. They seemed different from my thoughts; I didn’t recognise them as mine. I started to take notes and realised that a story was emerging. And this is how the book Glimmers of Light Dancing: A Fable for Our Times came into being. It was the easiest thing I have ever done.
Glimmers of Light Dancing follows Idan on a journey across a world that reveals the true meaning of life. Idan crosses an ocean full of storms, vast plains that reveal our true nature, a snowy wilderness, the Great White Mountain of truth and life beyond. It fills the senses, capturing the imagination, telling us secrets of a journey well travelled. It is a tale of hope and success in the face of self-doubt, fear and adversity. The purpose behind it is to tell a narrative that captures the essence of who we truly are and give the reader pointers for their own self-discovery.
Where to find Penny…
Joanne here!
Thank you, Penny, for sharing your extraordinary journey and providing us with unique insights into transitions.
Movie Review: Blue Jasmine
It is definitely Cate Blanchett’s show. She delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Jasmine (née Jeannette), the middle-aged trophy wife who is the dazed victim of a financial scandal involving her former husband Hal (Alec Baldwin).
The film opens with Jasmine arriving in San Francisco, broke but still flying first class with a full set of Louis Vuitton luggage. Also homeless, she is forced to depend upon the kindness of her estranged sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), who is romantically involved with blue-collar Chili (Bobby Cannavale). Shades of A Streetcar Named Desire. Interestingly enough, Blanchett also played Blanche DuBois on stage.
I could feel Jasmine’s discomfort during that double date with one of Chili’s friends and the scenes with her overly amorous dentist employer. In spite of her many pretentious comments and cringe-worthy behavior, I sympathized with this delusional woman, attempting to pick up the shards of her shattered life.
A long-time fan of Cate Blanchett, I believe this is her best performance to date. Throughout the film, I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she allowed us frightening glimpses into Jasmine’s fear, panic and vulnerability.
I also enjoyed the flashbacks involving Alec Baldwin. With his trademark grin, he nails the character of the con man in Brooks Brothers clothing.
I highly recommend this post-crash fable.
Exploring, Changing, Dreaming
Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today we have award-winning author Jacqui Nelson reflecting on her multi-act life.
Here’s Jacqui!
Act 1 – What to do when your life is a blank canvas?
Start exploring. I spent the first eighteen years of my life in one place—one community, one farm, one house. Most of what I knew had come from reading books. My first real challenge was to decide what I wanted to study, what I wanted to be. At the time I was reading Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear series. I enrolled in a geology/zoology double major at the nearest university. I was going to be a paleontologist.
Act 2 – What to do when you don’t want to dissect a cat?
Be open to change. I love going to school, but I dreaded that dissection class. And how many jobs are there in paleontology anyway? I decided I should be practical. Computers seemed popular even if I hadn’t used them more than a handful of times. Note: this was in the latter part of the 80s. I took a two-year computer systems college course, got a job immediately upon graduating, and worked for seven years as a computer programmer/systems analyst.
Act 3 – What to do when you want a job you adore? tyle=”font-size:12pt;line-height:115%;font-family:’Times New Roman’, ‘serif’;”>Go after your dreams. I’ve loved animation for as long as I’ve loved reading. My theory became—someone’s doing that dream job, why not me? I went back to school, found my first animation job in Germany, worked there for two years, and then worked one year back home in Canada and four in England. I was pursuing my dream.
Act 4 – What to do when you burn out at your dream job?
Be crazy enough to give it up, then lucky enough to clear you mind and remember a previous dream– writing a book. I researched writing groups, discovered a Romance Writers of America chapter nearby, became a member, and started learning again…but slowly this time. I still need a day job to pay the bills. I’ve worked as a fund-raising assistant and in a variety of retail shops.
Today I work in a bookstore.
Seems like a good place for me. For now. For as long as I’m able to write in every free moment that presents itself.
And what advice can I give anyone planning to pursue a new act in life? Work hard at whatever you choose to do. The following anonymous quote has been with me (and kept me going) since the day I left my childhood home: The race is to the driven, not the swift.
As long as I push forward, as long as I keep exploring and changing and dreaming and even on occasion being a little crazy—I have faith that I can accomplish whatever I desire and that the best acts in life are yet to come.
Bio
Jacqui Nelson writes historical romantic adventures set in the American West and Victorian London. Her love of Western stories came from watching classic Western movies while growing up on a cattle farm. Her passion for Victorian London wasn’t far behind and only increased when she worked in England for four years and explored the nooks and crannies of London on her weekends. Jacqui currently lives in Victoria on the west coast of Canada where she works as a book seller. Her previous jobs have included animator, systems analyst and fundraising event coordinator.
Her debut release, Adella’s Enemy, is part of the Passion’s Prize anthology and the Steam! Romance and Rails series. She is a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® winner and three-time finalist.
Blurbs
Adella’s Enemy (a novella in the Passion’s Prize anthology)
Can the pursuit of an old enemy lead to a new love?
Five years after the War Between the States, a Kansas railroad race heats up as former Rebel spy Adella Willows receives her mission from a Washington senator—play havoc with the Katy Railroad and derail its bid to win the race. The senator craves wealth. Adella craves revenge against the man responsible for her brother’s death. But her plans crumble into chaos when she matches wits with the railroad’s foreman, a handsome Irishman torn between two desires: winning the race or winning Adella’s heart.
The Passion’s Prize anthology (in the Steam! Romance and Rails series) features three interlinked Western historical romance novellas revolving around the true story of a cutthroat construction race between two powerful railroads.
Outlaws, soldiers and spies bedevil the Katy Railroad as crews rush to reach the Indian Territory border before the rival railroad. The stakes are just as high for three women whose lives hinge on the outcome.
In Adella’s Enemy by Jacqui Nelson, a spy pursuing an old enemy must choose to live for revenge or die for love. In Eden’s Sin by Jennifer Jakes, a woman with a soiled past must trust the one man who could ruin her future. And in Kate’s Outlaw by E.E. Burke, a railroad heiress abducted by outlaws must escape before her Cherokee captor steals her fortune—and her heart. Passions rise. Fortunes fall. In a race for riches, anything can happen.
Where to find Jacqui…
Website: www.JacquiNelson.com
Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/jacquinelson
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/JacquiNelson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JacquiNelsonBooks
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Jacqui_Nelson
Joanne here!
Thank you, Jacqui for sharing the long and winding path that led to your successful literary debut. I’m certain this post will inspire many readers to start exploring, changing and dreaming.
I Hate to Be Pigeonholed
Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today, we have Debra H. Goldstein talking about a childhood promise, high-powered careers, and writing.
Here’s Debra!
When I was a child, I spoke so quickly I couldn’t be understood. My parents dragged me to professional speech therapy supplemented by reading poetry aloud every night. My favorite poem was John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Barefoot Boy.” It inspired me to never want to be confined in my thoughts or actions.
My resolution to think outside the box resulted in choosing to graduate college a term early, determined to immediately go to New York to try to accomplish two goals: landing a publishing job and getting on Jeopardy. Lest you not think me pragmatic, by day I looked for a job while at night I applied for admission to law school. Eight months later, my two goals fulfilled, I started law school. I figured down the road, I would mesh writing and law.
My first job out of school was as a corporate international tax attorney. I hated it. A year later, I gave up my big salary and benefits to become a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor. I loved litigation and kept my hand in writing by producing a number of boring legal articles and continuing legal education pieces. After a few years I reached a fork in my legal career—continue as a litigator or seek a federal administrative law judicial appointment. Many people advised me not to get my hopes up as I was in my thirties and the average age for a federal Administrative Law judge was fifty-eight, plus only thirteen women held the position in the country. I applied anyway. In 1990, whether because of luck, having tried an equal pay case of first impression, or I don’t know what, I became one of the youngest people ever appointed as an Administrative Law Judge. During the next twenty years, I carried a heavy docket, raised four children, was a wife, volunteered in the community, and continued to write legal articles and decisions. I also was the go to person for party skits, but other than occasionally commenting that I’d like to write, that was as far as my creative writing went.
In 2009, two friends challenged me to stop talking and actually write. One went so far as to loan me a beach condo for a weekend. I left that condo with eighty-five hand-written pages and the confidence I could write a book. Maze in Blue, a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus in the 1970’s, was published in 2011. It contained four or five pages from the original eighty-five. Between juggling promotional appearances, signings, my continued responsibilities as a judge, and making a consistent effort to write non-fiction and fiction pieces, the next two years flew by. I found myself joking that I had a day and a night job.
I started to feel I only wanted to do one of these jobs. When I announced that I was stepping down from the bench, my colleagues thought I was crazy. They pointed out that the last three judges to retire from our lifetime appointments were 89, 86, and 79. I responded that I had been on the bench twenty-three years and that with luck I might have the opportunity for my new career to last as long or longer.
Will I write the great American novel? Probably not, but I’ve been enjoying a very diverse new career. It includes writing non-fiction, fiction, and beach or bedside fun pieces like my 2012 IPPY Award winning novel, Maze in Blue, and the book I now am shopping, Should Have Played Poker: A Mah Jongg Murder Mystery, which recently won an Alabama Writers Conclave First Chapter Award. Whether this is my final act or an interim one, I know the variety of things I have done and people who have influenced me can all be tied back to the decision I made in childhood to never be pigeonholed.
Bio
Judge, author, litigator, wife, step-mom, mother of twins, civic volunteer, University of Michigan grad, and transplanted Yankee are all words use to describe Debra H. Goldstein. Her writings are equally diverse. Her debut novel, Maze in Blue, a murder mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus in the late 1970’s received a 2012 Independent Book Publisher (IPPY) Award. Even though Maze in Blue is a murder mystery, it is a safe bet that when it comes to her writing, “It’s Not Always a Mystery.”
Where to find Debra…
Website: www.DebraHGoldstein.com
Blog: http://debrahgoldstein.wordpress.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraHGoldstein
Joanne here!
WOW! Thank you, Debra, for giving us glimpses of the beautiful life tapestry you have expertly woven.
Movie Review: Jobs
Ashton Kutcher delivers a stellar performance as Steve Jobs. The actor was able to mimic the computer visionary’s speech patterns, flowing hand gestures, trademark smirk and loping, apelike gait. According to a recent interview, Kutcher even adopted Jobs’ eating patterns, ending up in a hospital after suffering the debilitating effects of the bizarre fruitarian diet.
The film takes us on a journey from Jobs’ college dropout days in 1971 to the iPod launch in 2001. With three decades to cover in 127 minutes, some of the scenes appear rushed and the eleven years between 1985 and 1996 are glossed over. In spite of these flaws, director Joshua Michael Stern still manages to create a powerful narrative about a man obsessed with revolutionary innovation.
Having read Walter Isaacson’s biography, I knew of Jobs’ selfishness, temper and impatience with anyone who failed to share his vision. In this film, we get glimpses of that hair-trigger temper when Jobs yells at his co-workers and later admits, “I just can’t work for other people.” More surprising and disappointing is his treatment of the men who worked alongside him in his father’s garage.
Jobs’ personal relationships are also fraught with tension. It is shocking to see his reaction to an unwanted pregnancy and Steve Woznick’s (Josh Gad) soul baring conversation. His feelings toward his daughter Lisa are never fully expressed, but he does appear to have a “normal” family life toward the end of the film.
As many of the reviews have shown, Jobs is definitely open to interpretation. And while not everyone will admire many of Steve Jobs’ personal and business decisions, I don’t think anyone can leave the theater without being inspired by this driven and charismatic leader.
Movie Review: We’re the Millers
Create a clean-cut family and you can get away with almost anything.
That was the plan hatched by Dave (Jason Sudeikis) when he faced the daunting task of having to repay his nasty drug lord (Ed Helms) for stolen drugs and cash. Conveniently enough, he found a wife in sarcastic stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), a daughter in homeless teen Casey (Emma Roberts), and a son in his dorky, adolescent neighbor Kenny (Will Poulter).
On the Fourth of July, the foursome now known as the Millers sets off for Mexico to ferry a “smidge” of marijuana across the border. But nothing turns out as expected and the Millers find themselves dealing with a series of a calamities and awkward situations, among them an unusual request from a Mexican cop and lewd suggestions from a conservative, but sexually curious couple.
Definitely light fare and entertaining with a steady flow of jokes.
Joanne Guidoccio 