Learn, Live and Hope: That's What I'm Trying To Do by Margo Hoornstra

 

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning – Albert Einstein

 

Is questioning the same as second guessing? If so, then I am all over the above quote. In my life in general, but more so in my writing life.

 

Case in point. These two covers.

 

 

 

 

 

Both stories are part of the same series -- Dearly Beloved --. Both have basically the same heat level, both involve characters with baggage; loss, abuse, parents with children trying to move on. Struggles for happiness.

 

Would you know that from looking at the covers? How about by reading the blurbs?

Night Stars and Mourning Doves

 

Elyse Monroe may be her sister's maid of honor, but that doesn't mean she has to follow the bride's example and fall in love. Battle-scarred and weary from previous relationships, she has no desire to take a chance on another--no matter how many hints her little sister drops about the best man. Devastating life events have taken a toll on Eric Matthews. After losing his wife and unborn daughter, he's come home to heal. Serving as best man at his kid brother's wedding is the only relationship he cares to contemplate--no matter how attractive the maid of honor. Thrown together again and again by wedding duties, Elyse and Eric reluctantly agree to explore a possible relationship--only to have their casual date turn into a glorious night of passion. Can two hearts, convinced a happily ever after will never happen, recognize love when it finds them?

 

Only If You Dare

 

All the pleasure and none of the pain, that's what Cynthia Buckingham wants in a relationship these days. A one-night stand with Jonah Colt seems to fit that bill perfectly. Newly divorced, she's too busy planning her daughter's wedding for any serious involvement. Besides, her true passion is helping victims of PTSD reclaim their lives. Waking up after spending the night with a woman he barely knows, Jonah is stunned to realize sex for the sake of sex isn't enough for him anymore. A veteran of more military battles than he cares to count, he wants to forget it all and focus on peaceful civilian life. Except flashbacks won't allow it. Falling for Cynthia makes Jonah regret his weakened state, but he'd rather hide the truth than face it. When she sets aside everything she believes in to help him heal, can he accept her help--and her love?

 

The cover for Night Stars and Mourning Doves was created for me from my artwork sheet. Thinking I had learned something along the lines of ‘sex sells’ when the time in my life came to create the cover for Only If You Dare, I chose the picture, hoping to get that book noticed more.

 

 

I’m not sure it did.

 

So what do you think? Which cover do you think is more noticeable? And why?

 

My days to blog here are the 11^th and 23^rd. For more about me and my stories, please visit my website

What? I have to read...in PUBLIC?

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The

important thing is to not stop questioning. ~ Albert Einstein

I'm going to address the topic of fear in this post, but I chose the Einstein quote because it speaks to hope – for me, a hope of overcoming fears.

Like most authors, when I first thought about writing a book, it was all about (you guessed it) writing the book! I didn't consider what would happen if and when it ever got published. I never thought about actually having to TELL PEOPLE about the book (especially since that first one was a bit kinky...and I usually come across as more of a motherly/grandmotherly type).

And I certainly never considered I'd have to speak about it, IN PUBLIC.

Ever since I had to give a contemporaneous speech in 10th grade English class (where I stood, completely brain-frozen for a solid two or three minutes, in front of about 25 15-year-olds who would later have to grade me), I've had a terrible fear of public speaking. Just the thought of speaking in front of people, no matter the group's size, would cause sleeplessness for as much as two weeks in advance. Once I went into a full-blown panic attack reading aloud in a small group setting. (And that was a church group! Not exactly a hostile audience.)

So deep was my fear, for most of my life I've avoided any activity that had even the potential of forcing me into the spotlight. (That included shout-outs at Weight Watchers meetings where I would beg the leader to please NOT call my name.)

Yet here I am, a dozen or so years after starting that first book, doing public readings, sitting on and moderating author panels, and for the first time this week, doing a radio interview.

Leah St. James moderates panel of romance authors at the
2014 Fall for the Book Festival at George Mason University,
Fairfax, Va.

So how did I make this transformation?

I can thank God, writing, and a guy named Paul McKenna. I'd seen him on either Oprah or Dr. Oz talking about a method that teaches to people to beat food cravings. Since craving food is another of my lifelong challenges, I tuned in. 

McKenna demonstrated a simple technique of tapping on various parts of your body to turn off the craving switch. It was mentioned at some point it could be used to turn off other obsessive-type thoughts as well. (I think it's based on theories of acupuncture, but I'm not sure.)



Interesting, I thought, then filed it away in some part of my brain.

Fast forward a couple months. I had entered a juried short story contest at my local library and received the wonderful news that my story won second place! I received a cash prize, a nice certificate and...the best part...the request that I read my story at a reception of library patrons. It was to be a nice event, with free refreshments and everything. I remember reading the letter and focusing on that phrase—READ YOUR STORY AT A RECEPTION...READ YOUR STORY AT A RECEPTION...READ.... 

I remember feeling physically ill for a moment, sharing my fears with my husband and him saying, "Leah, this is wonderful recognition. I'm so proud of you. You need to go." So I told myself I would go. I told myself I would be fine.

Unfortunately, my confidence didn't last long. By the time the big evening arrived, I was nearly paralyzed. I entered the building and headed for the ladies' room, prepared to lock myself in a stall to figure out my next move. But someone had beat me to it. She was young—one of the winners of the teen division—and she was sobbing, saying that she was too afraid to read her story in public.

One of the library staffers was trying to console her, telling her she'd be fine, but she wasn't buying it. She was young and beautiful – cheerleader/prom queen beautiful – and obviously could write, so she should have been proud to read. But the fear of public speaking isn't rational. It's emotional.  Your body reacts with that same fight-or-flight shot of adrenaline as if you were running from an ax-wielding 7-foot monster, no matter how much you try to rationalize away your fears.

Feeling awful for the poor kid, I slipped from the room, then realized that could have been me back in high school (except for prom-queen looks :-)). I felt so foolish that I hadn't matured since those awful 10th-grade moments. Certainly by now, after all the living I'd done, I should be able to compose myself and do a simple reading. 

I sat down in the first row (so I couldn't see how many people were coming in behind me) and started to panic. My breathing accelerated. So did my heart rate. Pretty soon all I could hear was a rushing in my ears. Then I started to pray.

That's when a solution hit me. Do the tapping thing. If it works to divert your mind from a craving, maybe it will work for this.

I started tapping away at my forehead, chin, shoulder blade, back of my hand. Eyes down and left. Eyes down and right, etc. And miracle of miracles, within seconds my speeding heart sank from my throat and my breathing calmed. When it was my turn, I was nervous but not panicked, and read the story in a reasonably confident manner. Afterward, a young girl from the audience came up to me and told me how much she enjoyed the story, and that she, too, wants to be a writer. (Big grin.)

Since then, when I'm appearing in public and those tell-tale symptoms of fear start up, I begin tapping. (It is a miracle....one of God's gifts, I'm convinced.) 

If you'd like to hear evidence, check out the WRSP radio interview I did for the Author's Talk Show a few weeks ago. It "premiered" the other night. You can hear me breathing, heavily, for the first couple of minutes. Then I started tapping, and the miracle kicked in. (Although my family now calls me "Mother Vader." No sympathy. :-))

So if you fear public speaking, or any other "irrational" fear, check out the tapping thing! It works for me.

__________

Leah St. James writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the redeeming power of love. Learn more at LeahStJames.com

Sea turtle release by Barbara Edwards

Turtle Release on St George’s Island, Florida

Talk about new beginnings. I had the exciting experience of releasing a sea turtle into the warm Gulf water off of St George’s Island in Florida. 

Not exactly what I thought to be doing aa a volunteer.

I didn’t know what to expect when the Ranger told us to be at the turtle release today.

When we arrived at the beach, they explained twenty-two turtles were being released. There was a crowd listening to the brief lecture.

Sea turtles are warm water lifeforms. When a cold snap happens that chills the water they can go into a type of hibernation and are vulnerable.

These were carried here in plastic boxes and are about the size of a dinner plate. They are about ten to fifteen years old and won’t be back to lay eggs until they’re twenty-five years old.

The Greens were taken from St. Joseph’s Island in Florida and the others from Boston Harbor in Massachusetts.

Many rescue centers take them in, nurse them back to health and rerelease them into the wild.

We released eleven Green Sea turtles and eleven Kemp-Ripler Turtles.

The Greens will return to this area, they others will scatter up the Atlantic coast.

I was nervous to handle these wild creatures but the one I held was placid. It was surprisingly light for its size.

I

waded into the water and let it go. within seconds it swam into deep water and was gone.

My heart fluttered with a mixture of joy and trepidation. I won’t be here in ten to twenty years, but someone will. To see the eggs hatch. To know life goes on.

I'll have more photos on my blog. Blog http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com/

Please follow, friend or like me. I love to hear from my readers.

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Each New Day Starts With Forgiveness with Guest Blogger, M.J. Schiller

I'm happy to turn over my spot today to a good friend and great author, M.J. Schiller. M.J. is using our monthly theme for her post, and I think you'll find it quite interesting...take it away, M.J. (Aren't her covers magnificent?)

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? ~ L.M. Montgomery

What a hopeful thought! One we need to make a mantra, at times. Especially me. I’m one of those annoying people pleasers, rule followers, I want to do everything well and the right way. My mom used to tell me, “A job worth doing is worth doing right,” and it appears that I have taken that to heart.

When I was in junior high I was a synchronized swimmer. I had an unusual talent that was useful to the team. I was a really loud underwater screamer. I know. Jealous, aren’t you? It was my job to scream and signal the others when it was time to do certain moves. At the end of the season we had one of those awards celebrations where we got goofy little certificates. Mine had something to do with “the only person she’s harder on than her teammates is herself.” Hmm. Kind of a backhanded compliment, huh? I was an uptight, straight-A student. There was no room for mistakes, from me, or anyone.

Luckily the years have mellowed me some. But I still tend to go over my actions and conversations at the end of the day and think, “I could have said that better,” or “I never should have done that,” or, “If I had only done this…” That’s a hard way to live.

This idea that each new day is a fresh start is a lifesaver for people like me who tend to be self-critical. Okay, so maybe I was a little rude tonight by texting my daughter while out with the neighbors. But my daughter needed help and I was trying to be a good mother. My friends will forgive me. And even if they don’t, I need to forgive myself, and then learn from my mistakes. I need to forge on in my brand new day, do the best I can, and forgive myself at the end of this day so that I can start over each day anew.

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you tend to beat yourself up over mistakes you make? Or have you learned to forgive yourself and move forward?

Maggie, from my new sci-fi romance, LADY OF THE KNIGHT, has a hard time forgiving herself for a decision she makes while under enormous pressure. Should she betray the man she loves in order to save him? LADY OF THE KNIGHT is the second in my ROMANTIC KNIGHTS TRILOGY. 

You can preorder Book Two for 99 cents at:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S0GEZNO

The first, LEAP INTO THE KNIGHT, is also on sale for 99 cents!

http://amzn.com/B00O170I6O

Thanks for joining us! And thank you, Roses of Prose, for hosting me!

Are our characters flawed enough? by Jannine Gallant

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? ~ L.M. Montgomery

This quote got me thinking about my characters--and the mistakes they've made. And the ones who haven't made a lot of mistakes. I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time giving my characters flaws. Heaven knows I'm not perfect (just ask my daughters), but I want my heroes and heroines to be better than that. I have to make a conscious effort to give them less than stellar traits to overcome. In an ironic twist, looking back at the characters I've created, the most memorable of the bunch are the ones who have the most shortcomings. The hero who makes you think, "Seriously, dude? Did you really just say that?" The one who finally pulls it together in the end when you honestly doubt he's ever going to be worthy of the heroine's love.

In another ironic twist, I've realized the characters in my suspense books always have issues, but not nearly as many quirky hangups as the ones in my straight contemporaries. Maybe because they need more strength to overcome the bad guys? Maybe because there's more focus on the plot in these books? Solving a mystery and staying one step ahead of a crazy killer, along with working through emotional issues hindering the love story, may be enough conflict for one book. Adding major character flaws to the mix might just double the word count needed to get everything sorted out. And let's face it, publishers aren't looking for novels that top 100,000 words no matter how interesting our characters! But, in a straight contemporary with no mystery to solve, the reader expects more depth of character to keep the story moving. Which is why my two cowboy books win the contest for memorable heroes. These books don't have the most complicated plots, so the characters had to stand out to make the books shine.

In these excerpts, do you want to smack my heroes upside the head and tell them to get a clue? Yeah, me, too! Let's just say they've made a few mistakes...

From Nothing But Trouble... Chase loves women. All women. He's loved so many women, he doesn't recognize the real thing when it comes along...

     “Have you ever been in love?”
     His hands clenched around the steering wheel, but his tone was hesitant. “I suppose so.”
     “That’s a lukewarm response if ever I heard one.” She shifted in the seat and leaned toward him. “Is it always just physical for you? Have you ever tried engaging your emotions, your heart?”
     “Hell, Honor, I don’t know what to say. I’m not good at talking about that sort of stuff. I feel plenty. You twist me up like a pretzel.” Tossing his hat in the backseat, he ran a hand through his hair. “You make me question everything I’ve ever wanted. When I look at you, it seems like there should be more.”
     Tears burned behind her eyes at his admission. “Honestly? You’re not just saying that to get me into bed.”
     “I’m not sure what I’m saying.”
     “I suppose it’s a start.”
     He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
     “Yeah.” She gave him a weak smile, feeling her defenses crumble. “It may get you to second base. Possibly third.”
     “Hot damn! That definitely is a start.”

From Asking For Trouble... Cole lost Miranda once over their differences. Too bad he hasn't wised up any...

     He snorted. “Diaper changing isn’t a skill I’m going to need in the future. I don’t intend to have kids. And no offense, but I’d rather shovel horse shit for a living than set up a babysitting service.”
     A pulse throbbed painfully at her temples. “I haven’t forgotten. What was your charming comment on the subject?” She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. You said having kids was like wearing neckties. With little effort, they could choke the life out of a man.”
     “I said that?”
     She dropped the wet, gooey rag on the coffee table, not caring if it took the finish off the damn thing. After shrugging on her jacket, she turned to face him. “You did.”

     “Wow, I didn’t know I was so poetic.”

So, who are some of your most memorable heroes? Flawed or not so much? Curious minds want to know.

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The Quest for Stillness by Betsy Ashton

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning. ~ Albert Einstein

I looked at this quote for days before deciding for me questioning is second nature. I'm a writer. I ask questions of people I meet, myself. I was a teacher who loved the Socratic method. Now I wonder if all that questioning wasn't a quest for something else. Stillness.


Stillness is in short order in our daily life. It's hard to be in the moment, still within one's self, when we are barraged with noise, social media, multiple screens on our desks and in our homes, differing shouted viewpoints. It's nearly impossible to be still.

But it can be done. Writers know it. It's when we put our fingers on our keyboards and let our imagination take over. We live for a while within the confines of our minds, creating characters, setting scenes, writing dialogue. It's all there, but it's so hard for it to function, to find its outlet, when chaos surrounds us. 

Take time for yourself. Take a few minutes every day, even five minutes will work. to DO NOTHING. Really nothing. Sit. Listen to your heart beat. Count your breaths. At the end of five minutes you will be refreshed. You will be energized. You will be ready to internalize yesterday's lessons, find inspiration in today, and write like heck tomorrow.

Good luck. 

###

Betsy Ashton is the author of Mad Max Unintended Consequences available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The second book in the series, Uncharted Territory, will be released in June 2015.

Embracing the New and Magical by Donna Michaels

And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. ~ Meister Eckhart

Seems to be a popular quote this month, and one that’s fitting for me. Like Vonnie, I had a few crazy deadlines last year. The ‘write a book in 3 weeks’ became a reality for me. Three times. Actually, I had 4 weeks for one of those books, then I went right into 2 weeks to revise a novella and lengthen it into a novel, which I turned in the day before I left for a conference. None of the crunching was by choice, but by necessity because of conferences, promo, social media, boxed sets, more promo, blogs, website updates, oh, yeah, and family obligations.

 

Jestina as 'Gloria' in Bye Bye, Birdie

 

There were quite a few this past year. My youngest in her high school productions, graduating from high school, one of my twins graduating college, and my daughter-in-law graduating from law school. Two of my children went off to 2 different colleges. Then there was my father-in-law diagnosed with cancer. Bless him, he was in the hospital for weeks, then a nursing home for months, then finally released to go home on my birthday. ☺ I've been helping to take him to chemo and doctor visits every week, but at least he’s home! Yes, 2014 was a crazy, busy year.

Holy smokes, just reading that makes me nuts. How the heck did I manage it all? Barely. Trust me. It certainly made me realize I need an assistant.

That's me, embracing my something new.

Yes, I am currently looking for an assistant. I know they can’t help me with the family stuff, but an assistant can help with my website, and promo, social media, and even the conferences. Hiring an assistant is scary, but I’m going to be asking my piers for recommendations and hopefully, I’ll find the right fit before I end up in deadline he## again.

So, I will trust the magic of beginnings.

How about you, was 2014 a crazy busy year for you, too? With one activity after another?

Here’s hoping 2015 is a crazy, wonderful year!

One of those boxed sets I mentioned will be releasing next week, Jan 20th, and is available for preorder for only .99¢! I’m honored to be involved in the Cowboy 12 Pack with such wonderful NY Times and USA Best Selling authors!

  

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1H4M25u
Amazon: http://amzn.to/11sGMZb
IBooks: http://bit.ly/1xyPCSu
Nook:  http://bit.ly/1BL0uiS