O – Opportunities for Authors (or the Upside of Self-Publishing)
Mindful Banter
Music Monday 1 – Love is Complicated
I’ve been watching on the sidelines for a few weeks and today I was inspired to jump onto the Music Monday Blog Hop hosted by Meg at the Book Asylum. Music Monday is a blog hop that showcases songs which remind us of specific books.
The inspiration for my first Monday Music pick struck when I heard Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” while riding in the car the other day. I still love this song, and haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the past three days.
Complicated – Avril Lavigne
Makes me think of . . .
I love me some Mary J. And while this isn’t my fave Mary J. Blige song, I think she expresses a sentiment with which many can identify in “Mr. Wrong.”
Mr. Wrong – Mary J. Blige
Makes me think of . . .
So Music Monday #1 has revealed my current Jami Alden addiction. The woman has sexy contemporary romance on a string. Seriously.
So What About You?
Do either of these songs make you think of a specific book? Or do any of these books make you think of other songs? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Video of the Week: Hot Soldiers Sing Call Me Maybe
A super hot troop of soldiers in Afghanistan does their own rendition of “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepson (a song I love unabashedly). Be warned: Belly laughs and fanning oneself will likely ensue.
Been having a rough week? Things will be looking up for the next three minutes, at a bare minimum.
You’re welcome.
Phenomenal Woman – That’s Me
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
~ Sam Levenson
I’ll admit with a bowed head that I haven’t given as much attention to poetry, as a genre, as I should. Yet there are a few poems that were so inspiring that they’ve stayed with me and I often draw strength from them. One such poem is the powerful ode to women written by Maya Angelou, “Phenomenal Woman.” It is a gorgeous, lyrical poem that celebrates what makes a woman truly beautiful. When I heard about the Beauty of a Woman Blogfest, via writer Misty Dietz, I knew I had to be part of it.
The Beauty of a Woman Blogfest, hosted by August McLaughlin, is designed to celebrate our vastly diverse definitions of what makes a woman beautiful. The blogfest is inspired by a poem by Sam Levenson of the same name, with which I wasn’t familiar, but is now among my favorites. My focus for this post is Levenson’s words above.
We can all appreciate the outer beauty of a woman who is pleasing to the eye because she meets the “traditional” standard of beauty. However, while people are drawn to a pretty face, it isn’t enough to make them hang around. Rather, it is a beauty that resides much deeper within that draws us to people and makes us want to stick to them, love them, and support them. A beauty of spirit.
I’ve been fortunate to know many amazing women in my life who are truly, and deeply beautiful. Women who offer to hop a plane and support me through an emotional crisis, even when doing so creates a hardship for her. Women who don’t except my dutiful responses to tough questions, and support me even when they don’t like my honest answer. Women who see what is truly amazing about me, even when I’ve lost sight of it myself.
That is what makes a woman–a girlfriend, a sister, a mother, a fellow writer–truly beautiful.
Having such beautiful women in my life makes me a better person, one who wants to support other women in the same way. So thank you to all of the phenomenal women in my life, and to those who support women everywhere.
As for Maya Angelou’s poem, “Phenomenal Woman,” no-one could render her words quite like the woman herself. Enjoy!
This is Your Brain. This is Your Brain on Love.
A few years ago I took a couple of online writing classes that I found simply fascinating. I took Writing Body Language and Dialogue Cues Like a Psychologist taught by the Margie Lawson and Sex On The Page: Understanding And Crafting Great Sexual Tension taught by Mary Buckham.
Both classes taught me a lot about the messages we convey without words and how to translate that into my stories. What I find even more fascinating is the physiology and psychology that causes our predictable reactions to certain situations. The video below explains what is happening behind the scenes regarding our body’s physiological response to lust and love.
Ever been so madly and deeply in love that your friends and family thought you’d lost it? Well, you kind of did. This is your brain. Now this is your brain on…love.
What do you think? Do you believe the science laid out here behind lust and love?
Today’s Soundtrack: Lego House by Ed Sheeran
One of my biggest discoveries of the 2013 Grammys was Ed Sheeran, who performed with Sir Elton John. I adore the ability of singer/songwriters to pack a powerful, emotional story in the relatively small space of a song. Sheeran is a talented storyteller, though he tends to weave stories that are dark and tragic.
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Source: sbtv.co.uk via Reese on Pinterest
Today I am ironing out some kinks in the storyline of my current work-in-progress which features a hero and heroine who have dark, tragic events in their pasts that have shaped their lives and define their relationship. So making Ed Sheeran’s + the soundtrack today just seemed natural.
I often think of my life having a soundtrack. Do you? If so, what’s playing on your soundtrack today, and why?
Missed Last Night’s Big Music Award Show? No worries.
So maybe you missed the Grammys last night. I’m a huge music fan, but I nearly bypassed the show myself. With a few notable exceptions, most of the music award shows of late have descended into mega freak shows that make me feel like I’ve wasted three perfectly good hours of my life that I’ll never get back. Truthfully, last night’s show left me disappointed, despite a few highlights.
First let’s address the much talked about ‘wardrobe advisory’ memo on appropriate dress for the Grammys, issued by CBS. The memo had a two-fold effect. It scared some folks into dressing like their great, great grandmothers.
Source: music.msn.com via Reese on Pinterest
A few of the usual suspects considered it a challenge to their creativity as artists.
Source: nydailynews.com via Reese on Pinterest
Source: music.msn.com via Reese on Pinterest
Source: usmagazine.com via Reese on Pinterest
Fortunately, quite a few musicians found a happy medium.
Source: wonderwall.msn.com via Reese on Pinterest
Source: nydailynews.com via Reese on Pinterest
Source: nydailynews.com via Reese on Pinterest
Then there were the performances. Quite a few left me scratching my head, thinking WTF? A very few were simply magic. Everyone else fell somewhere in between. A few of my favorite performances:
Miguel
Miguel Adorn Live at the 2013 grammy’s by f1533382024
Ed Sheeran (my favorite 2013 Grammy discovery) & Elton John
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Ed Sheeran,
Maroon 5 and Alicia Keys
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Alicia Keys,
Justin Timberlake & Jay-Z (yes, I know many people hated it, I’m not one of them).
Video Justin Timberlake feat Jay-Z performs… by dm_5118ca9ddce82
Extra note: Justin is a marketing genius. He was featured in two commercials immediately following his performance; one for his CD at Target, the other for Bud Light Platinum. Well done, Justin.
Did you watch the 2013 Grammys? What were the lowlights and highlights of the show for you?
For the Love of Chocolate
Recently I dropped by a wonderful little chocolatiers in Cary, North Carolina–Chocolate Smiles. The chocolate is scrumptious and the folks who run it are delightful. On this trip I snagged the amaretto chocolate swirl fudge, GQ’s (the hubs) favorite. I also picked up milk chocolate-covered cashews, and peppermint bark (theirs is amazing). Every morsel was rich, melt-in-your-mouth, where-you-been-all-my-life, otherworldly deliciousness. But as much as I love their orgasmically-good chocolates, there is something I look forward to even more when I visit–browsing the gift shop.
I love their sense of humor, and the following finds from this week, illustrate why.
Is there a locally-owned shop in your town that always makes you smile?
Because the Longest Journey Begins with the First Step
I know what you’re thinking. That’s one of those lame pieces of advice well-meaning friends trot out when we’re bitching and moaning about how hard life is, or why we’ll never obtain some goal. A career change. The ideal relationship. Going back to school.
Our friends mean well, but the truth is, for a moment, even if it’s the tiniest moment, we just want to smack them. To make them understand why our case is the exception to the rule.
But there’s a reason these lameisms continue to rear their unwelcome heads. It’s because they’re true. Plain and simple.
This particular thought–that even the longest journey begins with a single step–came to me while on a journey of my own.
It was sunny and warm, more than 75° in the middle of winter, here in North Carolina.
I set this space up months ago, and I’ve been meaning to post something here for just as long. But every time I intended to post, something else would come up. I’d be overwhelmed with work, or school, or writing my next book. Or maybe the thought of sharing my intimate thoughts and feelings with you was a bit intimidating.
Whatever the real reason, my delay caused me to miss sharing with you all of the wonderful moments I’ve experienced as part of this journey to publication thus far. But no more.
I committed to not only starting the blog, but revealing those earlier experiences.
Is there something you’ve been meaning to do, but just haven’t gotten around to it? What is holding you back?
Photo: All rights reserved by Walt K.
Priceless
A couple days after Christmas I received a gift from my awesome-sauce editor, Rhonda Helms. She finished the edits for my book.
It’s a moment I’d been equally anticipating and dreading. After reviewing them I was reminded of just how lucky I am to have her as my editor. She totally gets my story and characters.
She’d given me a hint of that in her introductory email to me.
One of the things that really drew me in to your story and made me want to acquire it is that I loved your heroine and her story. She’s strong, flawed, empathetic, and her romantic arc is compelling (along with a delicious hero and that sizzling-hot tension between them). And of course, your secondary characters are unique and fun.
But after I read her notes, suggestions, and advice I was even more convinced. She asked all the right questions, but still allowed room for my voice and vision. My story is so much stronger for it.
We all need someone like that in our corner. So as we approach what promises to be an exciting new year, that is what I wish for you.
To a year filled with priceless moments shared with people who really and truly get us!
Is there someone in your work or personal life who totally gets you?
Photo courtesy of deflam. Some rights reserved.