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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?
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?
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.
A Different Road
Romance University collaborated with an emerging digital publishing house, Entranced Publishing, for another pitchfest. So, I thought I’d try my pitch again.
I’m glad that I did.
I got some great feedback on my pitch, and my first request for the full manuscript. Totally doing my happy dance right now. (Envision Snoopy dancing as Schroeder plays the piano. Now imagine someone far less graceful doing it. That’d be me.)
I’ve still been submitting to agents, but this second experience with a digital publisher has opened my eyes to this latest, and quickly growing publishing medium, as a viable option.
While I prepare to submit my full manuscript to this e-publisher, I will be researching and submitting to a few others.
Sometimes our journey gets altered a bit, but a new and exciting road can still get us where we want to go. Have you ever been faced with the option of altering your journey to get where you wanted to go? Do you regret that decision or did it work out better than you imagined?
Photo courtesy of creativelenna. Some rights reserved.
Close, But No Cigar
One of the promises I made to myself this year is that I was going to go for it. Really put my work out there, because after all, isn’t that the point of this whole exercise?
So I started submitting to a few agents. I’ve gotten back several responses, which was exciting, even though they were polite, ‘Thanks, but no thank yous.’ Still, I felt good about making the effort. Taking a risk. Â Getting closer to my goal.
I am still begging querying agents. After all, my list of rejections is a mere handful, compared to the robust drawers full collected by my writing heroes and heroines. However, recently there was an announcement on Romance University that opened up another option–digital-first publishers. Romance University was hosting a pitch-fest with Entangled Publishing.  So, I thought I’d give it a shot.
I’d never considered going with a digital-first publisher before. After all, in my dream there is a six-figure book deal, a spot on Oprah’s book club list, and a coast-to-coast book-signing tour.  Never mind that those have become exceedingly rare, and that the chance of an unknown newbie snagging any of that is certainly delusional the exception, not the rule. Still, a girl’s gotta have dreams.
Even if nothing came of it, I figured it would be a good experience to post a short summary and the first hundred or so words of my story. The Entangled Publishing editors provided great feedback. And though it was the ‘Hells yeah!’ I’d hoped for, I found it valuable just the same. More importantly, it opened my eyes to a new option.
So, I’ll keep plugging away, looking for ways to improve my story, and always, always work to improve my craft.
Have you experienced a disappointing rejection that taught you a valuable lesson? What was it?
Photo of Journal of Universal Rejection Mug courtesy of Tilemahos Efthimiadis. Some rights reserved.
Sharing the Journey
Hello, gorgeous (or handsome, as the case may be). Welcome to my internet home.
I’m aspiring author, Reese Ryan. I started this space to share my journey to publication as a novelist, and my musings on life in general. I started writing stories as a kid, but I abandoned the dream of being a published author of fiction for two decades before I began writing again, a little more than six years ago. Still, I wasn’t ready to commit to the process. That took a few more years. But over the past two years I’ve become more serious about my craft, more determined to make the dream of being a published author a reality.
Creative writing classes. Books on crafts. Writers workshops. All of these tools have helped me to progress as a writer. The thing that has helped me most is joining a critique group. One with smart, insightful members who want to see each other succeed, who aren’t afraid to be honest, but can do so without being unkind.
All of that has prepared me to the next step in my journey, submitting my work.
Where are you on your journey?
Photo courtesy of woowoowoo. Some rights reserved.