Kay Bratt's Blog, page 3
December 14, 2022
You Are Not Your Body
I was trying to clean out my inbox a bit and came across an email I wrote in 2008 that I thought many of you might relate to. Back then I was seeing a renowned rheumatologist who was trying to teach me a better way to deal with my pain. One of the things I noted was a phrase he had said to me.
‘You will find victory in your pain.’
Not sure I’ve found victory in the years since, but I have definitely not let my pain be who I am. And that has been a struggle. As I write this, I’m back in my chair working after a long night of pain that caused tossing and turning and has not let up today. For now, it’s mostly focused in my back and down my right leg. (sciatica) It changes all the time.
Anyway, I had also noted three other lessons he sent me home with from our last visit. This is a copy/paste of my exact words from 2008:
1. God designed man as a unit– physical and non-physical– and man functions best when the two are in harmony. What goes on in the inner person affects the outer person.
2. Every person gives himself an identity and functions from it. Everyone lives by what he thinks he is. (I have to change the identity of a driven woman to one more manageable….easier said than done…)
3. A person’s evaluation of and response to circumstances in life may produce symptoms felt in his body.
Yep, number #1 is definitely something that still rings true to me, and nope, I haven’t been able to attain the harmony needed between the physical and non-physical as I would like.
Number #2 makes me chuckle. I am a million times more driven today than I was back then. I think that’s the way I’m wired and will never change, but I also believe it has helped me with number #3 because I know now that my response to my circumstances of past trauma and chronic pain is to keep keeping on.
Get up.
Do the work.
Don’t give in.
You are not your body.
You are so much more.
I don’t believe in coincidences, and I think I was meant to read this reminder today. Maybe you are too? It’s always interesting to find some written inner reflection from years ago and compare it to the present. But what does the universe want me to learn from it today?
It has made me reflect on the last fifteen years. Since then I’ve changed careers, written 28 books, sold something like 1.2 million, put in so countless hours and crossed many milestones. I’ve done a ton of volunteer work during those years, with both children and dog rescue, stretching myself beyond limits that I’m amazed I could. I’ve gained eight grandchildren and worked hard to give them many fond memories of time with us. I helped my father move close to us and give more time for him. We’ve bought and sold many homes and built one from the ground up. I helped put two daughters through college and got through the lows of empty nest syndrome by setting new goals. I’ve worked hard to be a great wife and put my marriage first above all else and prove to my love that I am worth the effort.
Over those years, I’ve seen multiple doctors who gave me a few different diagnosis, of which several turned out to me wrong until drilling down and finding somewhat of an answer. Instead of turning my focus to those, my appointments and tests are only given a sliver of my time and thoughts and I continue to focus on other things. I try daily to be a better human. A better mom and nana. And wife. I try to scatter kindness. I sometimes fail. I get up and try again. And then again. I do have a place for my pain, and it’s usually between the pages of the books I write.
So…
as I’m writing this, I’m looking back at the beginning and I’ve realized something.
The doctor was right.
I have found victory in my pain. It just took reflection to see that.
You can can find victory, too.
You are not your body.
You are so much more.
My advice if you are struggling:
Get up.
Do the work.
Don’t give in.
Love,
The post You Are Not Your Body appeared first on Kay Bratt.
November 24, 2022
A Thanksgiving Gift for You!
Hello all,
Many years ago I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to go live in China and work in an orphanage with children who changed my life. One of those children inspired a short novella, called The Bridge, because he was abandoned at a historical bridge in town. Little Fei Fei is blind, and the morning I met him, he just melted my heart.
I appreciate all of you being in my life so as my thanks to you, I’m setting the book as FREE on Kindle for the next few days. I hope you have a blessed holiday.
Kay & the Bratt Pack
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD BOOK FOR FREE ON AMAZON
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September 29, 2022
Spreading Kindness Without Big Commitments
Me & Harper Lee
Bratt Pack Foster Pup
When I lived in China, I felt like I was doing big things to make the world a better place. Sure, not as big as some but with every surgery we were able to fund, every child switched over as adoptable, and each item we offered to make their lives easier was all things that added up as making a positive impact.
Now my life is different. It’s quieter. No big things going on here. I focus my volunteer work on dog rescue now, giving my time to do administrative work and using my platform to raise awareness for the doggos that come in and need us. I foster some of them. (have a new one right now) I lead fund-raising campaigns.
It’s all small stuff.
With people, I try to do what I can. That might mean opening my home to strangers, helping someone financially with a need, or using my platform to boost visibility for other authors’ books.
It’s all small things that add up.
You don’t have to dedicate your life to a charity. Or come out of your own pocket to give money to anyone or anything. You can be of service in so many other ways.
Find ways to spread joy! They are everywhere!
Take a shopping cart in for someone.
Check on a neighbor.
Call that family member you haven’t spoken to for a while.
Be the first to say you’re sorry. And mean it.
And always smile at those you meet. Sometimes that is the one act that can change someone’s day.
Good deeds aren’t just what you do for someone else. They will also bring you warmth and joy, because you are helping make the world a kinder place. Make them a habit and each day find one way to make your existence one that matters.
The world needs smiles.
It needs kindness.
And you are here for a reason.
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September 12, 2022
Wishful Thinking Is Available TODAY!
OUT TODAY!Haven’t started the series yet? What are you waiting for? Readers are LOVING it!Download WISHFUL THINKING [Here]
Start Series for [Free]
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September 11, 2022
TWENTY-SEVEN!
Hello All,
It’s crazy to me that I now have 27 books published! I never imagined myself writing one book, much less 27. Well, I always did have a goal of writing a book.
But it wasn’t until we moved to China in 2003, that I actually tackled the idea. I had left my job in Human Resources behind, and decided to do a children’s chapter book from the pov of a young American girl who moves to China. I started writing that book once we were there, but soon my life was monopolized by my work in the orphanage, and the trials and tribulations it entailed. Not only just with the kids, but with being homesick and trying to navigate a foreign country. It was brutal at first. I was journaling at night, because I had insomnia something terrible, and it’s always been my way to pour my feelings out in writing. Toward the end of my time in China, I had bonded with so many children, some we were able to help and some we tragically lost, that I’d told many of them I would tell their stories so the world would know how many children are really treated behind those gray walls. We finally ended our assignment in China and came back to the mainland, and my first memoir, Silent Tears; A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage, was born.
It’s a long story but to give you the cliff notes, I had an amazing agent (who is quite famous) and she couldn’t sell the book to a publishing house. Eventually I self-published it and soon it was doing so well that a publishing editor approached me about re-launching it under their new imprint. I was deliriously happy, and got another agent who negotiated the deal. That book went on to sell a good bit more than 100,000 copies, which is quite amazing considering I had no platform or readership at the time, and it was a subject matter that previous editors had said no one would want to read.
When the book came out, I spent a ton of time going around and speaking at different venues. Adoption camps, women’s groups, churches, etc.. It wasn’t to “sell” the book. It was to raise awareness of the forgotten children in China, and the help they need(ed).
Then life got busy. I took another very demanding position in Human Resources. My eldest daughter (17) was giving me a roller coaster of a ride, and my youngest was in junior high and grieving the life she’d left behind in China. I didn’t have time to think of much else, so it would be a few more years before I decided I wanted to try my hand at writing a novel. It took me a year! I started the idea with a plot right off of a breaking headline in the adoption community– a travesty that had happened to many children who were born in China and living their lives around the world in their adoptive families. I called it Chasing China and sent it to my agent who sent it to my publisher, who immediately rejected it. I self-pubbed that one, too.
That was back in the day when the Kindle platform had just taken off for indie authors and the best marketing strategy was to ‘give away’ free books in order to invite paid sales. I gave away 70k or so of those books, with an actual sales of just under 25k units. While many new authors would be thrilled with that number, I was not. And I was determined to get another publishing contract. So I took some writing classes and set down to do it again, but this time to do it better. Using another breaking headline (I see a theme here!) I ran with a story about two girls in China who because of the uneven ratio of girls to boys, and shortage of young women to marry, were kidnapped as pre-teens and carried across China to live with the families of their soon-to-be husbands to be groomed as brides. This happens a lot in China and there are so many lost girls, that it’s nearly impossible to ever find them again. But one father refuses to give up on his daughter, despite everyone telling him it was a lost cause and to move on. I put so much into this story, the research, and building the characters and relationships and was thrilled when my publisher gave me a contract!
That book did well enough that when I wrote another book and submitted it, my editor loved it so much that he and I brain-stormed and eventually, the one new book because a 5-book series that has sold well over 300,000 copies! The Scavenger’s Daughters is about a family in China and the father is a scavenger who finds and builds his family of daughters from the abandoned girls he finds in and around a train station. The prequel is set during the 60’s and features the father at 16 years old, and tells of how he came to be who he is. The rest of the books are set in modern day when he is an older man and a scavenger. The books are fan favorites and it’s a series that many has binged on. In it you’ll learn about the daughters, how they came to be orphans, and where life leads them.
I wrote a few more China-related books and then decided to try my hand at full historical fiction and wrote a story of two sworn sisters in Hong Kong who are bond slaves to a rich family. They are abused and decide to run away. In another town, a newborn baby girl is put in a basket at the wall in town where abandoned baby girls are left. However, the girls brother decides he will protect her. The story takes all of them to a ship at the harbor, and after an arduous voyage in the belly of the boat, they land at San Francisco, in the heart of the beginnings of Chinatown. It’s a story of hardship and tenacity, and tells many details of how the Chinese fought for their place in America despite the many people trying to drive them out. I wrote a sequel, and I still love the books, but my publisher declined to pick them up so I did it myself. Many readers have compared them to works by Lisa See and Amy Tan, and that is a huge honor that I covet to this day.
Book One is on SALE and FREE for Prime Members!
Eventually I decided to break out of writing only China-inspired books and my publisher picked up my first women’s fiction title, Wish Me Home. That was a book I really thought they wouldn’t want and I was wrong! It has been my biggest seller of all and is coasting into hitting a quarter of a million copies on it’s own. The book pulls at a lot of heartstrings and the dog just adds to the appeal. The character is a twin and her sister and their complicated relationship play a big role in the story. I am also a twin, so I suppose that it was easier for me to write this relationship than some I’m not familiar with, and based on the success of the book, my own experiences were gold.
On Sale for $1.99 on Kindle
I’m skipping some books, but my next big deal was the trilogy I wrote that is set on Maui, called By the Sea. Several years ago when we moved our youngest daughter to the island, I thought my heart would break in two, and I knew that I’d be coming and going a lot and as always, needed to use my writing to deal with my emotions of being so far away from our baby. This resulted in a very successful set of books!
Last year, some authors and I started brain-storming a new project in which we all participated in a multi-author series collaboration called The Wishing Tree.
Wow! When we started it, I couldn’t imagine how much fun I was going to have. These are no pressure books. No writing to please an editor. No huge word counts mandatory. Just having fun creating a small town in Vermont, the quaint businesses, and amazingly heartwarming characters. I loved going through the books and watching for or adding cameo’s of characters from the other books! I’ve now written two books in the series and they are both out. This series is PERFECT to take on vacation and binge through. They are written clean and about half the size of a full length novel. My main character is Neva Cabot, the Curator of Wishes and also owner of the Wishing Tree Inn. I have a tiny bit of magical realism flowing through her, and her interesting cats, Charm and Myster. I’ve never written this type of easy, fun book before, and I’ve been cheating myself because it was so enjoyable. I might even write another in the series!
In between all this writing, I continue to have fun adventures. Sometimes scary ones. Sometimes traumatic ones. Just like you, I live a regular life outside of my work life. I’m big in dog rescue and my second memoir focuses around all the dogs I’ve had in my life. It also chronicles my past before I met my prince, Ben, when I was in a very rocky and abusive marriage. For many years, I was too ashamed to talk about that piece of my life. I came from a broken home, married at sixteen, had my first child at 20, and was in a very bad place. Never in a million years did I dream that one day, I’d get out of that mess, meet a wonderful man and marry him five weeks later, (crazy, I know but you can read about it in the book) then go on to follow my dreams. I don’t have a fancy degree and we began our lives together with nearly nothing, but love. Now he’s worked his way up to be the top man at his facility (director of an aerospace company) and I’m an international bestselling author with TWENTY-SEVEN TITLES and more than a million books sold with translations in half a dozen languages. Yes, we work HARD. Both of us. But we’ve also been blessed.
The cover photo below on my latest memoir was a candid shot taken by my Ben and is myself with our beloved dog, Grandpa, who had a huge fan club that cheered him on for the few years he was a part of the Bratt Pack after being found near dead in a ditch, on a cold and rainy day in Georgia. Sounds like a country song, yeah? But no, it’s a happily ever after story.
In closing, I’ve been lucky to have an amazing circle of readers, fans, and followers who have built my career with me. I can never thank you enough for having the faith in me that I could be something other than what was probably expected out of me, considering my beginnings. I still find myself thinking I’m not worthy of the life I lead or the gifts I’ve been given, but all of you are continually reminding me that yes, I am.
For that I’m eternally grateful.
Much love,
The post TWENTY-SEVEN! appeared first on Kay Bratt.
September 5, 2022
September Sale on Kindle!
Historical fiction on sale! For fans of Lisa See, Kay Bratt brings you a historical fiction family saga that begins with a newborn Asian girl, unwanted but not forgotten, and those who come together in a tumultuous journey to give her a better life.
In 1867 an infant girl called Luli is born into a middle-class Chinese family on the mainland. Her fate is altered when instead of being put to the breast of her mother, her father declares her a misfortune and she is left at the famous Chaozhou wall where many parents and grandparents abandon their unwanted girls. But the child’s mother is desperate to save her and beseeches one of her sons to step in and deliver the baby to safety.
At the same time in the affluent house of a scholar on the island of Hong Kong, house slaves Sun Ling and Jingwei are sworn sisters, bound by their shared struggles. When the hardship and abuse become too much too bear, the girls escape and make a run for freedom, then find themselves on a ship bound for the western coast of the Americas.
When the paths of these three forgotten girls of China meet, the ocean journey is treacherous and not for the faint-hearted. In the midst of monumental difficulties, their lives converge, and they traverse many obstacles, but will do anything for one another in their oath to stay together and fulfill their hope for a better future in Chinatown, on the shores of San Francisco.
Download Yours Today!
USA https://amzn.to/3dNTxaZ
Canada https://www.amazon.ca/Welcome-Misfortune-Sisters-Chinese-Historical-ebook/dp/B08QMW7V1T
The post September Sale on Kindle! appeared first on Kay Bratt.
August 27, 2022
HUGE BLOW OUT SALE ON SMALL TOWN SERIES BY MULTI BEST-SELLING AUTHORS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VCF1WG7 You’ll want to settle in for a binge-read in our quaint setting in Linden Falls, Vermont where you’ll fall in love with all the characters and the famous Wishing Tree. Readers love these stories, calling them “heartwarming…delightful…and must-reads.”#womensfiction #booklover #books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookstagramcommunity #bookpassion #bookstagramfeature #secondchance #bookclub #series#photooftheday #bookworm #instabook #bookaholic #igreads #bookish #BookCommunity #bookstafam #booksparks #amreading #booksforwomen #family #bestbooks #MyBookFriends #kindleunlimited #wishingtreeseriesThe post HUGE BLOW OUT SALE ON SMALL TOWN SERIES BY MULTI BEST-SELLING AUTHORS! appeared first on Kay Bratt.
June 22, 2022
INTO THE BLUE IS A KINDLE DAILY DEAL TODAY!
Kira, youngest daughter of Jules Monroe, is a young mom who juggles a multitude of responsibilities and a seemingly never satisfied husband without complaining. When she doesn’t return home after a mid-morning jog, suspicion is thick throughout the island. Where is Kira?
Oldest son, Jonah Monroe, is a veteran haunted by a childhood tragedy that he feels was his fault. His past includes things he isn’t proud of and can’t quite shake. When his chance to be a hero finally arrives, it comes with strings attached. Will he accept the kindness of strangers to help bring his family back together, or will his demons continue to be his downfall?
Maui isn’t always the safe paradise it’s made out to be and when ancient island superstitions threaten to rob the Monroe family yet again, they must all find a way to deter the impending disaster.
Get yours here: https://amzn.to/3OwoXzFThe post INTO THE BLUE IS A KINDLE DAILY DEAL TODAY! appeared first on Kay Bratt.
June 2, 2022
FREE BOOK * HISTORICAL FICTION
[click here] Historical Fiction At It’s Best!
“Kay Bratt is a masterful storyteller, and the story’s pacing and descriptions of Maui left me always wanting more. Highly recommended for book clubs!” –Anita Abriel, international bestselling author of The Light After the War
From the bestselling author of The Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters comes a historical fiction family saga that begins with a newborn Asian girl, unwanted but not forgotten, and those who come together in a tumultuous journey to give her a better life.
In 1867 an infant girl called Luli is born into a middle-class Chinese family on the mainland. Her fate is altered when instead of being put to the breast of her mother, her father declares her a misfortune and she is left at the famous Chaozhou wall where many parents and grandparents abandon their unwanted girls. But the child’s mother is desperate to save her and beseeches one of her sons to step in and deliver the baby to safety.
At the same time in the affluent house of a scholar on the island of Hong Kong, house slaves Sun Ling and Jingwei are sworn sisters, bound by their shared struggles. When the hardship and abuse become too much too bear, the girls escape and make a run for freedom, then find themselves on a ship bound for the western coast of the Americas.
When the paths of these three forgotten girls of China meet, the ocean journey is treacherous and not for the faint-hearted. In the midst of monumental difficulties, their lives converge, and they traverse many obstacles, but will do anything for one another in their oath to stay together and fulfill their hope for a better future in Chinatown, on the shores of San Francisco.
The post FREE BOOK * HISTORICAL FICTION appeared first on Kay Bratt.
May 27, 2022
Controlling Behavior and How Not To
Here’s a news flash: You do not have to live anyone else’s life. Only yours. And if you are trying to live through someone else, you will bring more stress and anxiety into your being and make that relationship toxic.
That’s what you need to remind yourself when you feel the need to tell others how to live their life, which I hate to break it to you, is actually controlling behavior.
All of us know someone in our lives that exhibit controlling behavior. It can be frustrating and a never-ending emotional tug-of-war. I am a survivor of it myself. First with a practice husband (ex) nearly thirty years ago, and recently with a close family member. And when you finally stand up and say no more, that person becomes unhinged and sets out to try to “destroy” you (yes, those were the words used on the latest episode) and they start untrue rumors and stories to make your life miserable, or at least try to. They make unfounded accusations. It can be a scary journey when dealing with someone like that, especially when it’s obvious how unhinged they are. In both of my cases, I had to take legal action and severe the relationships, which also brings about more trauma and emotional distress. Then you have to do your best not to react. Not to defend yourself. Not to engage. That’s what they want. What they crave and what they live for. Don’t give it to them. Let your words, actions, and behavior with the world speak for itself.
But what if you are doing it to someone else?
First, you need to recognize and admit it. Sometimes controlling behavior is triggered when someone isn’t acting or doing what we think is best for their lives. I’ve been guilty myself of it when it comes to my daughters and them making bad decisions that can affect them forever. It has taken me until now (they are 26 & 31) to realize that the best thing I can do is tell them directly about what I think the problem is, and what the consequences ‘could be’, then let go and let them decide how to live their own lives. (obviously when they are still kids you have to be stronger than that, but I’m talking about my adults girls) I know that based on my own past traumatic experiences, I’m acting out of fear for their wellbeing. I’m projecting my past onto their present. And that’s not fair. I’ve lived my own life and made my own bad decisions, it’s time for them to live theirs and then accept what it brings, good or bad.
As their mother, I can tell them my fears and what sort of consequences could happen, then step back and let them take it from there.
We have to let people be who they are, whether we respect the outcome or not. They cannot be who you ‘think’ they are, or who you think they should be. And you know what, people change! Maybe they aren’t who they used to be, but that’s because as humans, we evolve. We grow and gain wisdom, or we fail and fall, then have to get back up. Sometimes we have to go through the dirt to get there.
But YOU only control YOUR life. Trying to control more than that will only bring you stress and anxiety, and maybe even depression.
The next time you feel the need to try to control the life of another adult, take a breath and just let it unfold without your guidance. Without judgement. See how that feels. One thing for sure is that when it’s all said and done, you will feel like you were respectful of another’s choices.
Let go of the need to control, even if their behavior makes you uncomfortable.
You might realize that your life is a whole lot easier if you focus on your own life more than someone else’s.
Lastly, if you have experienced toxic and controlling behavior from someone, please seek counseling before it ruins your life.
(and it’s great to be a novelist because that’s great fodder for character development! Check out some of my books to see how I’ve used it in my stories.)
…and that’s your #KayTalk for today.
-K
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