Christa Avampato's Blog, page 91

In the pause: My book will be available for free download from December 14th – 16th

[image error]Mark your calendars! This Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, December 14th – 16th, my book Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, will be available for free as a Kindle download. Just go to the book’s page on Amazon, and you’ll see that the price has been reduced from $4.99 to $0 for these days only. Download it for yourself and to give as gifts to all the readers on your list. Happy holidays from Emerson Page!

 

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In the pause: Feed the good

I was recently talking to my friend Christopher. He’s fascinated by food science, and was telling me about the biome that exists in our bodies. We have bacteria floating around us, and the different foods we eat feed these different bacteria. Healthy food feeds the good bacteria, and the unhealthy food feeds the bacteria that isn’t good for us. Our job in nutrition is to feed the good.

What’s true for our bodies is also true for our mind, heart, and spirit. The thoughts and emotions that we have feed our view of the world, and our perspective on our place in this world. There are many troubling circumstances at play in the world today. As I prep my end of year charitable contributions, I’m reminded how fortunate I am and how many people need help, hope, and support. Providing that comfort through my contributions of volunteer hours and funds is my way of feeding the good in the world. And it also helps me to feed the good within me.

Happy Sunday.

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In the pause: TheNerdyGirlExpress review of my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters

I am so excited to share the review that Katherine at TheNerdyGirlExpress gave to my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. I encourage you to hop over to their site and check out all of their wonderful contact. The text of Katherine’s review is below along with links to all of her other online content hubs.

“Christa Avampato creates a world fueled by imagination and wonder in her first novel Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. This story focuses on title character Emerson, who is a strong and caring thirteen year old with powers beyond even her wildest imagining. After the tragic death of her mother five years before, she has begun to learn that she is not just a book lover, but someone who holds a powerful light that will change everything she has ever known.

Emerson has been coping with her mother’s death, but knows very little about what truly happened. After a terrifying woman enters her favorite book shop she begins to learn that her mother was part of a centuries old order connected to the Muses of ancient times. Emerson’s own connection to this ancient power begins to grow as she finds herself and those she loves being thrust into dangerous situations that all relate back to the terrifying woman, Cassandra. Over the course of the novel Emerson will have to accept her own power and learn how to control it. While she is trying to understand everything around her, Emerson’s inner strength shines through and is what will ultimately decide the fate of all imagination as we know it.

Avampato crafts a story that many young adult readers will enjoy, especially those with vivid imaginations and a love of books. Emerson’s character is tremendously relatable and I wish that someone like her had existed when I was younger. Avampato echoes this same sentiment in her Author’s Note where she says to the young adult reader who has picked up this book that “I wrote this book for you for many reasons. One of the biggest is that we don’t have enough women and girls in the center of young adult literature. So few books feature female protagonists, and there are almost no books in which a female protagonist takes control of her own life and destiny.” Not only is Emerson a strong female character, but Avampato includes strong women who assist Emerson along her journey of discovery. I highly recommend Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters for not only young adult readers, but those who want to indulge their imagination with a positive story full of wonderful characters.

You can find Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters for sale now.

Share your thoughts with us in the comments or on Twitter, @thenerdygirlexp. You can find me on Twitter, @kleffnotes, on my blog, kleffnotes.wordpress.com, on my kleffnotes YouTube channel, and I run The Nerdy Girl Express Snapchat, thenerdygirlexp.”

Filed under: creativity

In the pause: Bravo to Time’s People of Year – #TheSilenceBreakers Who Launched the Rallying Cry #MeToo

Thank you to everyone who shared their story so that others with stories could be free to tell them. Because of you, people are being held accountable for their actions. Our fight to be heard and believed isn’t over. We have many more miles and years to travel together to find true equality and equity for all, and no one can deny that we’re on our way.

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In the pause: Help me choose a format for a live show about the secrets of New York City

I need your help. I’m pitching the production of a live show in a venue on the lower east side about the secrets of New York City, the secrets that live below our streets, in plain sight, and over our heads. We’re talking wormholes, hidden places, secret passageways, and strange history. I need to choose a format for an engaging evening as a test show. If it gets accepted and is successful, it could turn into a monthly show.

I’ve listed some format ideas below. Which of these ideas appeals most to you, or do you have an idea for a completely different format for the show?

Thank you so much for your input!

1.) Battle of the Secrets – A set of storytellers and secret aficionados battle it out and the audience votes on who has the best secret of New York City.

2.) New York City’s Secret Liar’s Club – A set of storytellers and secret aficionados tell their favorite New York City secrets. All of them are true and one’s a lie. Or all of them are lies and one is true. The audience votes on which one is not like the others.

3.) Secret NYC Trivia Night – Similar to pub trivia, the audience gets the chance to test their secret New York City knowledge to win a fantastic prize of secrets.

4.) The Secret NYC Gameshow – A Family Feud, Price Is Right, or Jeopardy style gameshow that tests contestants’ knowledge of secret New York City.

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In the pause: Review—The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

I binge-watched the entire first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in one weekend. The only times I’ve ever done that are with House of Cards (which also had Rachel Brosnahan) and Gilmore Girls (which was also created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino). Crackling with rich dialogue and shining with heartfelt performances, it’s reminiscent of everything I love about Gilmore Girls. Mrs. Maisel pulled me into a time and a place that I never wanted to leave. I felt the thrill of looking into the long-lost private diaries of a set of characters whom I felt like I’d known forever. It is genius writing.

It’s mostly set on the Upper West Side, my home neighborhood that I deeply love, and it explores the rich landscape of family dynamics, Jewish culture and religion, women’s rights, political activism, racism, socioeconomic disparity, and the coming of age of people, society, and our world. And all of this is framed in the context of what it means to be a comedian, performer, and writer in the gritty Village of New York City in the 1950s.

I found myself rooting for all of the main characters at different points in their journeys. They are all seriously flawed and insanely lovable, champions in their own ways, trying to do the best they can with what they have. Rachel Brosnahan as Midge is certainly our next unsinkable television heroine. Her journey from doting house wife to stage star, complete with her constant note taking and the best wardrobe I could imagine, is one we all want to reach its full potential. Michael Zegen plays Midge’s husband, Joel. In the beginning, I saw him as whiny, needy, and unappreciative. By the end of the season, I completely understood why Midge loved him. And I loved him, too. Tony Shalhoub is the quintessential Jewish father, and is masterfully paired with Marin Hinkle as his alternately reserved and infuriated wife. Alex Borstein rounds out the main cast as Susie, Midge’s scrappy manager. I loved Alex’s characters on Gilmore Girls, and I’m happy to see her stepping into and owning her spotlight in this show.

At the end of the last episode, Midge finally embraces her own identity on stage, Susie acknowledges just how right she was about Midge’s talent, and Joel recognizes his wife’s unstoppable talent. Midge’s parents are still in the dark about their daughter’s budding ambitions. (This secret certainly sets the stage for some explosive moments in Season Two.) And as for me, I was on the edge of my seat wishing the whole thing would never end. Luckily, the show will be filming again in a few short months less than 10 miles from where I live. Let’s hope Amazon gets it to us as fast as Prime shipping.

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In the pause: How to achieve impossible dreams

When I want to do something big, I spend about 30 seconds thinking about what that goal looks and feels like. Almost immediately, I move into what I call breakdown mode. I start to break apart that big, beautiful dream into bite-sized pieces. The big dream, for me, is too daunting and it’s not actionable. I make it happen, I’ve got to unpack it, dissect it, and put it into a to-do list with deadlines. And then I pick a place and begin. For my writing, it’s one word at a time. For my collage work, it’s one tiny piece of paper. For getting a new job, it’s making sure my resume is up-to-date in all its various forms and channels. You get the idea. It’s a puzzle and the best I can do is focus on one piece at a time.

When my head hits the pillow at night or when I sit down for my 18 minutes of daily meditation, I give myself a little chance to think about that shiny goal out there in the distance. I fall asleep thinking about those dreams and I wake up thinking about them. Everything in between, all my waking hours, are devoted to action. It’s the only way I know how to make things happen.

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In the pause: Join The Mindful Rebels

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themindfulrebels.com

My dear friend, Marita, has been on a quest to create tools and practices for mindfulness. I find daily inspiration in her posts, and every time we get together I feel more motivated, calmer, and happier. Marita’s growing her audience for The Mindful Rebels and I hope you’ll join the journey. Find Marita on Instagram at @themindfulrebels, Facebook at The Mindful Rebels, and her blog http://themindfulrebels.com/. Be prepared to be inspired by her vision to create a global community that supports comprehensive health for all living beings. Be a Mindful Rebel.

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In the pause: Reflections on loss, healing, and reinvention after losing my father 25 years ago today

25 years ago today, my father died. There are days in our lives that define us, and for me, that was the day, though not for the obvious reasons. That day, I walked out of a room that was dark and cluttered and confusing, and into another room that was empty. It remained empty for a long time.

There is a major reckoning that takes place when someone who made you leaves this planet, regardless of what your relationship was with that person. For me, that reckoning took two decades; longer than the time my father and I knew each other.

It only resolved after two decades because of my work with Brian. And it was work. It was not fun or inspiring work; it was, however, necessary. I did what I had to do to free myself. That was my only goal.

My father left this world without the two of us knowing or understanding each other. For a long time, I thought that was a sad fact. Now I realize how vital it was to my development; the day he died, I started to become who I am now. It was the day I began to build something from nothing. It is one of the two days I think of as life days, days when everything in my life shifted and there was no way to shift back.

I tell you this story not for sympathy or even empathy. I am long past the stage of needing or wanting either. I have adjusted, healed, and moved on. My point is that you may be in the midst of something difficult now, something that feels like it may break you, something that makes you feel like you may never be whole or at peace. You are in that empty room I walked into 25 years ago today. The space can feel overwhelming. The emptiness can feel like a void. It’s not, I promise you. It’s a canvas, a blank page, a stage. You will build something there, something that is totally of your own design. And there is no rush. You do what’s right for you, when it’s right for you. I look forward to seeing your masterpiece. Happy December 1st. I love you.

Filed under: creativity

In the pause: I’m tweeting about the good work of women with the hashtag #amazingwomen

Are you tired of men behaving badly filling up your social media feeds? Me, too. I absolutely believe they need to be called on the carpet for their actions and that their behavior must come to a swift and complete end. I also know that there are incredible women all over the world doing amazing work that needs to be celebrated just as loudly. That’s why I’m making the commitment to send at least one tweet a day to share good news that women are creating. I’ll be using the hashtag #amazingwomen. I hope you’ll join me and spread the word.

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