Angela Kay Austin's Blog, page 22
June 2, 2012
What is success?
Many of you know that I was laid off, and that event changed my life dramatically as I'm sure it has so many others. Like my guest on Romancing the Pen, my layoff made me rethink the meaning of everything around me. For a long time, I couldn't really understand why something like that had happened to me, or really what I was supposed to do with it.
I never really thought it could happen to me. And my struggle to not allow myself fall into a hole of self-pity and resentment was just that...a struggle.
Join Ken and me this week on Romancing the Pen, and share with us your definition of success.
Who has not gone through a crisis? Who has not heard one door close just to see another open? What do we strive for and why? Why are some people driven to take care of the world and all its problems? What is success and what does it mean to be successful? What is it that we chase after, day after day, and inevitably judge the value of our lives against? Do the old answers of career and money really hold up? Those going through lay-offs, career changes, lifestyle adjustments such as having children, health crisis, or coming back from serving overseas and facing employment with handicaps (both emotionally or physically), and persons forced into early retirement will relate to this memoir.
Faced with unemployment, the impending death of one friend and self-destruction of another, Ken La Salle begins his search for the meaning of success. It’s a search that explores why we still crave success that in the face of inevitable death could be nothing more than Maya, the illusion of life referenced in eastern myth. Through research, analysis and epiphanies from some very unlikely sources, he helps us push through all of our preconceived notions to a concept so few really understand - so that we can reach for the rope, grab it, hold on tight, and pull ourselves up.
This is a book that will be shared, given, and pondered for lifetimes and beyond. Yes, it is all true. This is his story.
I never really thought it could happen to me. And my struggle to not allow myself fall into a hole of self-pity and resentment was just that...a struggle.
Join Ken and me this week on Romancing the Pen, and share with us your definition of success.
Who has not gone through a crisis? Who has not heard one door close just to see another open? What do we strive for and why? Why are some people driven to take care of the world and all its problems? What is success and what does it mean to be successful? What is it that we chase after, day after day, and inevitably judge the value of our lives against? Do the old answers of career and money really hold up? Those going through lay-offs, career changes, lifestyle adjustments such as having children, health crisis, or coming back from serving overseas and facing employment with handicaps (both emotionally or physically), and persons forced into early retirement will relate to this memoir.Faced with unemployment, the impending death of one friend and self-destruction of another, Ken La Salle begins his search for the meaning of success. It’s a search that explores why we still crave success that in the face of inevitable death could be nothing more than Maya, the illusion of life referenced in eastern myth. Through research, analysis and epiphanies from some very unlikely sources, he helps us push through all of our preconceived notions to a concept so few really understand - so that we can reach for the rope, grab it, hold on tight, and pull ourselves up.
This is a book that will be shared, given, and pondered for lifetimes and beyond. Yes, it is all true. This is his story.
May 20, 2012
Older women...younger men?
What is the attraction?
Most of the men I date are younger :-) Why? I'm not sure. It just seems to be the way the cookie crumbles for me. Several of my friends also date younger vs older men. Do I consider myself a cougar...no. I'm not rich enough or old enough (and don't ask me my age.)
My guest this week on Romancing the Pen, Morgan K. Wyatt, discusses her latest book Puppy Love.
Drop by and chat with us and let us now what you think about older women and younger men.
Theo decides to give up on love when she catches her sister in bed with her husband. Instead of blaming her sister or her husband, she blames herself, divorces her husband, distances herself from her sister, and shuts her heart to love.
Her son inadvertently pushes her back into the dating game when he drops off his puppy, Ollie, as he heads out to deployment abroad. He fails to inform her that the puppy isn’t even close to being trained or even somewhat obedient.
Ollie brings the dating-phobic Theo into contact with Westvale’s hottest bachelor, Dr. Brent Knight. Despite her best friend Lorna’s urging to go after him, Theo hangs back due the eleven year age gap and her past romantic history, but it doesn’t stop Ollie from barreling ahead.
Most of the men I date are younger :-) Why? I'm not sure. It just seems to be the way the cookie crumbles for me. Several of my friends also date younger vs older men. Do I consider myself a cougar...no. I'm not rich enough or old enough (and don't ask me my age.)
My guest this week on Romancing the Pen, Morgan K. Wyatt, discusses her latest book Puppy Love.
Drop by and chat with us and let us now what you think about older women and younger men.
Theo decides to give up on love when she catches her sister in bed with her husband. Instead of blaming her sister or her husband, she blames herself, divorces her husband, distances herself from her sister, and shuts her heart to love.Her son inadvertently pushes her back into the dating game when he drops off his puppy, Ollie, as he heads out to deployment abroad. He fails to inform her that the puppy isn’t even close to being trained or even somewhat obedient.
Ollie brings the dating-phobic Theo into contact with Westvale’s hottest bachelor, Dr. Brent Knight. Despite her best friend Lorna’s urging to go after him, Theo hangs back due the eleven year age gap and her past romantic history, but it doesn’t stop Ollie from barreling ahead.
May 15, 2012
Character Inspiration
Orlando Bloom, actor
May 6, 2012
Rules for writing fiction
As written for The Guardian by Andrew Motion, poet and novelist.
1 Decide when in the day (or night) it best suits you to write, and organise your life accordingly.
2 Think with your senses as well as your brain.
3 Honour the miraculousness of the ordinary.
4 Lock different characters/elements in a room and tell them to get on.
5 Remember there is no such thing as nonsense.
6 Bear in mind Wilde's dictum that "only mediocrities develop" – and challenge it.
7 Let your work stand before deciding whether or not to serve.
8 Think big and stay particular.
9 Write for tomorrow, not for today.
10 Work hard.
May 1, 2012
Pavarti K. Tyler and Shadow on the Wall
Visit Romancing the Pen to read an excerpt from Pavarti K. Tyler's latest work Shadow on the Wall.
BLURB: Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?
Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah’s call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?
Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.
In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.
BLURB: Recai Osman: Muslim, philosopher, billionaire and Superhero?Controversial and daring, Shadow on the Wall details the transformation of Recai Osman from complicated man to Superhero. Forced to witness the cruelty of the Morality Police in his home city of Elih, Turkey, Recai is called upon by the power of the desert to be the vehicle of change. Does he have the strength to answer Allah’s call or will his dark past and self doubt stand in his way?
Pulling on his faith in Allah, the friendship of a Jewish father-figure and a deeply held belief that his people deserve better, Recai Osman must become The SandStorm.
In the tradition of books by Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie, Shadow on the Wall tackles issues of religion, gender, corruption and the basic human condition. Beautiful and challenging, this is not a book to miss.
April 29, 2012
Treasuring Creativity
Okay, I could barely finish reading the post of my guest this week without visualizing my treasure. As a child, how did you save the things that were important to you? How did you protect them? How often did you go to those little treasures and touch, hold, or daydream about them.
This post inspired me to dust off my box and maybe add a few items.
Drop by Romancing the Pen, and read more about my guest--Lizzie Starr--and her box of treasure.
Just when Bryce decides to give up looking for the masked dancer who captured his heart and get on with his life, his darlin’ daughter climbs onto the lap of a captivating woman in a coffee shop and calls her Mommy. He certainly wouldn’t mind exploring the possibility.
Carrie’s vacation is over. Although she loves her job, she dreads returning. Especially when a blonde-haired cherub insists she’s ‘Mommy’. Add the girl’s intriguing father, and Carrie believes she’s finally ready for a real relationship. But memories of a horrific attack surface, bringing doubt and fear.
Then one of Bryce’s fathers is kidnapped by a cult. Not knowing if the abduction was of human or Fey origin, Bryce must chance seeming crazy and losing Carrie with tales of the Faerie Otherworld. Dare he take her to Faerie and declare his love—or are the forces aligning against them too much to overcome?
This post inspired me to dust off my box and maybe add a few items.
Drop by Romancing the Pen, and read more about my guest--Lizzie Starr--and her box of treasure.
Just when Bryce decides to give up looking for the masked dancer who captured his heart and get on with his life, his darlin’ daughter climbs onto the lap of a captivating woman in a coffee shop and calls her Mommy. He certainly wouldn’t mind exploring the possibility.
Carrie’s vacation is over. Although she loves her job, she dreads returning. Especially when a blonde-haired cherub insists she’s ‘Mommy’. Add the girl’s intriguing father, and Carrie believes she’s finally ready for a real relationship. But memories of a horrific attack surface, bringing doubt and fear.
Then one of Bryce’s fathers is kidnapped by a cult. Not knowing if the abduction was of human or Fey origin, Bryce must chance seeming crazy and losing Carrie with tales of the Faerie Otherworld. Dare he take her to Faerie and declare his love—or are the forces aligning against them too much to overcome?
April 21, 2012
Paris anyone?
I've traveled to a number of different countries, but I've never been to Paris, France. It's on my list, and I truly hope to visit one day, but it seems my guest this week at Romancing the Pen loves Paris as much as I love Rome. (The stories I could tell.)
Join me and my guest as we discuss her latest book, Artful Dodging.
She might make you want to renew your passport, if you already haven't.
Blurb:
Waiting out the rain, Milo Everhart takes stock of her widowhood and the handsome man standing in the door to the bar. Little does she know she will meet that man again and again under both passionate and terrifying circumstances.
Tristram Brody waits for his date, too conscious of the beautiful woman sitting by the door. Little does he know that she will hate him for trying to destroy her beloved art center, and even suspect him of murder. Nor that she will be drawn inevitably into his arms.
Little does either of them suspect they will be embroiled in not one, but two murders, in which the fate of the Torpedo Factory, an art center housed in an old munitions factory on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, will be decided.
Join me and my guest as we discuss her latest book, Artful Dodging.
She might make you want to renew your passport, if you already haven't.
Blurb:Waiting out the rain, Milo Everhart takes stock of her widowhood and the handsome man standing in the door to the bar. Little does she know she will meet that man again and again under both passionate and terrifying circumstances.
Tristram Brody waits for his date, too conscious of the beautiful woman sitting by the door. Little does he know that she will hate him for trying to destroy her beloved art center, and even suspect him of murder. Nor that she will be drawn inevitably into his arms.
Little does either of them suspect they will be embroiled in not one, but two murders, in which the fate of the Torpedo Factory, an art center housed in an old munitions factory on the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, will be decided.
April 15, 2012
Character Inspiration
Patrick Wilson, actor
April 6, 2012
Rules for writing fiction
As written for The Guardian by Michael Morpurgo, author and playwright.
1 The prerequisite for me is to keep my well of ideas full. This means living as full and varied a life as possible, to have my antennae out all the time.
2 Ted Hughes gave me this advice and it works wonders: record moments, fleeting impressions, overheard dialogue, your own sadnesses and bewilderments and joys.
3 A notion for a story is for me a confluence of real events, historical perhaps, or from my own memory to create an exciting fusion.
4 It is the gestation time which counts.
5 Once the skeleton of the story is ready I begin talking about it, mostly to Clare, my wife, sounding her out.
6 By the time I sit down and face the blank page I am raring to go. I tell it as if I'm talking to my best friend or one of my grandchildren.
7 Once a chapter is scribbled down rough – I write very small so I don't have to turn the page and face the next empty one – Clare puts it on the word processor, prints it out, sometimes with her own comments added.
8 When I'm deep inside a story, living it as I write, I honestly don't know what will happen. I try not to dictate it, not to play God.
9 Once the book is finished in its first draft, I read it out loud to myself. How it sounds is hugely important.
10 With all editing, no matter how sensitive – and I've been very lucky here – I react sulkily at first, but then I settle down and get on with it, and a year later I have my book in my hand.
March 24, 2012
Edgy Beta Man
This week, I'm joined by Erika Lindsen at Romancing the Pen. Erika talks this week about bad boys or sensitive ones.
Personally, I like a little bit of both. I like an edgy little beta man :-) He has to know what he's talking about to make it through my front door. But, I need to know if someone else is trying to break it down, he's not going to hide behind me. I'm just saying...
Join us as she tells us about her hero in her latest book, Soul.
Blood runsacross the floor like a winter's creek. It always puts a smile on hisface. As a Taker – a demon sent to entice humans to commit suicide in order togain their soul for Lucifer – Drebin is at the top of his game. He has alreadyclaimed 421 souls and there is no signof him slowing down. Much like a fine wine, Drebin gets better with age.
Alexia Downer is just a few months into her freshmanyear of college and still undecided about a career. Ally is more than eager tomeet new people and live up to the college stereotypes. But her gentle naturemay cause her to put trust in the wrong person.
Thestage is set, the hound is released, but Drebin begins to have second thoughtsabout his next victim, Alexia, his 422nd victim. Her beauty ismesmerizing and her spirit is captivating.
Asmuch as he tries, Drebin cannot bring himself to destroy her, yet he must. Hehas a higher, more vicious power to answer to, after all…
Personally, I like a little bit of both. I like an edgy little beta man :-) He has to know what he's talking about to make it through my front door. But, I need to know if someone else is trying to break it down, he's not going to hide behind me. I'm just saying...
Join us as she tells us about her hero in her latest book, Soul.
Blood runsacross the floor like a winter's creek. It always puts a smile on hisface. As a Taker – a demon sent to entice humans to commit suicide in order togain their soul for Lucifer – Drebin is at the top of his game. He has alreadyclaimed 421 souls and there is no signof him slowing down. Much like a fine wine, Drebin gets better with age.Alexia Downer is just a few months into her freshmanyear of college and still undecided about a career. Ally is more than eager tomeet new people and live up to the college stereotypes. But her gentle naturemay cause her to put trust in the wrong person.
Thestage is set, the hound is released, but Drebin begins to have second thoughtsabout his next victim, Alexia, his 422nd victim. Her beauty ismesmerizing and her spirit is captivating.
Asmuch as he tries, Drebin cannot bring himself to destroy her, yet he must. Hehas a higher, more vicious power to answer to, after all…
