Toi Thomas's Blog, page 68

Three lessons from my mother

Toi Thomas:

This is a lovely story about a mom and while I’ve done so much in the celebration of Mother’s Day already, I haven’t shared anything here. So here you go. I liked it and thought you might also.

Originally posted on Daily dose of gratitude:

Today’s post is written by one of my students, Jesse Shoemaker. Jesse wrote this essay in response to the prompt: Write about your mother or someone who has acted as a mother figure in your life. Describe this person and share at least three lessons you’ve learned from her.

Painting By Luplau Janssen

My mother is a great influence in my life. She has always been there for me when I needed her to be. No matter what the circumstances might be, she always tries to find a way to fix my problem, even though I am resistant to the idea of help or advice.

My mother is a small woman. She has shoulder length hair that is coal black with heavy fades of brunette and blonde blended throughout. Her voice is slightly shrill considering she prefers to yell across the house to talk to someone rather than walk in the same room…

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Filed under: Reblogs Tagged: Daily Dose of Gratitude, holiday, Mother's Day, reblog

Sample Sunday 43

Here is approximately 100 – 150 words from a randomly selected original piece for your enjoyment. These samples can include excerpts from my all my WIPs and my Eternal Curse Series, but only as works in progress (not the final products). These samples of published and unpublished works are protected under the U.S. Copyright agreement.

It’s Like the Full Moon chapter 4.1 (wip)

Rebecca took his hand and helped him take a firm stand as they awaited Paul’s arrival. “Hello Rebecca,” said Paul catching his breath. “You look very pretty today.”

“Of course she does, silly boy. She’s a very pretty girl. Come on now, let us go inside for a wash,” said Mr. Thornton, pushing them both towards the inn.

“What are you doing all the way out here,” asked Paul upon entering the inn.

Rebecca replied, “I’m here for the tour, my friend and I, that is.”

“Oh Lisa’s here as well?” asked Paul.

“Who the devil is Lisa?” asked Mr. Thornton.

Rebecca looked slightly shocked at Paul. “You didn’t tell him we ran into each other the other night?”

“Oh I see now,” said Mr. Thornton. “That’s why he’s been going on about you. You two had a secret date.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

 

Filed under: Full Moon, Samples Tagged: contemporary fiction, drama, fiction, friends, It's Like the Full Moon, reading, romance, sample excerpt, Toi Thomas, wip

Author Insights 12: Topics vs. Themes (part 3)

Topic: 1a subject of conversation or discussion

Theme: 2a unifying or dominant idea, motif, etc., as in a work of art

The Three Major Themes of Eternal Curse

Purpose | Discovery | Faith

Faith

Faith consists in believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. ~Voltaire

The first thing I want people to understand about the importance of faith is that faith and religion are not the same thing. Granted, a lot of the time when people discuss faith it’s usually directed toward faith in a particular belief system or religion, but you can or cannot have faith in anything. In Eternal Curse, I touch on many facets of faith.

So before I really get into the basic faith themes in this book, let me tell you what tests the faith of my characters. Dealing with such issues as death, solitude, and the existence of angels, demons, and others stretched the limits of what my character are willing to believe in.

Most people agree with the old saying that states that nothing in life is as absolute as “death and taxes”, but what if you experienced something that made you question the finality of death. What if death wasn’t coming for you, ever? Is Eternal life on Earth all that it’s cracked up to be? And what about an afterlife; would you want another life after death, bad or good?

Solitude can be experienced in so many ways and at varying levels. Giovanni feels that his solitude has left him with little faith in humanity. If you have no faith in someone or something, is it worth pursuing, worth preserving, worth dying for trying to save?

So, now it’s time to talk about faith.

Faith in one’s self- In Eternal Curse, the characters have some insecurities to overcome. While Mira is confident in her strengths and knows just how much she is capable of, she never stops to consider that there might be something completely different for her to do with her life. Giovanni on the other hand is obviously endowed with great power, but because he has no faith in his ability to be and do good, he hides away and does nothing.

I think Mira suffers from minor displaced faith in herself. She has so much faith in what she’s currently good at that she can’t see the other options and things presenting themselves around her. I think Giovanni suffers from a complete lack of faith in his goodness. He only sees the odd and the bad.

Faith in something or a purpose bigger than your needs and wants- It happens all the time, though we don’t always know about, but people discover causes worth pursing and go after them. I know that in the US it’s hard for people to look outside of themselves to see something greater because our culture focuses on individuality (not that that’s bad). It may not be front and center in our culture, but all kinds of people are putting faith in something bigger than themselves right now. People are giving to charities even though their money is tight because they have faith that that need is greater than their situation and that their donation will make a difference. People are volunteering time, people are writing books and songs, people running and hiding or coming out and standing up, people are risking their lives because they have faith in something bigger than themselves.

Faith in a being, power, or force beyond you- This is where the question of religion comes in. Most people believe in something even if it’s not a religion. While some people put their faith in a god or gods, others put their faith in science, or nature, or fate, or politics, or what have you. Even with my own personal beliefs, I respect people for believing in something, even if I don’t agree with it. I think it’s sad when someone doesn’t believe in anything.

*Disclaimer- There is currently debate about whether my book is strongly religious. Though it is a work of fiction and is a paranormal romance, it does have a monotheistic faith-based approach to concept of angels and demons. The current consensus seems to be that though the book weighs heavy with religious ties it remains fresh, thought provoking, and entertaining It is more figurative than literal and more inquisitive than informative.*

That’s all for my contemplation on theme and topic. Thank you for sharing this experience with me and please enjoy this excerpt from Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel.

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“So, I take it you had an especially rough day today,” said Abraham in a questioning tone.

Mira shrugged her shoulders and slowly turned around and gave a sigh. “This isn’t what I was expecting,” said Mira, beginning to pace again. “Tell the truth, Abraham. Is there really something special here or am I just wasting my time?”

Abraham answered swiftly, “You’re asking the wrong person, my dear. That is why you are so upset. I can’t tell you if Giovanni is special, you have to decide that for yourself. Besides, you’ve been running all of these tests, surely you’ve learned something by now.”

Mira paused in thought before she puffed out her breath and responded, “The computer is compiling all of the information into a single, easy-to-read report. I’ll print it out in the morning and then…well then I’ll know.”

“What will you know?” asked Abraham.

“The truth!” she snapped back at Abraham before realizing it. She took two steps back and sighed again. “I’m sorry, Abraham. I shouldn’t be taking my frustrations out on you.”

Abraham moved closer to Mira; he reached up and touched her shoulder. “You didn’t know about me when you headed out to come here, and yet here I am. I existed before you knew I did. You came here with hope,” he said, removing his hand from her shoulder. “Find that hope again. If you’re really concerned about being so frustrated, maybe you could try to have a little faith in something you don’t know and can’t see or feel.”Mira was left standing there speechless as Abraham began to roll away. He was already at the backdoor of the house when he stopped for a moment to say one final thing. “You know, you and Giovanni are a lot alike in that way… Neither of you seem to have much faith.”

Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel Copyright © 2013 Toinette Thomas

Eternal Curse is now available wherever books are sold.

Amazon | Nook

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: Author Insights, EC: Giovanni's Angel, Samples Tagged: author, cause, curses, death, Eternal Curse, excerpt, faith, fear, fiction, Giovanni's Angel, religion, sample, self-esteme, spec-fic, theme, Toi Thomas, topic, Writer's Revolution, writing

ToiBox Blog Weekly Recap 05/10/14

Check out my Recent Posts links to see what I was up to this week.

Last Saturday, I posted Author Insights 11: Topics vs. Themes (part 2).

I started out this week with Sample Sunday 42- Eternal Curse: Battleground, chapter 5.2

On Monday, I shared my Top 5 Animated Movies.

On Tuesday, I added to my Character files the preferences for Lisa.

On Wednesday, I posted my monthly WWW Wednesday post and then…

I posted #IWSG May 2014: Can’t Have It All.

On Thursday, I shared a Tea and Conversation about Green Tea Cocoa and then…

I got a little silly and shared my Eternal Curse Story Guide #Pinterest.

And yesterday, I posted a brief Friday Forecast .

-Today I’m posting part 3 of my latest Author Insights topic, and…

-I’m getting ready for Mother’s Day. My mommy’s in town; yay!

-No Adventures in Blogging today.

-I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself this week and enjoy a very pleasant weekend.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: author, biography, blessings, blogging, books, character, culture, discussion, entertainment, fashion, geek, interviews, journal, life, likes, lists, reading, reviews, sample, wip

Friday Forecast : 05/09/14

Highlighting interviewees, guest posters, my standard weekly posts, and whatever else I can think of, going into the next week.

So, here what’s happening next week:

Sample Sunday

Listography

Character Files

Posts from the Past

Count Your Blessing

Friday Forecast

Weekly Recap and possibly another Adventures in Blogging Post

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At this point I make no promises. I may or may not be posting this weekend, but I know I’ll be cooking.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: author, blogging, interviews, life, reviews, sneak peak, try this, writing

Eternal Curse Story Guide #Pinterest

I, for some reason, decided I needed to do something kinda pointless in regard to my book Eternal Curse. Instead of working to release the second book in the series, I decided to create a Pin Board about the characters and concepts in the story. It was actually a lot of fun and took way too much of my time. I can’t wait to do one for the next book.

So here it is, the Eternal Curse Story Guide. Check it out.

Click to see more.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: EC: Giovanni's Angel Tagged: backstory, book, character, Eternal Curse, fiction, Giovanni's Angel, images, inspiration, novel, paranormal, Pinterest, romance, species, theme, Toi Thomas, topic

Tea and Conversation 11: Green Tea Cocoa

Today I’m sharing a picture of hot cocoa I posted on my tea pin board.

Please do not copy this image. Click image to share on Pinterest.

Today in my meditation on the Eternal Curse, I’m writing about: Why green tea cocoa?

Green-tea cocoa isn’t some secret family tradition, but when I came up with it I wished it was. I was feeling under the whether a few years back during the time I was writing Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel, though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time.

I was in a weird predicament. I had a cold which included a very sore throat, but I was also having my monthly visit from Mother Nature. I was craving chocolate and caffeine, which is odd because I am very sensitive to caffeine and carefully monitor my intake of it.

Out of desperation I went into the kitchen determined to find some comfort if total relief was too far out of sight. I poured chocolate syrup into a cup of concentrated green tea and plopped in a caramel cube. At that moment it was the most amazing thing I’d ever tasted.

Later when I was feeling not so under the weather, I tried the same concoction, but was not pleased with the outcome. I played around with many different variations of cocoa, chocolate, green tea, and other ingredients until I found one that suited me better and that I could prepare any time I wanted.

After all that, I put my newly made rare treat into my story simply because I thought that if it wasn’t going to be a secret family tradition in my life, it could be in Giovanni’s. I’m sure I’m not the first person to put green tea and chocolate together, but the whole experience has left a mark on me. I have a memory I will cherish always.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: EC: Giovanni's Angel, Tea & Conversation Tagged: caffeine, chocolate, cocoa, comfort, conversation, Eternal Curse, fiction, pictures, stories, tea, writing

#IWSG May 2014: Can’t Have It All

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

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Most people assume that if you are an introvert that nothing is a big deal to you. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Just because someone doesn’t shout from the mountain tops or constantly tweet about their passions doesn’t mean they don’t have them.

I’ve been blogging and writing long enough for most people who’ve ever heard of me, let alone have met me, to know that writing is one of my passions, but there are still some who seemed to be completely blindsided by this. I guess it’s another case of me being overlooked by those around me; unfortunately I’m used to that now. However, that’s not what’s currently bothering me.

Right now I’m kind of sad, but mostly annoyed, that I can’t do all the things I have a great desire to do for a number of different reasons.

1. My life isn’t bad and though I’m getting back on track after a recent loss, I really can’t complain too much. There is one problem with that; I’m never happy unless I’m writing, but I can’t afford to write like I’d prefer (that’s another issue I’ll address in a moment). In essence, I suffer and constantly struggle with depression even though no one I know, including my family, seems to want to believe or accept that. The problem with depression is that you don’t typically need a good reason to feel it. It comes over you for no reason. When trying to find the courage and energy to get up and take a shower makes you cry, it’s not something that should be ignored. Alas, I have up to this point been able to pray and write my way down the straight and narrow, but it’s hard. I wish I could not have to battle depression.

2. Back to me not being able to write like I want to. I don’t have kids so that’s not an excuse I’m going to throw out, but I honestly don’t know how people with children get anything done. At this point in my “career” (cause apparently there’s debate as to where you have a hobby or career based on how much money you make) I am working a full-time day job and then coming home and writing and blogging full-time too (that means I’m putting in about 35-40 hours of each task a week). If I told that my home is sometimes in complete disarray, would you be surprised? I actually enjoy cooking and baking, but I can’t do those things and have time to write and go to work, the way I’d like. I wish I could not have to work a full-time day job (Don’t all writers wish this?).

3. This next matter is a result of the first too. I’m tired all the time. Healthy diet and exercise are a dream most of the time, but when I’m in the zone I do really well. Despite all my best efforts, no matter what I do, I am always tired. I’m not talking about being a little sluggish and grumpy (though don’t throw those out), I’m talking about being exhausted to the point where my body starts to breakdown, I pass out, and I get painful headaches. I wish I could not be so tired all the time.

4. On a completely different note, I’m currently feeling singled out in my efforts to do good. I think I’ll be putting together something soon to promote a charity that has really become near and dear to my heart, but for now I’m still trying to figure out how to go about it. I had an idea that was shot down by many of my writer friends, but none of them were cruel about it. I understood their reasoning and respect their decisions, but I guess I was a little disappointed that more weren’t interested. I guess in the end I have to accept that my passion isn’t everyone else’s. The truth is I think my desire to make a difference just wasn’t strong enough to outweigh my insecurities. I guess I thought I needed to have the support of others to be able to pursue this venture because I’m painfully aware of just how little influence I have…In any case, I will do something, whether it is a success or not, and I’ll be glad and proud that I did. I wish I could not be so afraid and insecure about putting myself out there to make a difference.

In conclusion, I realize that I just can’t have it all- no matter how badly I may want it.

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:  Mark Koopmans, Joylene Nowell Butler, Elsie, and Lisa Buie-Collard!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #186).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: IWSG Tagged: Alex J. Cavanaugh, blogging, charity, community, depression, encouragement, Eternal Curse, friends, honesty, insecure writers support group, life, Toi Thomas, writing

WWW Wednesday 5/7/14

WWW WEDNESDAYS… is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of “Should Be Reading”, where you share: (1)What you’re currently reading, (2)What you recently finished reading, and (3)What you think you’ll read next.

As I am only contributing to this meme on a monthly basis, while comments and shares are welcomed here, be sure to visit Should Be Reading each week to see who’s reading what.

1. What am I currently reading?

Not too many changes here. It’s been a long, slow, and stressful month.

  

2. What did I recently finish reading?

URGG! I haven’t had much time to read and I still haven’t written reviews. I’m disappointed in myself. I did however start and finish one book, but I’m pretty sure it’s because it was another middle grade that I part-way read and listened to…Next month will be better. J

  

3. What do I think I’ll read next?

I still may try to read some sequels I’ve been meaning to check out, but I’m looking forward to the new Stacey Rourke book coming out this month.

What is your WWW Wednesday?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: WWWWednesday-Blogdom Tagged: books, Crane, Stacey Rourke, Toi Thomas Reads, try this, WWWWednesday

Character Files from the ToiBox 57: Lisa-Preferences

Preferences: Subject FM 2-Lisa

Favorite Color: red

Favorite Food: cocktails

Favorite Book or Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Favorite Music: dance and alternative

Favorite Pastime: partying

Other: Likes men, doesn’t care for women outside of family and Rebecca, and likes a little chaos.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Filed under: Character Files, Full Moon Tagged: #thetoiboxofwords, character, contemporary fiction, cultural study, drama, family, fiction, friends, It's Like the Full Moon, Lisa, preferences, profile, romance, Toi Thomas