Connie Johnson Hambley's Blog, page 19

March 10, 2016

GET PHYSICALLY STRONG TO FEEL EMOTIONALLY STRONG by Colleen Story

The word "strong" has many meanings. Is a person strong because he or she perseveres when all seems lost, or because they can bench press 200 pounds? Strength is not an either/or dilemma. Being strong of body does not preclude being strong of heart and soul. My next guest tells us that physical and mental strength are connected, especially for women. 
Why Women Who Want to Feel Strong Need to Get Strong by Colleen Story

When Connie asked me to contribute a post about strong women, my first thought was of my mother, and right after that, my grandmother and great grandmother.
I was fortunate to come from a long line of strong women. My great grandmother came over from Ireland when she was only 19 years old. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to spend months on a tall ship in those days—alone, no less.
My grandmother lived her life on a dairy farm, and after losing my grandfather when he was only in his mid-forties, spent the rest of her life alone, a strong and independent women who raised milking cows, young steers, chickens, cats, and dogs on her property until her dying day at the age of 93.
My mother fits the definition of strong in so many ways. She raised my older brother and me for several years as a single mom, and I remember her struggle to make ends meet. Regardless of how tight things were, she kept us feeling safe, and was sure to encourage us in whatever natural talents we had.
I could tell many stories of the emotional strengths possessed by these women, but interestingly enough, what comes to mind is not their ability to withstand life’s ups and downs while maintaining a great sense of humor, or their tendency to keep a stiff upper lip even during tough times. I’m thinking of a different kind of strength.
You see, my grandmother was a master at arm wrestling.
Physical Strength Encourages Mental StrengthUsually when we talk about strong women, we’re referring to those who withstood emotional and mental challenges to make significant changes in their lives. But what about women who are physically strong and resilient?
When you spend your life on a dairy farm, you develop defined muscles, and my grandma managed to keep them long into her senior years. She could also go toe-to-toe with you on most any subject, and had a sharp wit to accompany her points of view, but as kids we didn’t look forward to mental debates.
Instead, during our annual visits, we’d challenge her to arm wrestling contests.
Studies have shown that physical strength encourages mental strength. In the late 90s, for example, researchers found that strength training increased overall muscle strength by nearly 40 percent, while also improving mood, reducing anxiety, and boosting confidence.
Another study around the same time found that 12 weeks of strength training in adolescent girls improved confidence and general effectiveness in life.
“These findings offer preliminary support that weight training for strength can improve confidence about a variety of life tasks in adolescent girls,” the researchers wrote, “and could provide the basis for new modalities of therapy for low self-esteem.”
Even when my siblings and I were young teens and Grandma was around 80, she still had enough strength in her hands to give your wrist a twist, after which there was no coming back. We’d practice resisting, but it was near impossible. I can’t help but think now that her ability to stay physically strong had something to do with her avoiding any type of mental decline, as well.
A 2015 study found it to be true. One group of participants who already had mild cognitive impairment went through six months of weight training. The other, a control group, did not. Results showed that those who trained experienced significant improvements in overall cognitive function, specifically in abilities like planning, organizing, devising strategies, and visual memory. The improvements were still there twelve months after the training stopped.
“We know weight training stimulates hormones that make muscles grow and it's possible these hormones are also having similar benefits for brain function," said Professor Fiatarone Singh.
In a report by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), scientists state that strength training not only reduces the effects of arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and back pain, but can have a major effect on a person’s mental and emotional health.
“Strength training exercises can also reduce depression and boost self-confidence and self-esteem,” the authors wrote, “and improve your sense of well-being.”
Sometimes the Body Needs to Come FirstI’ve noticed the effects myself. Growing up on the ranch, I was challenging my muscles every day, but after I left home and settled into my work as a writer, things changed. I started to feel tired more often, and my body felt soft and squishy. I now know that much of that was because I had lost muscle.
When I got back into doing some push-ups, and started lifting hand weights and working with resistance bands, I felt my old strength come back—and with it, a renewed vigor in the mornings. I was ready to tackle my day in ways I wasn’t before. I also felt the effects in an increased sense of confidence and empowerment.
“Strong girls exude a confidence that is intoxicating,” says fitness blogger Neghar Fonooni. “When you realize your outer strength, you can tap into your inner strength, and that begins to radiate.”
It’s a shame that many women feel averse to strength training, convinced it’s a “guy thing,” because there’s nothing like feeling the ease of lifting your own 50-pound bag of dog food into the trunk, or being able to dash out 20 push-ups without breaking a sweat.
Young girls, in particular, who are used to their role models looking stick-thin, may be afraid to develop too many muscles, fearing they’ll look freakish, but the reality is that getting stronger helps define a woman’s figure and creates more attractive curves. But these may be considered secondary to the mental and emotional benefits.
Lyn Paul, a Montana State University Extension professor who studied the effect of weight training on women, told the Los Angeles Times that regardless of age, women gain self-confidence from getting stronger.
"My study found that the No. 1 benefit of strength is that the enhanced function makes them feel empowered," she said. "This whets their appetite for more strength, pushing them further down the health-and-fitness road."
Personal trainer Alexa Towersey has had similar experiences with her clients. “Weight training doesn’t just deliver a strong, healthy body and a beautiful aesthetic, it’s also very empowering. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a woman lifting heavy weights with confidence, and then watching how this translates into her attitude toward the rest of her life.”
Try Getting Physically Stronger to Feel Emotionally StrongerI’m addicted to strength training now. I’m on the lookout for ways to get stronger that I can incorporate into my home-based routine. The strong women in my family continue to inspire me. My mom, for example, still throws a bowling ball screaming down the lane faster than any of her friends on the league—the only one of her peers that looks vibrant and strong on her way up to the red line.
If you’re a woman who may be feeling a little unsure of yourself, I encourage you to try strength training, if you haven’t already. You may be surprised at the results. As you lift more pounds, you may find that you’re able to approach other things in your life with increased inner strength, as well.
If nothing else, imagine someday smoking your grandkid in an arm wrestling contest.
SourcesTsutsumi T., et al., “Physical fitness and psychological benefits of strength training in community dwelling older adults,” Appl Human Sci., November 1997; 16(6):257-66, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9545677.
Jean Barrett Holloway, “Self-Efficacy and Training for Strength in Adolescent Girls,” Journal of Applied Psychology, June 1988; 18(8): 699-719, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.1988.tb00046.x/abstract;jsessionid=17DD4304C5E3570CCD80A3338E6F0D72.f01t04.
http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/growing_stronger.pdf
Roy Wallack, “Women find boost in ability and other benefits in strength training,” Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2015, http://www.latimes.com/health/mind-body/la-he-strong-20150523-column.html.
Rachel Jacqueline, “How lifting weights helps women shed fat and gain health and confidence,” South China Morning Post, December 19, 2015, http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-beauty/article/1892386/how-lifting-weights-helps-women-shed-fat-and-gain-health-and.
“Pumping iron could ward off dementia,” The University of Sydney, February 16, 2015, http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?new....
Colleen M. Story has been a full-time writer, editor, and ghostwriter for nearly 20 years. She’s worked for high-profile clients like Gerber Baby Products, Kellogg’s, Fresenius Medical Care, and Nicole Miller Skin Care, with many articles appearing in Healthline, Renegade Health, Women’s Health, 4Health Magazine, and more.
She’s the author of Rise of the Sidenah, a 2015 North American Book Awards winner, and Loreena’s Gift, a literary novel released by Dzanc Books in April 2016. She maintains a robust inspirational blog for writers and other creatives at Writing and Wellness, with her own personal website at colleenmstory.com. She lives in Idaho.

Rise of the Sidenah is a magical fantasy about a young sculptress forbidden from practicing her art, until a powerful man offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse. He draws her into a world of deceit, murder, and betrayal, leaving her no choice but to engage him in battle to save the ones she loves.
·         2015 North American Book Awards Winter, Fantasy·         2015 New Apple Book Awards Official Selection, Young Adult
Available at Amazonand Jupiter Gardens Press.


Loreena’s Gift: Loreena Picket thinks she knows herself. A blind young woman who lives with her uncle, a reverend at a small- town church, she’s a dutiful niece and talented pianist for the congregation. But they’re both hiding a terrible secret. Loreena can kill people with the touch of her hand.
While her uncle sees her as an angel of mercy, helping usher the terminally ill members of his flock into the afterlife, Loreena has her doubts. She cooperates with her uncle until her troubled older brother returns to town. When she reveals her power by saving him from a local drug dealer, she is drawn into a sinister and dangerous world that will test the true nature of her talent and force her to consider how far she is willing to go to survive.
Release Date April 12, 2016. Available at all online bookstores and from Dzanc Books.



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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Published on March 10, 2016 21:00

March 3, 2016

STRONG WOMEN by J.E. Seymour

My guest this week, Joyleen Seymour, is a woman after my own heart. A talented author and equestrian, Joy writes gripping stories populated with complex women. Her characters use readers' pre-conceived notions of what a woman in a crime story should be to lure them deeper into her stories. Read on.
STRONG WOMENby J. E. SeymourCrime fiction is full of examples of what I might call the ditzy broad. Dumb women who find themselves getting into predicaments where they need to be rescued. Women who venture into situations where you know they are going to get into trouble, yet they can’t seem to learn not to do it. I always liked Nancy Drew, because she surrounded herself with other strong women, and she refrained from utter stupidity.I have two main characters in my crime fiction series who are women, who are nothing alike, and yet who are both strong women. I find nothing more annoying in fiction than a weak woman who needs to be rescued by a man. Neither of these women would ever allow themselves to be rescued. But at the same time, they both have husbands, they both love their husbands, and neither of them feels threatened by the men around them.Cindy Markinson is married to my main character, Kevin Markinson. He is a convicted murderer, a man who is probably a mob hit man, who is definitely an alcoholic, and who is rarely present in her life. For her, it takes strength to stay married to this man. Her values lead her to stay with him, even when he commits crimes, even when he is on the run, even when he brings danger into her house. She loves him, and deep down she thinks maybe he will change. This is the father of her children. I’ve had readers ask me why she stays with him, isn’t that a weakness, but I think this is a sign of her strength. She is strong enough to live this life, with a husband who is in prison (or on the run.) She doesn’t allow him to push her around, this is her choice to stay with him. And she sets limits. No guns left unattended in her house. No smoking in her house. No bad language in front of the kids. She is strong and confident enough to be able to set those limits and enforce them. She works as a nurse in an emergency room, and is tough both on the job and off. Sally Barnard is a Deputy United States Marshal (DUSM). She has spent her entire life trying to live up to the men around her, her father was a cop, her uncles were cops, her brother was a firefighter. She started in law enforcement in 1969, when women police officers were rare. She learned to be tough, to stick up for herself, and to hang onto her values in a man’s world. She’s often the only woman in the office, and as such has to prove her worth over and over. I’ve had readers call her a bitch, which she would find astounding, because really, she is just trying to be tough. Maybe she comes off too tough at times. But she has learned that she can’t have any soft edges, that she really has to stick up for herself, that she has to be one of the guys. Her job chasing fugitives is something she has been working towards her entire career, and she is proud of her accomplishments.When I first started developing my series, I knew I wanted a woman DUSM chasing my main character, and I knew he had a wife and kids. I knew these two women would be important in my main character’s life (for different reasons) and I knew they both needed to be strong women. I hope I’ve succeeded in writing these two characters in a believable fashion.

J.E. Seymour lives in a small town in seacoast NH.  Her newest novel, the third in the Kevin Markinson series, “Frostbite,” will be released in March of 2016.  J.E.’s first novel, “Lead Poisoning” was released by Mainly Murder Press in 2010.  The second edition of “Lead Poisoning” was released by Barking Rain Press in May of 2014.  Her second novel, “Stress Fractures,” was released in the summer of 2014.  “Blackbird and Other Stories,” an ebook collection of short stories, was released in May of 2014. J.E has had short stories published in print in an anthology of New Hampshire noir – “Live Free or Die, Die, Die” (Plaidswede Press) and in three anthologies of crime fiction by New England writers - “Windchill,” “Deadfall,” and “Quarry;” (Level Best Books) and in Thriller UK Magazine.  In addition, she has had stories online in numerous ezines, including Spinetingler, Shots, Mouth Full of Bullets, Mysterical-E, A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp, Yellow Mama and Shred of Evidence.   She attended Bread Loaf in 2002 and was a panelist at the Crime Bake Mystery Conference in 2011. In addition to writing, she has worked as a horseback riding instructor, a ski instructor, ski patroller, librarian and camp counselor.  When not writing, she spends her time riding her pony in mounted games, playing video games, working at a library, or relaxing with her family.  http://jeseymour.com

CONNIE'S NOTE: You'll be able to meet Joy and me at the upcoming New Hampshire Women's Expo in Manchester on March 12, where we will be meeting readers and extolling the virtues of Sisters in Crime. Joy will also be one of my featured panelists on the seminar stage at the Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA in November. Check back for more details.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Published on March 03, 2016 21:00

STRONG WOMEN by Joylene Seymour

My guest this week, Joylene Seymour, is a woman after my own heart. A talented author and equestrian, Joy writes gripping stories with complex women as the main characters. Her characters use readers' pre-conceived notions of what a woman in a crime story should be to lure them deeper into her stories. 
STRONG WOMENby Joylene SeymourCrime fiction is full of examples of what I might call the ditzy broad. Dumb women who find themselves getting into predicaments where they need to be rescued. Women who venture into situations where you know they are going to get into trouble, yet they can’t seem to learn not to do it. I always liked Nancy Drew, because she surrounded herself with other strong women, and she refrained from utter stupidity.I have two main characters in my crime fiction series who are women, who are nothing alike, and yet who are both strong women. I find nothing more annoying in fiction than a weak woman who needs to be rescued by a man. Neither of these women would ever allow themselves to be rescued. But at the same time, they both have husbands, they both love their husbands, and neither of them feels threatened by the men around them.Cindy Markinson is married to my main character, Kevin Markinson. He is a convicted murderer, a man who is probably a mob hit man, who is definitely an alcoholic, and who is rarely present in her life. For her, it takes strength to stay married to this man. Her values lead her to stay with him, even when he commits crimes, even when he is on the run, even when he brings danger into her house. She loves him, and deep down she thinks maybe he will change. This is the father of her children. I’ve had readers ask me why she stays with him, isn’t that a weakness, but I think this is a sign of her strength. She is strong enough to live this life, with a husband who is in prison (or on the run.) She doesn’t allow him to push her around, this is her choice to stay with him. And she sets limits. No guns left unattended in her house. No smoking in her house. No bad language in front of the kids. She is strong and confident enough to be able to set those limits and enforce them. She works as a nurse in an emergency room, and is tough both on the job and off. Sally Barnard is a Deputy United States Marshal (DUSM). She has spent her entire life trying to live up to the men around her, her father was a cop, her uncles were cops, her brother was a firefighter. She started in law enforcement in 1969, when women police officers were rare. She learned to be tough, to stick up for herself, and to hang onto her values in a man’s world. She’s often the only woman in the office, and as such has to prove her worth over and over. I’ve had readers call her a bitch, which she would find astounding, because really, she is just trying to be tough. Maybe she comes off too tough at times. But she has learned that she can’t have any soft edges, that she really has to stick up for herself, that she has to be one of the guys. Her job chasing fugitives is something she has been working towards her entire career, and she is proud of her accomplishments.When I first started developing my series, I knew I wanted a woman DUSM chasing my main character, and I knew he had a wife and kids. I knew these two women would be important in my main character’s life (for different reasons) and I knew they both needed to be strong women. I hope I’ve succeeded in writing these two characters in a believable fashion.

J.E. Seymour lives in a small town in seacoast NH.  Her newest novel, the third in the Kevin Markinson series, “Frostbite,” will be released in March of 2016.  J.E.’s first novel, “Lead Poisoning” was released by Mainly Murder Press in 2010.  The second edition of “Lead Poisoning” was released by Barking Rain Press in May of 2014.  Her second novel, “Stress Fractures,” was released in the summer of 2014.  “Blackbird and Other Stories,” an ebook collection of short stories, was released in May of 2014. J.E has had short stories published in print in an anthology of New Hampshire noir – “Live Free or Die, Die, Die” (Plaidswede Press) and in three anthologies of crime fiction by New England writers - “Windchill,” “Deadfall,” and “Quarry;” (Level Best Books) and in Thriller UK Magazine.  In addition, she has had stories online in numerous ezines, including Spinetingler, Shots, Mouth Full of Bullets, Mysterical-E, A Twist of Noir, Beat to a Pulp, Yellow Mama and Shred of Evidence.   She attended Bread Loaf in 2002 and was a panelist at the Crime Bake Mystery Conference in 2011. In addition to writing, she has worked as a horseback riding instructor, a ski instructor, ski patroller, librarian and camp counselor.  When not writing, she spends her time riding her pony in mounted games, playing video games, working at a library, or relaxing with her family.  http://jeseymour.com

CONNIE'S NOTE: You'll be able to meet Joy and me at the upcoming New Hampshire Women's Expo in Manchester on March 12, where we will be meeting readers and extolling the virtues of Sisters in Crime. Joy will also be one of my featured panelists on the seminar stage at the Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA in November. Check back for more details.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Published on March 03, 2016 21:00

February 26, 2016

WHY I WRITE ABOUT STRONG WOMEN by M. Ruth Myers

"Show me your friends, and I'll tell you who you are."

I remember my grandmother saying when I questioned why she always wanted me to tell her who sat with me at lunch in my high school cafeteria, what their parents' names were and who did they hang out with after school. I couldn't figure out why this information was so important to her. She would shrug and say, "Birds of a feather flock together." 

Now I understand. Offering a forum for folks to weigh in on the topic of strong women has attracted authors with a creative drive to explore and expand our knowledge of women who dare to be bold. I'm pleased to have M. Ruth Myers at my lunch table.

WHY I WRITE ABOUT STRONG WOMEN by M. Ruth Myers
I write about strong women for the simple reason that I enjoy reading about them – and I think readers do too.
Assertive. Determined. Brave. Those are some of the words that define them. They’re confident in most situations, and able to bluff it through when they’re not. They’re mostly unselfish. They look out for those who are weaker. And they don’t need a strong man to rescue them from a tight spot.
I was fortunate enough to grow up exposed to women with those characteristics, though they’d never have described themselves in those terms. In real life and in fiction, they come in many forms.
Maggie Sullivan, the private eye in my series which moves from the end of the Great Depression through the end of World War II, is clearly a strong woman.  She’s in an unconventional job for a woman of her time. She carries a .38 which she’ll use without hesitation. She gets beaten up at times, but throws a pretty good punch herself. She walks down dark alleys and into flop houses. She endures snide comments and blatant doubts of her abilities.
That’s the most obvious kind of strong.
But other tough and determined women populate the series as well:Rachel runs a commercial construction firm even though it means elbowing her way through prejudice over both her gender and the fact she’s a Jew.Jolene, the farm girl turned nightclub cigarette girl, is smart as they come and determined to chart her own course.Sophia and Gilead, the two Negro cleaning women in Maggie’s run-down office building, have capabilities far beyond what their jobs require. They’ll finally get a chance to use them during World War II.

For all these women, there’s more to life than the roles society wants to assign them.
To me, women are strong when they take charge of their own destiny.  Instead of being victims of circumstances, they take them on. They grab Circumstances by the elbow and drag them along. They kick Circumstances in the backside.
No one represents them better than the first-wave career women of the Greatest Generation. They already were pushing through social norms before World War II brought a deluge of Rosie-the-Riveters, leaving farms and small towns in pursuit of dreams: College education, jobs in the city, and yes, a taste of the larger world.
These are the women who inspired the Maggie Sullivan series. One woman rode a mule to teach in a one-room school, saving her salary to attend eight years of summer school so she could get her teaching degree. Another, when her farm chores were done, cleaned houses and tended babies to earn her tuition to teachers college – only to lose it all when the bank with her savings failed, like thousands of others, in the Great Depression. Both women went on to lifelong careers as teachers and active roles in their communities. Another headed a child welfare agency. Another was an assistant U.S. Attorney. All in small towns.
Surely seeing these examples around me as I grew up shaped my world view. It certainly shaped my reading material, beginning with mystery series with protagonists like Beverly Gray, Judy Bolton and, of course, Nancy Drew – though I didn’t find her as interesting as the others. At school, when it came time for the yearly (or maybe semesterly) report on a biography, I managed to scout out less-known books on women journalists and war correspondents.
Today, it’s wonderful to know we can find strong women characters in the pages of books by Sara Paretsky and Marcia Muller and Sue Grafton; by my friend Debbi Mack with her Sam McRae series; and by you, Connie Hambley. But there aren’t enough! So I’m happy to add one more, Maggie Sullivan, to the mix.
No Game for a Dame, the first book in the series, is free for most ereaders. Slide into the passenger seat of Maggie’s DeSoto and take a ride. It’s 1938; there are no seat belts.

BIO:
M. Ruth Myers received a Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for Don’t Dare a Dame, the third book in her Maggie Sullivan mysteries series. The series follows a gin-sipping, gam-flashing, gun-toting woman P.I. in Dayton, OH, from the end of the Great Depression through the end of WW2. Shamus in a Skirt is the latest novel in the series, which currently includes four novels and two short stories.                                                                                                            Myers has written more than a dozen books in several genres. One was condensed in Good Housekeeping magazine and several have been optioned for film. Her dubious skills include playing the Irish concertina and talking to herself without moving her lips, the latter a result of working five years as a ventriloquist.
Website: Http://www.mruthmyers.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/M.RuthMyers.author/Blog: www.GalGumshoe.comTwitter: @MRuthMyers
Shamus in a Skirt
When a man offers 1940s private investigator Maggie Sullivan twice her usual fee to look into a "possible" jewelry theft from his hotel safe, she’s skeptical — until a maid’s body tumbles out of a trash can and a jeweler known for high quality fakes is murdered.
Does a hotel guest who vanished without a trace hold a piece of the puzzle?  Or does it have to do with the Polish count and his family fleeing the start of WW2 in Europe?  Could the cops be right that it’s all a trick devised by her client?






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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Published on February 26, 2016 05:14

February 18, 2016

STRONG IN THEIR WEAKNESS by Michelle Cox

I'm a sucker for a story about strength found in surprising places, so when my next guest told me about her experiences in speaking with women at a nursing home, I was all in. Please read on as Michelle Cox introduces us to three incredible women and the window into a different kind of strength they provide.


Strong in Their Weakness
by Michelle Cox
Several years ago I found myself wandering the halls of a nursing home, visiting with residents who happened to be mostly women and mostly immigrants.  As I got to know them better, listening to their unsung stories, I was stunned that so many of these women, bed-ridden or hobbling along - a frail skeletal version of their former, robust selves - had lived such incredible lives of strength and fortitude. 
Almost all had a story to share about overcoming the odds, of endurance and hardship, and sacrifice. I was struck by the spectrum of attitudes I heard. So near the end of their lives, many had slipped into bitterness and depression, still harboring anger and nursing the many wounds they had picked up along the way. This was what I had expected to find. 
What I was surprised by was that some who had had equally hard, even tragic, circumstances retained a positive demeanor and even a smile. They had a sparkle to them, a certain radiance. I found myself naturally more attracted to these women and sought them out for further conversation, hoping to discover the secret to this seemingly misplaced happiness. As I went from room to room, collecting stories that varied widely in circumstance and which circumnavigated the globe, it became clear to me that the central theme was always the same. Forgiveness.    One of the first women I spoke to was Danuta Szwarc, who saw the Russians invade her tiny village on the border of Poland and Germany in 1941 and witnessed her husband being shot.  She and her four children were then packed into a train and sent to a Siberian labor camp where they spent the remainder of the war, near starvation, until liberated.  They were then taken to refugee camps in Pakistan and India until they finally made it to the United States.  Here, they began again, with Danuta tending her grandchildren and filling the house with people and food, love and laughter.  Her children say of her that she was the “most positive person we’ve ever met,” and that, indeed, “she could move mountains.”
Emilia Morales was born at a similar time, 1909, but in a small Mexican village, frequently raided by Pancho Villa and his revolutionaries. Her well-to-do family often hid from his criminal gang in secret compartments in the walls of their home. Emelia witnessed horrific violence at the revolutionaries’ hands as well as horrible abuse within her own family. Incredibly, not only was she beaten by her father, but by her older sister! Emilia eventually married a mean, manipulative man with whom she had four children. Two of them died of cancer, as did her husband, leaving Emilia alone to make ends meet, which she did by working long hours as a cleaner in a hospital. Despite the life of violence and misery she endured, Emilia still goes about with a smile, looking forward to what the day will bring, always saying “tomorrow is another day” and “I don’t let things bother me.”
Equally inspiring is the story of Soon Ok Shin, who was born in Korea in 1911 and after completing grade school was married by arrangement to a wealthy businessman.  She had three children, but was forced, via a common custom at the time, to give her first child to her brother and his wife who couldn’t have children of their own. She was further saddened when her husband took more wives after her, again a common custom among the rich of Korea. Eventually, she was able to escape her husband and her life in Korea when her two children immigrated to the United States and sent for her. Here she lived with them, helping to raise their children and grateful for even the smallest kindnesses. She remains a very warm, humble person, encouraging and full of concern for those around her.     
These are a few of the stories that stood out for me as I walked through those lonely halls - stories of women who, despite almost any degree of tragedy, could not only find the strength to keep going, but to somehow be happy. These women were strong in their weakness. They found the ability to forgive the many wrongs done to them. At first glance, this might seem a weakness in and of itself, but forgiveness was the ticket to a deeper power, a letting go, a freeing - that no one or nothing could shake. Though they were often trapped by circumstances, they were not trapped by bitterness and actively chose forgiveness – not only of the people who hurt them, but perhaps themselves as well
Therein lies their strength and the secret to their happiness, their contentment, their peace, even now, in this moment, in this place.   

Michelle Cox, authorBio:
Michelle Cox writes the popular blog, “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” which features true stories of Chicago’s forgotten residents as well as a humorous blog, “How to Get Your Book Published in 7,000 Easy Steps – A Practical Guide,” both of which feature on her website. Her novel, A Girl Like You, the first in a series, is due out with She Writes Press this April. Ms. Cox lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Website: http://michellecoxauthor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellecoxwrites Twitter: https://twitter.com/michellecox33







A Girl Like You is a historical mystery with a dash of romance set in 1930’s Chicago. Beautiful Henrietta Von Harmon works to support her family after the big crash and her father’s subsequent suicide. Things begin to look up when she takes a job as a taxi dancer - until the floor matron turns up dead. When the aloof but charming Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene to investigate, things begin to heat up when she is persuaded to go undercover for him and they uncomfortably find themselves drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways. 


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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.

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Published on February 18, 2016 21:00

February 11, 2016

RISK OF SUCCESS by Janet Catherine Johnston

Strong Women. Fact? Fiction? Born? Made?
My next guest is a belly-dancing astrophysicist from MIT. Yes, you read that correctly. She is a favored speaker at writing conferences that range from Boskone's science fiction convention to the Newburyport Literary Festival. If there is anyone who has an opinion about going against type, I'd say Janet Catherine Johnston is my go-to source. 
Risk of Success by Janet Catherine Johnston
I was flattered that Connie asked me to write something on the concept of strong women because I don’t think of myself as one. I think of myself more as a Barnum and Bailey showman. One thing I know for sure from my nearly 63 years of life experience is that 10% talent and 90% nerve is a better recipe for success then the other way around. So I guess I’m going to talk about nerve, or confidence, or being willing to take a risk.  Because the only thing you risk is failure and that’s a much lesser risk, I think, then not having tried to do anything at all.

First of all, as a child I was fortunate that I was never told only boys can do this or that. In fact, being a movie and TV fan as a kid I always identified with the male characters. This was not because they were men but because the women were portrayed as having no brains. I loved Spencer Tracey in Inherit the Wind, Captain Kirk in Star Trek, and Errol Flynn in Robin Hood. Although I always wanted to wear Lady Marion’s medieval frocks, Robin Hood, the adventurer and rebel, was closer to my personality.

So, when someone asked me when I was ten what I wanted to be when I grew up and I said, "An astrophysicist!" no one laughed or discouraged me.

And high school was great too. It wasn’t until college and then the workforce in the early days--I was a freshman at MIT in 1971--that as a woman in science and engineering I encountered discrimination. The majority male student body was resentful, instructors openly stated that female students were just taking a place away from a man who would use the degree.  It was pretty awful. Things are much better now. Science is more open than engineering, but both fields are improving.

I stuck it out and went on to work in science where in those years, in the eighties, women were considered a novelty and there were always remarks. You had to be better than the men to get equal treatment.  Many of my female classmates gave up and transitioned to more female-friendly professions. Great loss to science!  But I was stubborn and had a great mentor, a science pioneer now in her nineties, who taught me to pick my battles.  I can only imagine what she went through to rise to the equivalent civilian rank of General in the Air Force in her day. I am always dismayed at people saying,  ”Oh if only I won the lottery, I would (fill in the blank with your fondest dream).” If your odds of happiness are a 50 million to one shot, that’s pretty sad. Think about how you can improve those odds…

And “Luck”  --what is that? I never thought when I applied to MIT that I would be accepted. At the Bronx High School of Science in New York I was certainly not the smartest student there.  But you never know till you try and if you don’t try you certainly have no risk of success.

People laugh when I say my writing goal is to write a best-selling novel. Really? I may not reach my goal, but how many best-selling authors do you think started their career saying their goal was to write a mediocre novel?Certainly luck plays into it, but I define luck as a convolution of “opportunity meets preparation.”

If you don’t like the path you’re on, plan and work to change it.  Maybe in the end, that’s the definition of a strong person. Maybe the odds are against you, but somebody beats those odds.  Why can’t that person be you?
BIO:   
Janet Catherine Johnston is a scientist, engineer, master costume designer and choreographer, dance teacher, singer, martial artist, private pilot, fortune teller, and science fiction author and was born missing her left arm. She is a co-author on numerous scientific journal articles on space experiments as well as on geophysics and holds four degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in astrophysics, planetary physics, seismology and civil engineering. She has traveled to 50 countries, including Outer Mongolia, India, South Africa, Egypt, Japan and Svalbard and has lived in New York, Virginia, London and Moscow, but always returns to her Plum Island, Massachusetts home. Her hard science fiction stories have appeared in  Analog Science Fiction and Fact , the oldest, most prestigious science fiction magazine on Earth and has had two one-act comedy science fiction plays produced in Boston. Her novellas, although tenaciously rooted in reality, have a haunting, isolated quality to them in which the setting presents as a dominant character. 

Janet will be a guest speaker at Boskone 53, Boston’s oldest Science Fiction Convention, at the Westin Waterfront Hotel, 20 Feb 2016. See her mini-interview here

Janet can be reached at:   plumeig(at)comcast(dot)net


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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.


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Published on February 11, 2016 21:00

February 4, 2016

Hard Riders - Women Who Take the Reins by Jill Baker

The following is a republication of LinkedIn Pulse article, with permission from the author, Jill Baker. Think what you will about me posting this within my strong women series, but gosh, I found I stood a little straighter after reading it.
I met Jill, a public relations expert, a few years ago during Mystery Night at New England Mobile Book Fair. (Put this bookstore on your MUST GO TO list and mark your calendars for the first Thursday in December for Mystery Night!) We struck up a conversation and have stayed in touch ever since. I had no idea our conversations would connect into her public relations world, but was pleasantly surprised when she approached me with an observation she had. 

Hard Riders - Women Who Take the Reins by Jill Baker Jill Maria Remedio riding Major Highway
Photo by Nikki Sherman used with permission.
One is a writer. One is a professional jockey. Yet both women are connected by the power of the horse – a metaphor appropriate for anyone trying to place or excel in their career.This post results from a random convergence of events – a pleasantly unexpected realization that there are parallels worth sharing.A few weeks ago, I was talking with an author whose politically-charged thrillers are built around an equestrian theme. A few days later, I interviewed a female jockey to be profiled in the upcoming Women in Sports video series, selected by Indiewire as a favorite pick.  These strong women compete and succeed in traditionally male-dominated fields. They possess the confidence, assertiveness, and drive needed to win, yet both share a sense of compassion that plays out in their personal lives. This balance is perhaps not too different from the horse itself – strong and commanding on one hand but gentle and sensitive on the other.STARTING YOUNGConnie Johnson Hambley, lawyer-turned-thriller-author of The Charity andThe Troubles, “grew up around horses and was riding before I could walk.” The arsonist’s fire that engulfed her family’s dairy farm left a lasting impression. She uses that drama to weave richly-layered plots in a niche usually dominated by male writers. Hambley knows the fortitude it takes to hold her own on the field and in a room full of tough-talking word makers. She describes this attribute as “grit” which she defines as “somewhere between discipline and resilience.”Maria Remedio holds nearly 500 horse racing wins and in 2013 was the third leading female rider in the country with 93 wins. She grew up on a farm in North Delaware, surrounded by horse breeders and handlers. She began “doing stalls before I ever got on their back.” At fifteen, her stepdad put her on a horse and advised her to keep her goggles on “so they won’t know you’re a girl.” She experimented with Western riding but moved to English, preferring the rigors of racing to the elegance of dressage. “Instead of friends, I had responsibility,” Remedio recalls. By seventeen, she had secured her jockey’s license and was granted an apprenticeship. Her edge over male counterparts: being ten pounds lighter to start.NO REST FOR THE WEARYRemedio’s day typically begins at 6:45 a.m. when she’s at the track, going from stable to stable to see who might need help that day. (Talk about call-back interviewing and change management!) Remedio notes that she recently raced at Parx in Philadelphia on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday; Aqueduct in New York on Wednesday and Saturday, and was in Florida in between. Somehow she manages to juggle this grueling schedule while being Mom to two young girls.Remedio fondly remembers winning aboard her mother’s horse, King Kobe, 4 weeks after giving birth to daughter Arabella; running second in New York aboard Siete de Oros in a grade 2 stake race for trainer Ramon Preciado (losing to Belmont Stakes performer Vyjack); and setting a track record on the turf on a filly named Darling Sky for Butch Reid this year.Lest you think a writer gets to sit and write all day, Hambley’s agenda bounces between book signings in New York, fundraisers in Boston , and frequent community events. She’s a panelist with the Sisters in Crime, speaks on publishing and marketing to authors throughout New England, and recently participated in the Mystery Writers Gala at New England Mobile Book Fair.PERSISTENCE

So what does it take to succeed?Hambley likens writing to riding. “It takes the same game-on mentality as it does to race,” she says. “Sure you need technical ability, but you also need the wherewithal to hang in there. You can’t shy away. You can’t quit.” Of riding she says, “Yes, you need physical strength, but male muscle mass is not going to win. You have to have a connection with the horse and be highly intuitive” – qualities that also apply to understanding one’s readers.Hambley's characters have secrets and are embroiled in the Irish resistance. “I’ve had to make narrative decisions that are not feminine, not nice,” she says. She conveys loud and clear that women who write thrillers can’t be wimps.Remedio says something similar. She credits good horses and good luck – meaning an opportunity to shine -- with her success, but like Hambley, acknowledges, “Every day I have to prove myself. I constantly need to convince owners and trainers why they should ride me. I have to battle against other jockeys to get the job, and then battle them on the track. It’s mentally and physically demanding.” And much like a bad book review, "I get blamed if the horse doesn’t win."HORSE WHISPERERSInterestingly, both women – while extremely competitive in their professions -- parlay their skills and love of horses for the greater good.Hambley volunteers at Windrush Farm, a therapeutic riding stable for people with disabilities. She has also given her time as a horse handler to a program that helps Veterans overcome PTSD and to another group that empowers women rescued from human trafficking.Remedio is involved with Turning For Home, a nonprofit organization that gives retired racehorses a meaningful life. Since its founding in 2008 by the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, they have provided more than 1,000 racehorses with a safe retirement.What makes horses so inspiring? “There’s a huge brain behind those big brown eyes,” Hambley says, noting that much has been written about “the connection between horse and human.” At the risk of sounding trite, she allows that this connection is something on a spiritual level.What advice does Remedio have for young women hoping to hold the reins? “Be as tough as the men. Never give up. Remember that we are just as strong but also have a softer side. That’s an advantage. Use it.”Shantel Rizzotto, a role model in her own right, will tap these tangible and intangible traits to reveal “What It Takes” in her Women In Sports documentaries. You can preview some clips here.
BIO:

Jill Baker is a media marketer who has worked in newspaper, magazine, and digital publishing industries. She has blogged for Technorati, Bizo's Digital Marketing Remix, and LinkedIn Pulse where this post originally appeared. Jill is currently in the process of bringing her first book to market.





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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Special thanks to Chris Forbes from Parx for facilitating this post and for spotlighting The Female On The Horse... and to Nikki Sherman for permission to use her racing photo of Maria Remedio on Major Highway.

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Published on February 04, 2016 21:00

February 3, 2016

WRITE NOW INTERVIEW: DATES AND CHANNELS

WRITE NOW With Gayle C. Heney 

I was very pleased to be invited as guest on a community TV show dedicated to the written arts. The host,Gayle C. Heney is an author, poet and former two term Poet Laureate of North Andover. Her program,  Write Now  showcases authors who have successfully published a book in today’s rapidly changing publishing environment with the goal of encouraging viewers to write. She has been producing Write Now for over 10 years. 
The episode of Write Now featuring  The Troubles  will air in February 2016 for the following towns at the times listed: 
North Andover, MA on Comcast channel 22 and Verizon channel 24 on Fridays @ 11 am, and 1:30 am, Tuesdays @ 8 pm and Sat. @ 8 pm
Andover, MA on Comcast channel 8 and Verizon channel 47 on Tuesdays @ 10 am and Mondays @ 8 pm, and in
Methuen, MA on Comcast channel 22 and Verizon channel 33 on Tuesdays @ 8:30 pm and Wed. @ 9:30 am.
Not in these markets and want to see it? Click here!
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Published on February 03, 2016 05:11

February 2, 2016

SIX POINTS TO GIVING A GREAT AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Connie Johnson Hambley at WPWL New York Public RadioBeing invited to give an interview is a great acknowledgment of your book gaining attention. Interviews are a terrific platform for expanding your audience and reaching new readers. Most likely, the interview will be recorded in one session and broadcast unedited. Your shabby appearance or stumbled-over answers will live on in YouTube afterlife forever. You have one shot to get it right. 

1. Be Prepared
I know. Duh. The obvious starting point here is to be prepared by making sure you know who you're talking to (by reviewing their website and bio) and to ask for sample questions. Reviewing past interviews is helpful. 
The less obvious point is to make sure your interviewer is prepared
Providing a bio and book blurb is not enough. Will your host have read your book? If not, offer to provide a detailed synopsis or your own questions. The better prepared your interviewer is, the better interview he or she will conduct. 
2. Be Fresh
You may have lived with your book for the past two years while researching and writing it, and maybe you've done a dozen book clubs and more speaker panels than you can count. A good interviewer will find a new angle into the meat of your story, but most often, the enthusiasm and "Oh, wow!" energy must come from you. If you're bored talking about your book, how do you think the viewers and listeners are going to feel?
3. Be In Command
This does not mean commandeering the interview and being an overbearing jerk. Own the interview by making sure each question is an opportunity to get your message across. I once did an interview where the host clearly had not read my book. Her canned questions focused on the relationship between two characters in such a way my thriller started to sound like tawdry romantic suspense novel. Without being dismissive of her questions, I used them as a foundation to get my message across that relationships within a terrorist network are complicated for a multitude of reasons and jumping in the sack is usually not the first thing on people's minds -- regardless of how hot they are.
4. Be Gracious
A little mutual love goes a long way. Remember, this is your interviewer's moment, too. A thoughtful pause followed by, "I'm so glad you asked me that" creates a warm atmosphere in the interview that carries over to readers and viewers.
5. Be on Point
Author interviews are just that - an interview of an author. Most often, insights into your writing process from the spark of the plot idea through manuscript completion is what your host wants to hear about, not just a play-by-play of what happens in your book or who the quirky characters are. 
Interviews inevitably ask the author to read a short section of the book so the audience can get a sense of writing style and voice. Choosing a passage to read that helps crystallize the message you are trying to impart is essential. My brand of writing is creating whip-smart and tightly-paced stories around real historical facts. The passage in The Troubles I like to read shows how I set up the entire fictional plot on the bones of fact. Staying on point and not wandering off keeps the host, and therefore the audience, engaged.
6. Be Beautiful
If you're recording only voice, be relaxed, put the cat in the other room, and turn off your phone! (I inadvertently turned ON my desktop phone when I thought I had turned it off. The result can be heard about ten minutes into my interview here. Ugh. Lesson learned.)
If you're doing Skype or in a studio, take time to pull yourself together. For Skype or Google Hangouts, set the camera above eye level so you have to look up. Make sure your background is not distracting and you have LOTS of great, indirect lighting. 
Remember, interviews are a fantastic marketing tool. Use each opportunity to present yourself and your book in the best possible light.



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Published on February 02, 2016 12:57

January 28, 2016

Stronger Than You Know by Adair Rowland

I met Adair Rowland at a networking event for writers. We quickly discovered connected dots in schooling, places lived, and a similar bent for uncovering the story behind the stories we'd been told.
Adair was a feature writer, editor and columnist when, some years ago, she found herself the subject of media coverage, the victim of an attempted homicide. When I invited her to this forum on what it means to be a strong woman, she wanted to address how that changes over time...that it's equal parts being a fighter and not being a quitter.
Stronger Than You Know by Adair Rowland  My gym is full of strength training equipment, but I opt for the cardio machines...and the sauna.  I know about the muscle groups and would benefit from exercising them, but the measure of my strength seems entirely circumstantial.I've been in some tight spots, had more than a few close shaves (a masculine metaphor) and have been assessed as acquitting myself well. I've been called strong but don’t take much pride in that. Isn’t it the  luck of the genes, one’s predisposition for fight vs. flight?  Okay, I was proud of myself that I fought off a home-invader, bloodied him as he bloodied me, and the same with a long ago mugging in NYC. In both cases I not only fought back but also saw the incidents through to trials and convictions. So, yes, I do well in crisis and even the protocol of follow through, when there is one. But for most of the slings and arrows of our misfortunes, there is no follow-up.  Strength is not only circumstantial but conditional.  I’ve been a powerhouse at work and a basket case with unemployment; a fierce ally to my friends and a bewildered wreck to my partners.  The tension between one’s super power and the opportunity to use it is the stuff of drama.  How the X-Men and Women live off duty is not.  The mainstay of entertainment is vicarious adrenaline -- our prevailing over  imaginary exploits. Real strength seems like such a downgrade -- to be able to find meaning enough in the day-to-day.Gender expectations are that men should show their strength, and women should be it. Musculature is handsome and powerful. Endurance is necessary and tedious. Feminine attributes may be the soul of sustainability, but we look to the male action figure to keep things interesting. Society can’t handle the duality of our masculine and feminine sides, so it keeps us segregated. Our strength has two rest rooms.Women have a proven higher tolerance for pain, but it doesn’t show up in the rankings. It’s called “doing what has to be done.” In childbirth or work stress, disease or divorce, women demonstrate how much they can stand by how long they stay standing. We’re found wanting if or when we fall. Even women who can own up to their core strength won’t go so far as to call it power.I am the child of a power couple.  My mother was a spitfire, proud, smart and successful. My dad was more understated but every bit as accomplished. Dad was the reliable heat to Mom's bright flame.  Perhaps their 10-year age difference helped my father not be intimidated by his wife's strength, nor to lose faith when she revealed her vulnerability.  My takeaway was that strength is a two-fold quality, spark and ember, fire and fuel.

It’s always been clear I had both energies in me and that they’re at cross purposes most of the time. I rise to challenge and feel flat when there isn't one. I run on the treadmill at the gym, trying to find strength in routine, one foot in front of another, keeping pace.  I feel older, slower than the crowd, but when push comes to shove, I have strength in reserve.
BIO:




Adair Rowland lives and writes in Amesbury, MA. She is working on a novel and "employing her strengths" in the business of marketing, promotion and effective communication. 
She can be reached at adairar (at) gmail (dot) com
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FRIDAY FEATURES is a steady presence on Out of the Fog where I explore the concept of "strong women." Who are they? What makes them strong? How do we see them in writing and/or in business? If you're an author, what is their place in the world of thrillers of mysteries? If you're in business, how is the working environment impacted by the presence of a "strong woman" and how are they seen as leaders and team members? If you're an emerging strong woman, tell us about your journey. Have other questions you find compelling? Ask away and I'll post the answers here. 

If you have something to say about the topic of 
strong women, contact me on Twitter: 
@conniehambley.

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Published on January 28, 2016 21:00