S.M. Stevens's Blog, page 20
March 12, 2020
Don't Let the Trauma Define You
At some point in life, some people stop being self-conscious talking about themselves and speak more publicly in hopes of helping others. I have reached that point.
I realized this after recording an interview for Darlene Corbett’s wonderful podcast, Tap Into the Power of U. One reason I chose PR as my initial career was that it let me stay behind the scenes, putting others out front and helping them look good.
Darlene’s message, on the other hand, is all about putting yourself out there, as the description of her podcast says: “Women and Men 40+, are you stuck? This lively podcast will help you Tap Into The Power of YOU, get UnStuck and then Stop Depriving The World of You.”
Darlene is a therapist, motivational speaker and success coach, and I’ve decided she is really good at what she does, because she got me talking freely about my life and what I’ve learned, and embracing the idea that my words might help others. Now I wrote Horseshoes and Hand Grenades specifically to help victims of “less severe” sexual abuse and harassment acknowledge that their experiences matter. But that doesn’t mean I saw myself as a mentor of any kind.
So the interview with Darlene, Tenacious Author: S.M. Stevens, was an eye-opener. More important, maybe it will help someone. Here’s an excerpt from the podcast that might be helpful to women struggling with the fall-out from being sexually abused or harassed. I know the situation is waayyyyy more complicated than this suggests and healing can’t be achieved with a few lines of advice. But it’s an important sentiment that may hit a chord with some victims.
Darlene Corbett: I’ve had clients over the years who have dealt with this heinous crime, and they can overcome it and live a successful life.
S.M. Stevens: I don’t think people should push these things away. You have to deal with them. Even if it didn’t seem severe, it may have affected you. But at the same time, we are so much more than our traumas. We do move on and we are a lot more than these incidents.
Darlene Corbett: This is a piece of your life. It’s not all of your life. It’s a piece of who you are and it defined you maybe at that time, but it doesn’t have to define you your whole life. These things have to be dealt with. Eventually what’s going to lift them is to take those strengths that helped them get through it in the first place, and develop themselves in ways they may not even realize they could do.
I encourage you to listen to the podcast if you need a prod in a new direction, a shift in your life. This applies whether you are a sexual crime victim or not. And please post a comment below or contact me directly to let me know if the podcast helped you in any way.
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March 6, 2020
Fun Photo Friday: Solarbathing
My “day job” is keeping me hopping lately, so I’m a bit behind on blogging. I do love my day job though, and not just because it pays the bills! My solar marketing work gives me the satisfaction of helping save the world, one solar panel at a time.
So I turn to solar energy for today’s Fun Friday Photo. The sun is good for a lot more than sunbathing.
I’d like to see every building on the planet “bathed” in non-polluting solar panels. And I’d like to see every person worship the solar panel like this sun-worshipping sunbather.
(I created this image when I worked for New England Clean Energy, and re-use it here with their blessing I hope. If you’re in Massachusetts, Rhode Island or New Hampshire and seeking solar for your home or business, give them a call!)
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February 25, 2020
Paying Homage to Book Review Bloggers
Book-lovers, you’re gonna like this post! Read on or skip to the end to find online book reviewers who can introduce you to books in your favorite genres.
When you’re a relatively unknown author, getting attention for your novel is difficult and/or expensive. That’s why I’m so grateful to the online community of book review bloggers who spend so much of their valuable time sharing their love of books and authors with their readers, and who have helped bring attention to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades since it was published almost five months ago.
I’ve posted before about how the global community of book bloggers is changing the publishing industry, one review at a time, so I won’t repeat my gushing tribute here.
But I do want to recognize those bloggers who have helped promote Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. If you’re an avid reader, check out the ones on the list below that specialize in your preferred genre, and consider subscribing to their blogs or following them on social media. You’ll find their social handles on their blogs in many cases. And you’re sure to learn about a great new book or two or ten!
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This diverse group of bloggers hails from around the globe including the U.S., England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, New Zealand and Australia. They review everything from literary to commercial, New Adult to Women’s Fiction, crime to romance. Virtually all publish book reviews and most also publish some combination of guest posts, author interviews, novel excerpts/extracts, cover reveals, and Release Day promotions.
I was astounded at the length of this list when I finished compiling it, to be honest! Many of these bloggers participated in the recent Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Blog Tour, but I’d lost track of how many others have supported my #MeToo coming-of-age novel prior to that. The length only increased my gratitude to the community of book review bloggers. If I’ve missed anyone who would like to be listed, just contact me. I’ll be updating this as new reviews come in. And thanks to the many bloggers who graciously re-tweet and share their colleagues’ content on social media.
I am listing each blogger’s preferred genres per their review policies. Note that some are strict and some are flexible about their genres; some prefer sub-genres not listed here. If genres aren’t listed, you can get the gist of what they review with a quick look at their most recent reviews. You can find more detailed info in many cases on their blogs.
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The following genre abbreviations are used in this chart: CL=Chick Lit, CF=Contemporary Fiction, CR=Crime, F=Fantasy, G=General Fiction, H=Historical Fiction, L=Literary, M=Mystery & Thriller, MG=Middle Grade, NA=New Adult, NF=Nonfiction, P=Poetry, R=Romance, SF=Science Fiction, WF=Women’s Fiction, YA=Young Adult.
BOOK REVIEW BLOG
MAIN GENRES REVIEWED
L, CR & thrillers, CF, R
G, NF, P, YA
(none given)
NA, YA
CR, F, G, H, M, WF, YA
(none given)
CF, H, M
(none given)
(none given)
CL, H, WF
(none given)
CL, CR, M, NF, R
(none given)
CR, M, R
(none given)
CF, R
CL, H, WF
CL, F, G, M, WF
F, M, MG, R, SF, WF, YA
M, SF, YA
CR
F, R, WF, YA
F, H, R, YA
F, H, NF, R, SF, WF
(none given)
GEN, H, L, P
(none given)
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February 21, 2020
Fun Photo Friday: Frozen Bubbles
My friend Wendy Wheeler posted this cool photo of a frozen bubble just chillin’ on its wand, on her Facebook page. I immediately knew it would be the featured image for my next Fun Photo Friday post.
Who knew bubbles froze? Probably lots of people, from scientists to teachers to the naturally curious. But it was news to me!
So I went looking for other frozen bubble images. Much of what I found looked too staged or modified for my taste. But these two sites have some more realistic-looking photos; plus, if you want to make your own bubbles, they have instructions:
Popular Science Incredible Science
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February 18, 2020
HAHG Review: Jackie’s Reading Corner
Back on December 24th, I received an early Christmas present: a 4-star review of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades on book review blog Jackie’s Reading Corner. Now, I share it with you. If it encourages you to learn more, please check out more reviews on my Reviews page, or read reviews and order the novel on Amazon.
Here’s how Jackie summarized my New Adult / Women’s Fiction / Contemporary novel (paraphrased a tad):
“Astrid and Shelby along with a good friend Tina gain strength, support each other, and help each other to realize that these actions are not trivial, they are real, they should not have happened, and they shouldn’t be hidden.
“This is about women finding the strength, being empowered and not letting their abuse define them, because that’s not who they are.
“I loved the characters in this book, as they are relatable and likable, and you really want them to come out on top. It was good to see the women bonding and finding the strength with each other.
“The writer shows the effects of abuse on the women well.”
#HAHG #AlmostCounts
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The post HAHG Review: Jackie’s Reading Corner appeared first on S.M. Stevens.
HAHG Review: Jackie's Reading Corner
Back on December 24th, I received an early Christmas present: a 4-star review of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades on book review blog Jackie’s Reading Corner. Now, I share it with you. If it encourages you to learn more, please check out more reviews on my Reviews page, or read reviews and order the novel on Amazon.
Here’s how Jackie summarized my New Adult / Women’s Fiction / Contemporary novel (paraphrased a tad):
“Astrid and Shelby along with a good friend Tina gain strength, support each other, and help each other to realize that these actions are not trivial, they are real, they should not have happened, and they shouldn’t be hidden.
“This is about women finding the strength, being empowered and not letting their abuse define them, because that’s not who they are.
“I loved the characters in this book, as they are relatable and likable, and you really want them to come out on top. It was good to see the women bonding and finding the strength with each other.
“The writer shows the effects of abuse on the women well.”
#HAHG #AlmostCounts
[image error]
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February 14, 2020
Happy Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day and my #MeToo novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades may not seem like they go together. But the story does have a lot of romance and, even better, characters that learn to love themselves.
Plus, a book lasts longer than flowers and is less filling than chocolates. 
Happy Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day and my #MeToo novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades may not seem like they go together. But the story does have a lot of romance and, even better, characters that learn to love themselves.
Plus, a book lasts longer than flowers and is less filling than chocolates.
Fun Photo Friday: Bus Bees
The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands has covered the tops of 316 bus stop shelters with plants to attract honeybees. I wonder if the bees that swing by will buss instead of buzz….
Meanwhile, if you’re sensing a bee theme to my recent blog posts, you’re spot on. Last week’s Fun Photo Friday featured bumblebee butts. And if that intrigues you, check it out here.
See the bee bus stop video on The Independent‘s website here. The photo with this post is also from The Independent.
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February 12, 2020
Book Giveaway Winners
Congrats to the winners of the Horseshoes and Hand Grenades giveaway contest on Book Briefs — Dana S. and Cassandra D.!
They’ll soon be holding their own copies of my New Adult #MeToo book, displayed in this photo by my own Vanna White imposter. 
