Linda Joyce's Blog, page 8

FanTasTic February Giveaways! continue…

Hey there!

We’re working our way down to Valentine’s Day and the BIG GIVEAWAY of 10 ebooks from Amazon of Bayou Bound.

There have been many spontaneous gifts already. The last one will come tomorrow.

Any winners who have not sent me their mailing address by the end of the day tomorrow, their prize will go back into the pot and I’ll give it away on Friday with the eBooks.

AND there’s good news!

Bayou Born, book one of the Fleur de Lis series will be on sale on Friday through the end of the month for 99¢. Yep, for the fabulous sale price of only 99¢!

Here’s the Gifts GIVEAWAY thus far:

Tab Benoit CD

verso Clip Light for e-readers

Robin-Egg Blue Pashmina

Mardi Gras Cup Cozy by A Little Something Extra Esty Shop

Fleur de Lis pin and $5.00 Starbucks gift card

Fleur de Lis pin and gold embossed pineapple Note Cards

So scroll down to the first Fantastic February Giveaways post and leave a comment there. You could be the winner of tomorrow’s spontaneous gift AND a winner on Friday of one of the 10 eBooks of Bayou Bound.

Happy Reading!

A Risk Worth Taking

Hey there!

A wonderful writer with The Wild Rose Press, Melissa Klein, has a debut novel, A Risk Worth Taking.



The thing that makes writers so quirky is that while we’re walking around looking quite normal, more often than not chattering voices in our heads demand attention, even when we’re not parked in front of a computer. It happens when we’re in the shower, or at the grocery store, or while we’re watching TV. Those voices have no qualms about waking us up in the middle of the night. My husband will sometimes ask me when we’re in the middle of a conversation, “Where have you gone?” A character from a story has momentarily lured me away.

So, I thought it would fun if you could hear directly from a character. Melissa is introducing Grant Davis from A Risk Worth Taking:

Where are you from?

Grant: I grew up in Magnolia Springs, Georgia, a small town north east of Atlanta.

1. What is A Risk Worth Taking about?

Grant: Abby and my story is pretty much what the title implies, that loving someone is a risk, but one that’s worth taking when you find the right person. Abby has had some bad experiences with men who weren’t honest with her and that made her understandably cautious. In the end, she figured out our love was worth the risk. (Grant grins) I make it my mission every day to keep her happy since she took a risk on me.

2. What did you think the first time you saw Abby?

Grant: I was acting as father of the bride to my sister, Katie, so it was one of my jobs to dance with the groom’s mom. I headed over to her table, not really thinking about much of anything other than trying not making a fool of myself on the dance floor. She looked up at me when I asked her to dance, and I was a goner. Those gorgeous eyes of hers, they’re this whiskey color that I’ve never seen on another person. Well, she knocked me for a loop. (he laughs) Not literally, that came later.

3. What was your second thought?

Grant: My second came quick. I wanted to ask her out, but I was worried that it might be weird since we were technically relatives after her son had married my sister. I got over that worry quickly, figuring the worst she could do was say no, which she did when I asked her later on. That didn’t deter me either. I’m persistent like that. I knew she was feeling the attraction same as me. I had to keep at it till I wore her down with my charm. (he smiles)

4. Did you think it was love at first sight?

Grant: (shakes his head) Attraction yes, but not love, not the real kind that we have for each other now. That kind of love takes time to grow.

5. What do you like most about the Abby?

Grant: (pauses, tapping a finger to his lips as though he’s counting off a long list) I’d have to say what I love most about my special lady is the way she accepts people like they are. She doesn’t try to fit a person into some type of mold or change who they are. For example, I like nothing better than taking my motorcycle on some of those gnarled, curvy roads in the mountains of north Georgia, and that’s not her thing. Instead of trying to get me to stop, she sends me off with a kiss. (His smile broadens into another megawatt grin.) There are some other really nice things I like about her but that’s between the two of us.

6. How would you describe her?

Grant: Physically, she’s the ultimate to me. She’s got this gorgeous curly blond hair that I love to run my fingers through. And she has curves in all the right places. I’ve already mentioned her eyes, how beautiful they are. Emotionally, she might take a minute to warm up to a person, but when she decides she likes you she’s the most loyal friend you’d ever want.

7. How would she describe you?

Grant: (chuckles) Hardheaded, workaholic, risk taker. But I’m her hardheaded, workaholic, risk taker and she loves me like that.

8. What made you choose aviation as a career?

Grant: I didn’t choose the flyboy life, the flyboy life chose me. My first memory as a kid was sitting in the cockpit of one of my dad’s cargo planes while he worked on the engine. I’ve never even considered doing anything but flying planes.

9. What is your biggest fear?

Grant: Like everyone else, I worry about losing the ones I love. But the thing that keeps me up at night is worrying about my daughter, Grace. She has autism and may never be able to live without someone’s help. Right now that’s not a problem, because she’s got so many adults in her life who love her. I worry about what will happen when we’re not around. Abby tells me not to borrow trouble, that we have no way of knowing what Grace may be able to do when she’s older. She’s come a long way just in the past year since she’s started in the special needs preschool where Abby teaches. And of course I’ve set up a trust fund so that her financial needs are taken care of. I just don’t want her to be alone in the world. I’m trying to do like Abby says and trust that things will turn out good for her.

10. How do you relax?

Grant: (barking out a laugh) Relaxing is for old people. Abby bought me a hammock for my birthday this year and I’ve lain in it once. Being idle gives me the scratch. I like to take my motorcycle out, like I said. It’s especially great now that my best buddy is back stateside. Brian and I have more fun on the bikes than two forty-year-old men ought.

11. Who is your favorite fictional character and why?

Grant: James Bond. Growing up I watched all the movies. Over and over again. I wanted to be a spy so bad I could taste it. I like the way Bond could get himself out of a situation, and he was smooth with the ladies.(rolls his eyes) I have some unfortunate examples of my teenaged-self trying out some of Bond’s suave moves on girls.

12. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

Grant: (shifts in his seat) Well, the best piece of advice I got came from an unlikely source, my ex-wife Heather. She’s the one who gave me the kick in the pants I needed when I thought I’d lost Abby. Heather said I shouldn’t let Abby leave for her job in London without first hearing how I felt about her.

Here’s a chance to get to know Melissa:

Melissa Klein

A Risk Worth Taking was released on Amazon in October with the world wide release coming February 21st.

She’s working through the first round of edits on her next book, Her Hometown Hero, which won the Maggie Award from Georgia Romance Writers.

Melissa’s Favorite passage from the book: Grant’s eyes darkened to midnight. “I want to take care of you.”

Abby couldn’t miss the determination in his voice, or the glare that had turned her smiling Sex-On-Legs into a scowling warrior. She swallowed hard. So much for taking things slow or letting her have her space. This was a full scale invasion. “I take care of myself,” she responded then reached up to run her fingers through his hair to take the sting out of her words.

Interesting facts:

• Inspiration for A Risk Worth Taking came to the author while helping to plan her son’s wedding.

• Parents of the author’s favorite student inspired her to write about a hero caring for his daughter with special needs.

Facts about the book:

• While writing A Risk Worth Taking, the author made two cross country moves.

• Grant and Abby, the hero and heroine, grew up in the same small north Georgia town but didn’t meet until her son married his sister.

• The hero, Grant, participates in a dozen sports including skydiving and motorcycle racing, yet can’t move his feet in time to music.

• The heroine, Abby, won a ballet scholarship to Julliard, but gave it up when she became a single mom at nineteen.

Tag line: The groom’s mom is supposed to show up, shut up, and wear beige—so why’s Abby kissing the bride’s brother?

Hook: With Abby’s fears of repeating past mistakes and a deadline to accept a job in London looming, can Grant convince her to take a risk on their love?

Dialogue: Abby suppressed a laugh. “I haven’t had a date in two years. My son’s

To learn more about Melissa Klein and the stories she creates go to: www.MelissaKleinRomance.com

To purchase A Risk Worth Taking , go to Amazon http://amzn.com/B00G8J9SIW

Facebook: Facebook.com/Melissa.Klein.Romance

Twitter @klein_klein344

Goodreads author page: www.goodreads.com/author/list/7393005.Melissa_Klein

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/460000549411394975/

I hope you enjoyed meeting Grant Davis and author, Melissa Klein.

Happy Reading!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

FanTasTic February Giveaways!

Please Share This Post.

The first month of 2014 is behind us.

Some of us have already fallen down on our resolutions.

Tax season is staring us in the face.

Old Man Winter has blanketed much of the world with record setting weather: subzero temperatures, ice storms, and unprecedented heat waves.

Biloxi, Mississippi

However, it’s always nice and warm on the bayou, which is where I am for a few days.

Join me. Go Bayou Bound!

Bayou Bound is book two in my Fleur de Lis series. It opens with Biloxi Dutrey missing Twelfth Night festivities because of…weather. Twelfth Night is exactly twelve nights after Christmas on January 6th and heralds in the start of the Carnival Season, which ramps up until Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Twelfth Night is a static date, though the day of the week might change, while the date of Mardi Gras changes each year. We look to the stars to determine when we will “Les le bon temps rouler!”

Here are the calculations:

Determine Easter in any given year. It’s always the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox.

Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter.

Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Thus Carnival Season in some years lasts longer than in other years, but again, it always begins on Twelfth Night.

Here’s peek into what’s going on in Bayou Bound:

Bayou Bound

Biloxi Dutrey grounds her jet-setting photography career and returns to Mississippi when she learns her family home, Fleur De Lis, is headed for financial ruin. She plans to save it by scooping up the job of Keeper. But that means breaking tradition, and her family isn’t cooperating.

Veterinarian Nick Trahan is new in town and wants folks to stop matchmaking. He won’t settle for just a pretty face. He wants the perfect woman, one who believes in family and commitment—the exact opposite of his parents.

Nick rescues Biloxi during a raging storm, but the squall is tame compared to the tempest between them. Soon they experience the backlash from the long-standing feud between their families. If Biloxi surrenders her dreams for Fleur de Lis and toes the line with tradition, will she also be forced to give up on “forever love” due to the hate their families still harbor?

If you can’t wait for the giveaway, you can find Bayou Bound at Amazon.

This GIVEAWAY is simple. It begins today, February 1st and runs until February 14th.



Leave a comment (and you email address—this is very important if you’re a Giveaway Winner, it’s how I will contact you) between now and Valentine’s Day, and you’ll be entered to win an eBook of Bayou Bound from Amazon. There will be 10 Winners!

Contained within your PG-rated comment, feel free to ask a question about Twelfth Night, Mardi Gras, or other curiosity you may have about the south. Or share a southern experience you’ve had.

Now for lagniappe (a little some extra for free) which is a custom in Louisiana, during the two week period, I will be popping in and leaving comments and giving away SWAG. What sorts of things? Check out my author page, Linda Joyce, Author on Facebook to see the item of the day. There will be jewelry, Mardi Gras beads, and other cool things!

Happy Reading!

Les le bon temps rouler!”

Linda Joyce

Patience…and the Bayou comes to You!

It’s finally here! Bayou Bound.

I’ve been waiting for this day for many months!

I’m thrilled to share my fabulous news with you. I can’t wait for you to meet Biloxi and Nick.

News about Bayou Bound: BAYOU BOUND received First Place in Romance from the Southeastern Writers Association in 2011

“A raging storm has nothing on the steamy and fierce passion of Nick and Biloxi. Linda Joyce is the new author to watch!”

~Kathy L Wheeler, author of The Color of Betrayal

Bayou Bound is now at Amazon for the Kindle. Click Here

The “world-wide” release will take place on May 28th. Other outlets will have it available like kobo, Bookstrand, All Romance eBooks, Barnes and Noble, and eBook.

Bayou Bound

Biloxi Dutrey grounds her jet-setting photography career and returns to Mississippi when she learns her family home, Fleur De Lis, is headed for financial ruin. She plans to save it by scooping up the job of Keeper. But that means breaking tradition, and her family isn’t cooperating.

Veterinarian Nick Trahan is new in town and wants folks to stop matchmaking. He won’t settle for just a pretty face. He wants the perfect woman, one who believes in family and commitment—the exact opposite of his parents.

Nick rescues Biloxi during a raging storm, but the squall is tame compared to the tempest between them. Soon they experience the backlash from the long-standing feud between their families. If Biloxi surrenders her dreams for Fleur de Lis and toes the line with tradition, will she also be forced to give up on “forever love” due to the hate their families still harbor?

Please share the good news!

I’m jazzed about this book release! It fits perfectly in time. The story begins with Biloxi heading home to Fleur de Lis in Bayou Petite, Mississippi, but she misses Twelfth Night, which would’ve been our Monday, January 6th. The book continues with a Valentine Auction, and then a Valentine Ball, which will soon be upon us.

In honor of the upcoming February celebration of love, I’m doing a GIVEAWAY. Please share the news!

Starting February 1st and running until February 14th, if you leave a comment here at my blog with this post you’ll be entered to win an eBook of Bayou Bound. On Valentine’s Day, I will give away 10 copies. Be sure to leave your email address so I know where to send it. And check back to see if your name is on the winners list.

Happy Reading!

Linda Joyce

Where, oh where have I been?

Les le bon ton rouler!

Let the good times roll!

Hey there! How’s your new year going?

No, I haven’t completely disappeared, but dealing with needs of aging parents requires time and focus. Sadly, I was sick in bed on Twelfth Night and didn’t get to celebrate.(Well, truthfully, I spent a week in bed. Yep, I was that sick.)

I bounced back nicely, thank you. Want to know what helped boost my spirits? Check out my Facebook author page Linda Joyce Author you’ll see the fabulous King Cake that Melissa Klein, author of A Risk Worth Taking, gave me. It made my week!

What is Twelfth Night you ask?

It is exactly twelve nights after Christmas and heralds in Carnival Season, which runs until Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.

If you go through my blog archives, starting in October 2012 and running through February 2013, I have many posts about the sounds, tastes and events of Carnival. Musical selections from Tab Benoit, Dr. John, Jon Boutte and others. I shared the inside scoop on krewes and all sorts of mystical things.

In the meantime, here are some links of media coverage for the 2014 Twelfth Night celebrations:

Washington Post

Bloomberg Business Week

CBS News

And please stay tuned! Yes, I’m still waiting on the release date for Bayou Bound. I’m hoping (fingers crosses so tight!) the date will be soon. The story opens right after Twelfth Night with Biloxi Dutrey headed home. She’s on a serious mission, but Nick Trahan is causing all sorts of trouble.

In the meantime, a little Mardi Gras Romance is available to you for FREE! The July debut edition of Hidden Desires Romance magazine features my story Behind the Mask. Chalise is determined to win the Mardi Gras costume contest, she needs the money for her business, but Chaz, a rogue dressed as a pirate threatens to ruin everything, even make her walk the plank unless she removes her mask…the one covering her heart.

The February edition of Hidden Desires Romance magazine, available February 1st, will feature another story with Chalise and Chaz.

Les le bon ton rouler!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

Twitter: @LJWriter

Goodreads

Fresh Fiction

Pintrest

Amazon: Bayou Born

Start the Year by offering a Helping Hand

Happy New Year!

I hope you’re safe and warm as temperatures around the U.S. reach record lows. I’m hibernating with a cold and none too happy about it. However, the virtual world makes interactions safer during the cold and flu season, so that’s a good thing.

My Florida friend, Juli D. Revezzo is my guest today. She’s writing about something dear to her heart, something that touches almost all of us in some way, for example, my mother is recovering from lung cancer.

Juli has opened her heart and I hope she will touch yours.

I hope you will take a moment to Share this post with others.

Please welcome Juli:

How Cancer influenced a ghost’s tale

Cancer. The big C. Chances are, you’ve known someone in your circle that has had it or you know someone who knows someone who does. It’s something no one wants to think about. There are several strains of it researchers know quite a bit about—breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer—and many more that they don’t. Fibrolomellar type Hepatocellular carcinoma it’s called. Ever heard of it? No? I’m not surprised. It’s a rather rare form of liver cancer and only seems to affect young people and has a very high death rate. One in particular, my little brother, dealt with it for many years. He went through every damned form of chemotherapy the doctors had for him, and quite a few experimental ones. A few years ago, the cancer killed him. Yet before that day came he enjoyed all the usual pursuits for a young man. He was incredibly in love with the Lord of the Rings and roller coasters. Tried, for many years—unsuccessfully—to get me on one. One of his biggest loves was horror movies and the holidays—particularly Halloween. For a few years he even worked at a professional haunted attraction in our hometown. He loved the Ghost Hunters and shows of its ilk and wanted to go on some paranormal hunting gigs, but never got around to it.

The one thing I regret (other than the roller coaster thing. ) is that he never got to read my Antique Magic series. I think he would’ve loved (my heroine) Caitlin and her ghosts. Hence why I dedicate them to him. This year, I wanted to do something a little different than just toast his birthday, though. The Fibrolomellar Cancer Foundation is always in need of donations for funding research and so forth so with the release of the next book in the series—Drawing Down the Shades— for the next few days, I’d like to donate my Amazon royalties from the sale of the series, to the group. So if you’ve been thinking about the stories, eyeing them, wondering whether or not to give them a try, why not? The proceeds will go to the FCF and hopefully, do some good. While you, my friends, you will get some great stories to pass a winter’s night.

The series comprises three stories so far, with a fourth coming next summer, if all goes well. Wanna peek?

The Artist’s Inheritance (Antique Magic, book 1)

The balance between good and evil can be an art… or a curse.

Trevor and Caitlin were once happy newlyweds, profiting from Trevor’s art. Until Trevor inherits his brother’s house, and with it, his part of a family curse. Now, Caitlin will stop at nothing to save her beloved husband from insanity and suicide, even if it means she must embrace her destiny and become a witch.

Caitlin’s Book of Shadows (Antique Magic, book 1.5)

Though their fame became legend, a rumor cropped up about the Fulmer family: Something terrifying stalked Caitlin and her beloved Trevor. Something the bits and pieces she left claimed she had to make sense of. When the curator of their collection finds Caitlin’s long forgotten diary, she wonders will it tell the whole tale? Will it tell why Caitlin seemed so determined to tell the difference between reality and nightmare? Why she thought her world twisted? If she really became a witch?

Perhaps the answer lies between the lines of her story, one of lessons, struggles, and hopes for each new year.

What truths will her Book of Shadows reveal?

Drawing Down the Shades (Antique Magic, book 2)

Life is good at Starfort Collectibles until the owners, Caitlin and Trevor Fulmer, acquire a beautiful statuette with a murky past. Shortly thereafter, mysterious hauntings wreak havoc on the couple when a ghost in the attic threatens retribution. Caitlin presses her coven for help before the ghost succeeds in meting out deadly punishment—on Trevor.

The three books are available online at the following:

The Artist’s Inheritance:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Inherit...

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-a...

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...

and for the paperback: Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3976218

Caitlin’s Book of Shadows:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Caitlins-Book-S...

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caitl...

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Drawing Down the Shades

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Down-Sh...

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drawi...

And Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

I hope you enjoy them.

You can find out more about me at my homepage: http://julidrevezzo.com/

Blog: http://julidrevezzo.com/blog

Like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julidrevezzo

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111476709...

On Good Reads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Manic Readers: http://www.manicreaders.com/JuliDReve...

Pintrest: http://www.pinterest.com/jewelsraven/

Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/authors/a1002...

Storyfinds: http://storyfinds.com/author/5168/jul...

Tumblr: http://jdrevezzo.tumblr.com/

On twitter: @julidrevezzo

An Old Blue Christmas and A Gift for YOU!

Happy Holidays!

‘Tis the season to be jolly.

Fa la la la la

To celebrate the season of joy and giving, I joined the Long and Short Reviews Winter Blogfest that starts today and runs until December 27th.

I’m one of Santa’s elves- a quite jolly one at that, after all, Christmas Eve is my birthday.

I’m giving away a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card via email and an eBook copy of Bayou Born to one lucky person. How can you receive this gift?

Click on the link and discover how to get in on the joy of the holidays. I’m sharing a fictionalized story of Christmas magic in my past. At the end, you’ll discover the magic of receiving my gift.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/guest-blogs/winter-blogfest-linda-joyce/

I wish you joy and peace this holiday season, and good health all the year through.

Blessings,

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

Your Black Friday Buy List and Hurricanes

Friday with Friends

Greetings! Hope you had a heartwarming Thanksgiving.

I’m reminded that life works out just like it’s supposed to.

Today is Black Friday, but you already know that. It’s touted as being THE biggest shopping day of the year, and once you read further, you’ll want to add Hurricane Crimes by debut author, Chrys Fey to your shopping list.

What you might not know is that there’s a special significance to this date of November 29th. Today begins the closing of the door on the 2013 Hurricane Season. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, provides the parameters—June 1 and November 30. So on the eve of the end of the season, I’m pleased to introduce author Chrys Fey and her debut novel, Hurricane Crimes.

Chrys Fey: Being raised in Florida, I heard the word “hurricane” a lot, but as a child, I couldn’t grasp the concept of what a hurricane was, so I imagined it to be a monster that came down from the clouds like Zeus. I was older when I learned a hurricane can be quite brutal and those experiences made their way into my debut, Hurricane Crimes, a romantic-suspense that is now available on Amazon for Kindle!

In 2004, three hurricanes hit Florida in the space of four weeks: Charley, Frances, and Ivan. Charley was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but it was Hurricane Frances, which directly hit Central Florida three weeks later that impacted my city the most. Schools were closed for over a week due to flooding and wide-spread power outages.

I remember Frances’ visit vividly. In the pitch of the night, my family and I watched the transformer in our backyard rain sparks on the ground. We held our breaths captive in our lungs as the power flickered, threatening us with darkness. But all we could do was watch and wait. Then with a pop and a blast of yellowish-blue light, the transformer blew and all the power drained from the house. Several times I was awakened in the middle of the night to loud bangs, and each time I was glad to see the roof was still over my head. In the morning, Frances was gone and she left behind a lot of destruction. My neighbor’s sturdy fence was flat on the ground, half the roof over the front porch was missing, and the garage door was crumpled like a piece of aluminum foil.

For a week we went without power. I recall sitting on the couch after nightfall, reading a book by the light of a lantern while I munched on food from MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat). At night, I’d sleep on a mattress in the middle of the living room with the front door wide open open to catch the breeze because it was so hot.

Florida hasn’t seen a hurricane since 2005, but in Hurricane Crimes, a category 5 super storm takes a vacation over the Sunshine State and wrecks havoc during its stay.

My Three Hurricane Survival Tips:

1. Board up all the windows to your house.

2. Have a week’s supply of food, water, and batteries for flashlights.

3. Listen to a battery-operated radio for updates. You can hear news about damage, the hurricane’s location, and if there is a killer on the loose . . .

Book Links: After her car breaks down, Beth Kennedy is forced to stay in Florida, the target of Hurricane Sabrina. She stocks up supplies, boards up windows, and hunkers down to wait out the storm, but her plan unravels when she witnesses a car accident. Risking her life, she braves the winds to save the driver. Just when she believes they are safe, she finds out the man she saved could possibly be more dangerous than the severe weather.

Donovan Goldwyn only wanted to hide from the police, but the hurricane shoved his car into a tree. Now he’s trapped with a beautiful woman while the evidence that can prove his innocence to a brutal crime is out there for anyone to find.

As Hurricane Sabrina wreaks havoc, Beth has no other choice but to trust Donovan to stay alive. But will she survive, or will she become another hurricane crime?

Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVK921G/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18757793-hurricane-crimes

Author Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chrysfey

Blog: www.writewithfey.blogspot.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChrysFey

Google +: www.google.com/+ChrysFey

Here’s more info about Chrys: Chrys Fey is the author of the short stories—The Summer Bride and Fallen. She created the blog Write with Fey to offer aspiring writers advice and inspiration. She lives in Florida where she is ready to battle the next hurricane that comes her way.

Linda here: I invite you to share your Florida story. Some of you may know, I graduated from Seminole High School and the University of Florida, so I, too, have a Florida connection. What’s yours?



And, be sure to add Hurricane Crimes to your shopping list.

Happy Reading!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

Creativity takes courage ~ Henri Matisse

Friday with Friends.

In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve been invited into my inner circle.

Writers

Musicians

Artists

Small Business Owners offering services to improve your quality of life.

Each Friday, you are meeting someone who adds zest to my life.

This week, I am introducing Julia Speer, an artist. I’ve purchased several items of her work and given them as gifts; she makes art with love.

Please meet Julia!



My kind and generous friend, Linda, asked me months ago if I wanted to write a post for her blog. I was delighted. Although I must admit, I am having trouble seeing myself as a writer. My husband’s a writer. My sister is a writer.

…but me? (crickets chirping)

Did I mention I am writing a book?

Over dinner with my writer husband I expressed my embarrassment and anxiety around coming up with something for Linda’s blog and running out of time.

“I have the art show this weekend, and teaching full time every day, and so much other stuff going on. And besides, what am I going to write about?” to which he replied, “Why don’t you write about that? About wanting to do it all and all that goes with it. You can write 500 words about that.”

My eyes widened. “500 WORDS??! You mean I have to write 500 words???”

He grinned his knowing writer’s grin at me. “Yes, Baybee. A blog post is typically 500 words.” Shit. 500 words sounded like so much to me. How was I going to do that?

I wonder if all this internal doubt and struggle has anything to do with why I am so late in responding to Linda’s request. I don’t need my buddy Carl to figure that one out. What is also true is that there are so very many things I have my hands in right now. I am what I refer to as a Creative. I use that word because it is broad, and my creative energy expresses in a myriad of ways. I am a visual artist. My favorite medium is clay, but I also create jewelry.

I paint, I work in mixed media assemblage, and any other kind of visual art that calls me (and there are many). I am also a public school teacher full time. I teach elementary art in Cobb County, and work a second job with the county doing art club with the After School Program.

I also facilitate women’s Soul Work through sacred circle, workshops, and my most favorite; weekend retreats. On these retreats we explore the Wild Woman Archetype and the many contemporary issues for women of our time. Last but not least I am writing my first book! Holy Cow! All this uses much energy and focus. How, how, how do I choose? And more importantly, do I have to choose? Can’t I just do them all?

This is not a new question. Volumes are written about following your bliss and the money will come, etc. (sigh). The days where a person works a 9 to 5 job for thirty years are gone. Still… I don’t know. Giving up my “regular” job to do all those things I love and feel passionate about seems an awfully flimsy limb to be standing out on if you ask me. What about bills, and groceries, and house payments, and health care? How do I provide for and take good care of myself and my loved ones without ending up on my death bed saying, “I wish I had…”?



(Holy Shit. I just looked down at the bottom of this document. I’m already at 534 words. I’d better wrap this sucker up!)

Long story short, I’m not going to choose. My mom’s death last year, my dear girlfriend losing her battle with cancer, these remind me of a Mary Oliver quote:

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?”

I don’t have the answer to how to make it all work. I don’t have the answer to what is the best way to take care of myself financially. What I do know like I know like I know is this:

Life is worth living when I am living it. Actively. For me that means living my passion, or passions, as it were. So for now, I continue to create in all the ways I love, all the ways that feed and excite my soul. The alternative is unthinkable.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Julia.

You can connect with Julia at these places:

Facebook

Twitter @juliaspeer

Etsy

Website: Julia Speer, Ceramic Sculptor

and Sage Soul Sisters

Follow your passion!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

Winner on Wednesday!

Last week, I visited with Author Angela Hayes. We had an interesting chat and she asked some interesting questions.

She asked me to describe myself in three words.

I chose: Eclectic, Tenacious, and Understanding. If you click on the link to Angela’s place, you’ll learn why I chose those words and what they mean to me.

Angela also asked me to list three of my favorite things. What did I pick?

A ring.

A necklace.

Another ring.

The story behind these items is discussed…over at Angela’s place.

And I offered a GIVEAWAY. The Winner of the Giveaway is Barbara! She wins an eBook copy of Bayou Born.

The latest word on Bayou Bound? It’s in the Final Galley stage of production, which means once it’s approved, I should finally receive a publication date. Waiting is the hardest part.

Happy Reading!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com