Matthew Alan's Blog: newspaper reviews...., page 2
December 15, 2014
Reviewers wanted...
Hi all - private message me to my facebook page below if you are interested in a free e-book copy of "Just Like You?" to review. And if you follow the link below, you can enter the Goodreads Giveaway - for you chance to win a signed paperback version. Feel free to pass this along to friends/family...etc.
Happy Monday!
Goodreads Giveaway link
Facebook Link
#freebooks #justlikeyou? #memoirs #novelreads #reviews #freeebooks #
Happy Monday!
Goodreads Giveaway link
Facebook Link
#freebooks #justlikeyou? #memoirs #novelreads #reviews #freeebooks #
Reviers wanted...
Hi all - private message me to my facebook page below if you are interested in a free e-book copy of "Just Like You?" to review. And if you follow the link below, you can enter the Goodreads Giveaway - for you chance to win a signed paperback version. Feel free to pass this along to friends/family...etc.
Happy Monday!
Goodreads Giveaway link
Facebook Link
#freebooks #justlikeyou? #memoirs #novelreads #reviews #freeebooks #
Happy Monday!
Goodreads Giveaway link
Facebook Link
#freebooks #justlikeyou? #memoirs #novelreads #reviews #freeebooks #
November 16, 2014
An ode to relationships -
Feeling nostalgic about relationships today - and as I'm writing a new book about the older/younger dating dynamic - this came to me...
Sink or swim.
I'm looking for someone to explore the river of life with me. Hold hands and jump in, see where it takes us. I've been waiting on dry-land for a while now.
If life was a day on this river, I have dreams of jumping in a raft to see where we go together. Maybe we could jump straight In. No raft necessary -
I've always known I was a good swimmer.
But you're hesitant, and tell me you're afraid of the water.
I tell you you can do it, that there is nothing to fear. That the fear is only in our minds.
As I wait for you to see if you're ready to take a closer look, I turn, and you are running to jump in.
And I'm still standing on the shore as you float away. You only see me from a distance, or during a break in the waves. And I watch you live. Floating away - smiling.
I'm just standing on the bank - waving. Waiting to see if I can catch another glimpse of you before you're out of sight.
I just wanted to swim or float or sink...along with someone. And I'm still on the shore.
#novellines #matthewalan #love #learning
Sink or swim.
I'm looking for someone to explore the river of life with me. Hold hands and jump in, see where it takes us. I've been waiting on dry-land for a while now.
If life was a day on this river, I have dreams of jumping in a raft to see where we go together. Maybe we could jump straight In. No raft necessary -
I've always known I was a good swimmer.
But you're hesitant, and tell me you're afraid of the water.
I tell you you can do it, that there is nothing to fear. That the fear is only in our minds.
As I wait for you to see if you're ready to take a closer look, I turn, and you are running to jump in.
And I'm still standing on the shore as you float away. You only see me from a distance, or during a break in the waves. And I watch you live. Floating away - smiling.
I'm just standing on the bank - waving. Waiting to see if I can catch another glimpse of you before you're out of sight.
I just wanted to swim or float or sink...along with someone. And I'm still on the shore.
#novellines #matthewalan #love #learning
November 11, 2014
Just Like You?
Just needed to post this excerpt (lost a dear friend last week and I wish we had talked more about this type of issue) - I vowed years ago, when I started writing and coaching, that I would share the past, and the struggles I've had, because if it helps even one person, that sharing would be worth it.
Today was a long day, and maybe it was for some of you as well - and sometimes people need reminding that long days are good....better than no days at all.
"In the past, in the midst of a depression, I assumed that this feeling was going to last the rest of my life. What a daunting feeling that is!
The cognitive process and understanding that it’s a chemical reaction going on in my body and mind, has since allowed me to know that the depression would be for a finite period of time. It has been an important thought to hang onto as I have faced other depressions.
This realization, combined with the fact that I finally learned it was alright to ask for help, for small things from friends, for big things from God, brought me a greater peace.
If I can plead with you one last moment about suicide prevention and fighting tendencies towards that terrible idea, if it prowls upon you, fight it. (I repeat that is does still happen to me on occasion - those times when the voices come, and tell me I’m nothing, that I’m not special and a drain on others – and I start to believe them. It’s quite a scary time.) But where I beat it, is in the realization that if these thoughts were true, if nothing about me is redeeming, why try so hard to convince me of that fact? Why bother with me at all if I’m so insignificant?
You are important. You are loved, even if you don’t feel particularly understood in the moment. So fight the fight knowing the voices are wrong. In the end, that’s what matters. #suicideprevention #notananswer #dontbelieveit. "
I want people to know - being vocal about your struggles and asking for help -is not only okay, but for many people it's life-changing.....
Book Link
November 9, 2014
Sunday Share - Just Like You?
Excerpt - "Just Like You?"
Let me say, some men can pull off this transformation and I have seen drag queens that are as beautiful as female models, to see me is to understand why this look was not ideal. I have rather large features, butcher hands, a large nose, and shoulders that stick out way too far. The Lee press-ons only exaggerated how gawky my hands were, and though we had glasses that slid down my nose to distract from its bulbous shape, it can and must be said without hurting my feelings that I was not an attractive woman. Undeterred, we decided that Deb would be Linda’s cousin from Cleveland (I think we called her Ann) and I would be her Aunt Beverly. So Linda, Ann and Aunt Bev walked into the restaurant at about 7:00 on a Tuesday night in Canton, Ohio.
Go ahead…I know it’s bad. And we went out in public like this.
Anyone who saw us enter had to wonder what the nice lady in jeans and a t-shirt was doing with a hooker and a 40 year old librarian. In too deep to back out now, we went in, sat at a table and ordered a pitcher of strawberry Margaritas. Linda even called Jay over to introduce us. He later reported to his dismay how un-attractive and random Linda’s friends were. The waitress brought us the pitcher that he had made, and we were actually having a really nice time and starting to relax in our victory. Then as I was pouring Deb another glass, unaccustomed to having full-figured breasts, I accidentally tipped my glass over and spilled a full cup of the red liquid into my lap and onto my (Linda’s) new, white full-length skirt. Deb and I headed into the ladies room to rinse it out…what choice did we have? Let’s also say that men in bad drag should never speak when other people are around in the Women’s Restroom. Three women entered, saw the scene of Deb helping this frumpy lady clean her skirt and laughing nervously. We would have been fine, but the loud voice and deep throatiness of the librarian who was standing while the hooker blotted her skirt made the other women uneasy. As our embarrassment reached its limit, we left and moved on with the evening…Like I said, Deb helped me grow outside my boundaries in many ways.
Just Like You? Link
#dragisnotforeveryone #JLY #comingout #bestfriends #truthtelling #memoir #suicideprevention #mentalhealth
Let me say, some men can pull off this transformation and I have seen drag queens that are as beautiful as female models, to see me is to understand why this look was not ideal. I have rather large features, butcher hands, a large nose, and shoulders that stick out way too far. The Lee press-ons only exaggerated how gawky my hands were, and though we had glasses that slid down my nose to distract from its bulbous shape, it can and must be said without hurting my feelings that I was not an attractive woman. Undeterred, we decided that Deb would be Linda’s cousin from Cleveland (I think we called her Ann) and I would be her Aunt Beverly. So Linda, Ann and Aunt Bev walked into the restaurant at about 7:00 on a Tuesday night in Canton, Ohio.
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Go ahead…I know it’s bad. And we went out in public like this.
Anyone who saw us enter had to wonder what the nice lady in jeans and a t-shirt was doing with a hooker and a 40 year old librarian. In too deep to back out now, we went in, sat at a table and ordered a pitcher of strawberry Margaritas. Linda even called Jay over to introduce us. He later reported to his dismay how un-attractive and random Linda’s friends were. The waitress brought us the pitcher that he had made, and we were actually having a really nice time and starting to relax in our victory. Then as I was pouring Deb another glass, unaccustomed to having full-figured breasts, I accidentally tipped my glass over and spilled a full cup of the red liquid into my lap and onto my (Linda’s) new, white full-length skirt. Deb and I headed into the ladies room to rinse it out…what choice did we have? Let’s also say that men in bad drag should never speak when other people are around in the Women’s Restroom. Three women entered, saw the scene of Deb helping this frumpy lady clean her skirt and laughing nervously. We would have been fine, but the loud voice and deep throatiness of the librarian who was standing while the hooker blotted her skirt made the other women uneasy. As our embarrassment reached its limit, we left and moved on with the evening…Like I said, Deb helped me grow outside my boundaries in many ways.
Just Like You? Link
#dragisnotforeveryone #JLY #comingout #bestfriends #truthtelling #memoir #suicideprevention #mentalhealth
October 12, 2014
Last chance to download "Just Like You?" for free
Last few hours to download this e-book. A story about acceptance, about finding yourself, and about not hiding who you are or how you feel anymore.
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Feel free to download a copy today.
Amazon - Link
#e-books #freeebooks #gay #LGBT #struggles #itgetsbetter #swimming #collegeishard
October 3, 2014
Just Like You?
It's live - e-book available now!!!!
Hope it helps someone out there....all the best!
Amazon Link
#JustLikeYou? #NationalComingOutMonth #gay #Memoir #itgetsbetter
Hope it helps someone out there....all the best!
Amazon Link
#JustLikeYou? #NationalComingOutMonth #gay #Memoir #itgetsbetter
September 21, 2014
WWLB - end of summer - 99 cents - today only!!!
Hi All - Pick up What We Leave behind in e-book format for just 99 cents today. And if you're on Goodreads, join in for a chance to win a signed paperback version!
Have a great Sunday! #books #greatreads #sale #WWLB #belikeJane #cheapbooks #ebooks
Amazon Link - 1 click away
Goodreads link
Have a great Sunday! #books #greatreads #sale #WWLB #belikeJane #cheapbooks #ebooks
Amazon Link - 1 click away
Goodreads link
September 20, 2014
Giveaway tomorrow - cheap today!
Goodreads giveaway starts tomorrow for three paperback versions, but you can pick up an e-book copy all Sunday for 99 cents!
#belikeJane
#belikeJane
September 10, 2014
Suicide Prevention Day
Suicide Prevention Day...
Seems like it should be more than a day to me, but it is a start in the continuing conversation of helping others cope with stress and deal with the numerous causes that can lead to suicide.
Many of you cannot understand why someone would struggle with suicidal tendencies, and for that, you are actually quite lucky.
#suicideprevention #talkaboutit #suicidepreventionday
Feel free to read more -
Matthew Alan - facebook
Seems like it should be more than a day to me, but it is a start in the continuing conversation of helping others cope with stress and deal with the numerous causes that can lead to suicide.
Many of you cannot understand why someone would struggle with suicidal tendencies, and for that, you are actually quite lucky.
#suicideprevention #talkaboutit #suicidepreventionday
Feel free to read more -
Matthew Alan - facebook
