Kimberly Kolb's Blog, page 2

What’s YOUR Big Idea?

What is the one thing YOU really want to do?  Sure you may be working toward or in a career, have hobbies, enjoy sports, love spending time with family and friends – but what is your one thing – the one dream that you have? What is your Big Idea?

 


“Caveman Chuck” Coker / Foter / CC BY-ND

Last week I posted a blog (thanks for the great response on that one!) about how finding just four hours a week gives you over 2000+ hours (a full working year!) in just 10 years to pursue your Big Idea. A few folks have courageously shared with me that they don’t know what their Big Idea is.  If you don’t know, then I suggest using those four hours a week to figure out what you passion really is – but let’s be clear here – this is not your parents, or spouses, or friends, or teachers goals for you.  This is YOUR Big Idea.

For my teenage readers – you are at a stage in life where your Big Idea may be to raise your GPA, to get a summer internship, or to secure your first full-time job.  These are all hard, worthy, important goals.  As someone who has been involved in hiring college graduates from some of the top universities in the world, I assure you it is a competitive market and you need to do everything you can to position yourself.  Should you have fun in high school and college? Yes, definitely.  But these are the launching pads of your career and getting the most out of these years will serve you well.

 

For my adult readers – you may be focused on the early stages of your career, or ensuring your kids have everything the need and get to all their activities on time or you may be caring for your parents, whatever you are doing you also have time and energy for your Big Idea.  Yes, I know there are demands on you, but I am sure there is something else – something you want.  Perhaps it is to learn how to play an instrument, learn a new language, start a small business, or travel to a new country.

 

For me, my Big Idea was to publish a book.  On Sunday, April 5, 2009, I sat down, turned the TV off and wrote 4,626 words which is now Chapter 1 of my debut novel, Lindsey: Love & Intrigue. Please enter a comment with your Big Idea!

 

“Good ideas are common –

what’s uncommon are people who’ll work hard enough to bring them about.”

 

Ashleigh Brilliant

is an author and syndicated cartoonist born in London, UK, and living in Santa Barbara, California, USA.

(Born 9 December 9, 1933)1

 

 

1Wikipedia

168 Hours in a Week, How Are You Spending Them?

168 hours that is what you are given each week.  Are you using each hour wisely? Time is the most precious commodity we have.  Information can be distributed.  Knowledge shared. But once a year passes you by, you can’t buy it back.

 


Chris Stickley / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

Teenagers often think they have endless time.  As we get older we see time pass all too quickly.  I think that’s why we have countless phrases based on time – time is money, out of time, pressed for time, hard time, borrowed time, and make up for lost time.  Most of us manage our money very closely, but do we think of each hour in a week as an account we have to manage as well?

No matter what your age how you use your 168 each week is your choice.  How much do you waste?  What do you consider wasting time? Did you know that American’s spend an average of 2.8 hours a day watching T.V.1  60 percent of teens spend an average of 20 hours per week in front of TV and computer screens, while 30 percent of teens spend closer to 40 hours per week on ‘screen’ time2. Even assuming some of this is for homework, this is a lot of screen time. 

I challenge each of you to find just 4 hours a week of time that you could use more wisely.  Can you? Do you have time between your classes?  Or in the evenings? There are certainly hours that we all have committed – sleeping, commuting, classes, work, etc.  When I really looked at every hour of my week in a detailed and deliberate way I realized there were many hours I was wasting – for example watching TV or surfing the internet. I realized that there were many hours each week that weren’t planned, which for me became the time I was wasting.

If you take my challenge and can find time to do what I call The Big Idea – imagine what you can accomplish?  In one year this is 208 hours.  That’s over 5 solid working weeks to work on your Big Idea.  In 10 years this is over 2,000 hours.  That’s about as much as a lawyer needs to rack up in billable hours for a year.  What can you accomplish in one year?  A lot.  This very simple formula is how I wrote my first novel, “Lindsey: Love and Intrigue” while working and raising my three busy kids.

 

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set,

I go into the other room and read a book.”

Groucho Marx

Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx was an American comedian and film and television star. He is known as a master of quick wit and widely considered one of the best comedians of the modern era.3

October 2, 1890 – Aug 19, 1977

 

1According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics

2 Science Daily

3Wikipedia

The Daily Illini, student paper of the University of Illinois, feature article on alumni Kimberly Kolb

Please follow this link to read the article in The Daily Illini.

 

You can order a copy of Lindsey: Love & Intrigue is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble or download it to your kindle, nook or ibook.

Teenage Angst: Heartbreaks & Heartthrobs, Friends & Foes, Triumphs & Tragedies

High school lives in our minds as vividly at the age of 46 as it does at 16. Why? Because whether you are a teen going through these experiences for the first time, or you’re an adult reflecting on them, our teenage years are filled with new emotionally charged experiences. Experiences that are as vivid in our mind the week they happen as they are 30 years later.

Our teenage years are filled with friends who support us, others who betray us, romance, heartache, achievement, failure – they’re all part of our shared experience called high school. Although most of us get through high school successfully, it’s hard to find a book that will help teenagers see what high school is really like – the friends, dances, dating – and in this case set in a thriller. This story, told through the insecure and self-doubting voice of Lindsey, will connect with young readers dreaming of being sixteen, as well as bring everyone who has moved through these tender years back to their own coming of age. It will deliver on the unquenchable desire we all have to connect with characters we can relate to; characters that are endearing without being perfect.

 

Lindsey never really feels like she has close friends. She thinks that everyone else feels closer to his or her friends then she does to hers. And she knows that not all the girls in her high school are her friends.  Some of the girls in her class try to undermine her while she struggles to keep her footing. We have all been challenged by girls like this, they publicly and privately engage in disrespectful behavior. Sadly some of our most vivid memories are of these difficult moments. As teens, and as adults, it can be easy to respond to these individuals in a like manner, but is that who we really are? Or who we aspire to be?  It takes willpower to ignore the loud and demanding voice of an instigator. But we demonstrate strength when we show restraint. Sometimes Lindsey shows this strength, and other times her emotions get the best of her. Has that ever happened to you?

 

High school is a time of great highs and some disappointing lows. Heartbreak, whether caused by your heartthrob or a friend, can feel lonely and endless. But we have all been through them, and risen to see a new high. I invite you to spend some time with Lindsey and see how much you have in common with the typical tragedies and triumphs she experiences in Lindsey: Love & Intrigue.

 

“As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took away all my ambition too.”

 

Johnny Depp an American actor, film producer, and musician

 

Homecoming Dresses – Something’s Missing

Have you gone shopping for a homecoming dress lately? Who is buying these dresses? Let’s start with the fact that 80 percent of the dresses are strapless. Does everyone really want to go to a dance and spend the evening tugging their dress up? And what about all the dresses with cutouts in the middle – when did this become fashionable?

 

I know the teens reading this are thinking – she is too old to understand. But maybe, just maybe I do understand. So let me guess – you want a great dress, one that you look good in and feel good in – right? I agree that’s why I’m suggesting that you don’t want one that you have to worry about.

Tugging up the top of a strapless dress, or pulling down a short skirt is not the photo you are hoping everyone will see (and you can bet that the worst shots are shared the most). Homecoming should be fun – a night of friends, dancing, having a great time… and yes maybe a bit of romance. But in order for all that to happen, trust me ladies, you want a dress you feel confident in. Confidence (and lack thereof) is easy to see on anyone. Everyone recognizes it when it walks in the room, don’t you? So give yourself that extra boost, and get a dress that you don’t have to think about all night.

I have been to several stores last Spring and already this Fall shopping for dresses for my teenage daughter. I can’t believe what stores are selling young teens. Why are so many of them strapless and cut short? And who wants to wear a dress with diamond shaped cutouts at the waist? What is the point of this? To my teen readers – believe me enjoy your youth – don’t try to look 25, until you are 25. Should you get a cute, fun dress? Yes, definitely! But don’t let the stores and magazines convince you what you should wear. Just because that is what they are trying to sell, doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Pick a dress that you can confidently dance all night in and not worry who is getting a picture of what while you’re out on the dance floor.

Does how you dress matter? Yes. Don’t get me wrong, the way a person dresses is never an invitation for unwanted attention, but let’s be sensible girls – you wear a dress cut down to there, with a hem up to here – guys are going to notice. So wear a dress that lets them notice you, without wondering if that satiny fabric is going to slid 2 inches and reveal more than it should.

 

“Only men who are not interested in women are interested in women’s clothes.  Men who like women never notice what they wear.”

Anatole France   April 16, 1844 – October 12, 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist  

 

 “No man for any considerable period can wear one face to himself  and another to the multitude,  without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer.

If you want to read an award winning romantic thriller try my book Lindsey: Love & Intrigue.

YA Book Addict’s website Author Spotlight on my thrilling fiction, Lindsey: Love & Intrigue

Follow this link to visit YA Book Addict’s website which has an author spotlight on my new

thrilling fiction, Lindsey: Love and Intrigue.

If you love Young Adult or New Adult fiction you will love Lindsey!

Lindsey: Love & Intrigue is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Getting Inside the Teenage Mind

Lindsey: Love & Intrigue starts on the first day of Lindsey’s junior year in high school. But who is Lindsey, really?  She, like all of us, is complex.  This complexity shows up as confidence in some situations, and insecurity in others, strong and powerful in some circumstances and weak and timid in others.  At times she is logical and mature in her choices, while at others she makes choices that might frustrate adults reading the book.  Why?  Because like any teenager she is driven by a complex set of motives – her thoughts are based as much on logic as they are on emotion and desire.

Winner of the Editor’s Choice Award

Like many of us Lindsey feels most confident in the place where she has had the most success, the gym.  Lindsey is a good gymnast and considers the gym to be “her turf.” Is there a place where you feel more confident?  Are there some situations you know exactly how to handle, while there are others you feel less confident in?  Like many high school students Lindsey feels very insecure in social situations with girlfriends and especially those with any boy she might be interested in.

Readers will relate to Lindsey’s insecurities and doubts. Many of us think that our thoughts of insecurity and doubts are unique to us, but the unspoken truth is that everyone feels insecure in some situations.  Some of us are very good at hiding and concealing our insecurities, but that makes them no less real. Throughout the book you will read not only what happens to Lindsey, but also her thoughts and reactions to what is happening and many readers find a

strong connection to her inner dialogue because it expresses the raw insecurities we all have at times. There are other characters in the book that give the reader insight into Lindsey’s world, such as a group of popular girls she has dubbed the “Fab Five.” To Lindsey they are pretty, popular, have all the guys and are confident.  But is that how they really feel, or just what they portray?

Lindsey also has to navigate the often tricky waters of girls that are not so nice to her, girls that live by different values.  We see how she tries to avoid them, but at times she simply can’t. We also see how Lindsey navigates boys.  She is faced with trying to figure out who she really likes vs. who gives her attention.  Lindsey, like all of us is growing and changing, she is about progress, not perfection.

Lindsey is a relatable character because she is flawed, insecure and imperfect – all of which make her an endearing friend you will miss once you finish this view into the fall of her junior year which delivers a thriller with a page turning climax.

 

“Books are mirrors: you only see in them what you already have inside you.”

  Carlos Ruiz Zafonis a Spanish novelist

 

 “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his  aren’t very new after all.”

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States

 

After reading Lindsey: Love & Intrigue I’d love to know how you relate to Lindsey.  What do you (or your friends) have in common with her? Please post your reactions in the comments.

Honoring National Buy a Book Day – September 7th, 2013

September 7, 2013 is National Buy a Book Day, so I thought I would share authors I have enjoyed over the years and some of the aspects of their writing that I aspire to include in my own work:

Stephanie Meyer.  Ste phanie is of course the author of the blockbuster Twilight series.  Stephanie did a great job of conveying teenage angst and the power of young love.
Suzanne Collins.  Suzanne is the author of the best-selling Hunger Games series. Suzanne’s ability to make as care for her flawed and complex characters is compelling.
Michael Connelly.  I admire Michael for his development of a series sustaining character, LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, and the gripping unfolding plot of the mystery in each of his books.  The first book in this series is The Black Echo published in 1992.
Tana French.  Tana has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to weave multiple stories lines together, in particular weaving a current mystery with something that happened in the past in a way that is highly relevant to the protagonist in her Dublin Murder Squad series.  The first book in this series is In The Woods published in 2007.
Dean Koontz.  Dean Koontz skillfully and deliberately builds suspense around the unknown.  Koontz has been writing for decades, publishing countless books.  My personal favorite is the ‘Odd’ series, which starts with Odd Thomas in 2003.
John Sandford.  John is another author who has built a series around a central character, Lucas Davenport.  I enjoy how he crafts stories where the pace deliberately changes, building to a meaningful climax.  The Lucas Davenport series starts with Rules of Prey published in 1989.
Scott Turow.  Scott’s non-fiction books about Kindle County are a delightful view into humanity and the law.  I have long been a fan of his relatable characters with their endearing imperfections, as well as his beautiful prose.  Scott’s Presumed Innocent was published in 1987 and was one of the first books I read for pleasure.

 “My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.”

 Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States

 

Who are your favorite authors and why? Let me know if you like any of these authors and why?

If you like some of the authors I have enjoyed, perhaps you would enjoy my first novel, Lindsey: Love & Intrigue.  Lindsey is a romantic thriller from the honest, self-doubting eyes of Lindsey, as the fall of her junior year delivers more than just homework, gymnastics and dating.

 

 

Finally, YA Literature that Makes Teens and Their Parents Happy

What inspired me to write my new novel, Lindsey: Love and Intrigue? My daughters. I’m a working mother of three, two girls and a boy. My girls want to read about realistic characters – no magic, no sci-fi, no vampires, and no zombies. They want to read about girls like themselves; girls who face the very real stresses and joys of being a teenager.

You would think it would be easy to find realistic books for kids. Try it. I challenge you to find a stack of books that delivers the following: 1) a book that a 16 year old wants to read because the story is engaging; 2) a book with a realistic view of high school, and; 3) a book with socially responsible content. I can’t tell you how many librarians and bookstore sales clerks I have asked for recommendations of books that meet these three criteria – and how frustrating it is to read cover after cover of books that I’m told are for middle school kids, but that I often find socially inappropriate and, frankly, extreme.

The latter point was my other inspiration. As a parent, I want my kids to read books they will enjoy (because I want them to have a lifelong love of reading), but I also want the books to have socially appropriate content. In my search for age-appropriate content, I became increasingly frustrated by many of the novels being recommended. Just because a child is intellectually capable of understanding the words in a book, does not mean they are emotionally prepared to truly understand the socially charged topics presented. While many of these books are entertaining, my kids weren’t connecting with them or I thought the content was too extreme. Kids today are both concerned and curious about their teenage years. They will benefit from the glimpse they will get into the typical challenges they will face and the decisions they will confront, as they read Lindsey. Seeing these scenes play out in a story will get them thinking and better prepare them for dealing with them in real life.

As a human resources professional and an executive coach, I have spent my career listening to and connecting with people. So I decided to take my skill for understanding people and their insecurities and write a book I would want my kids to read. I think kids who read Lindsey will quickly connect with the characters and be swept into the story – but my hope is that they also get the subtle message that life is about progress, not perfection and that they need to consciously and deliberately make good choices.

 

“We don’t need a list of rights and wrongs,

tables of dos and don’ts:

we need books, time, and silence.

Thou shalt not is soon forgotten,

but once upon a time lasts forever.”

~Philip Pullman a British author of several best-selling books.

 

After reading Lindsey – I’d love to know what you think about its ability to subtly relate socially responsible messages to teens. Please feel free to leave a comment below!