Emilie Richards's Blog, page 64

Grandkids+Flights To And From Virginia=?

Do you have the answer? It equals exposure to lots of new germs and a very bad cold. I came home from our Thanksgiving trip with a real doozy, so instead of working right now, I’m taking a break to clear my head and feel better.

Southern Exposure will resume next week when I can type without pausing for volcanic sneezes.

Meantime, I hope you had a good holiday and are gearing up for whatever holiday you celebrate next.

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Sunday Inspiration: Giving Tuesday

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

I share these two quotes in honor of The National Day of Giving — or Giving Tuesday which is November 29th this year — to remind all of us that generosity is at the heart of happiness and joy.

This time of year Michael and I enjoy giving gifts to family and friends, but next week we will be writing checks to worthy charities we believe are making a real difference in the world.

I like to think we give, not out of guilt or pity, but from a genuine compassion for those in need. I like to remind myself that so many of the good things in my life weren’t earned but simply gifts. By the same token, so many people who desperately need help weren’t as lucky as I have been. And they, too, deserve all the good things I have.

Consider your gifts wisely. Charity Navigator is one place we can check to be sure the charities we’ve chosen spend our money carefully, focusing on the things that matter most to us and not simply on fundraising or administration. I like to check annually, to be sure I understand and approve of new directions, if any.

Happy Giving Tuesday friends!

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So Many Reasons To Be Thankful

For Thanksgiving I wanted to share a wonderful excerpt that came to my inbox last week from Kelly Justice, owner of the Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA. Her thoughts on being thankful summarize my own so well, thoughts about our writing community here and on my author page at Facebook.  I hope it touches you as it touched me.

“I want you to feel safe here. I don’t care how you voted. I only hope you did. I don’t care where you came from. Or what color you are. I’ve certainly never cared about who you’re sleeping with or which bathroom you want to use. It boggles my mind that people do. But that’s just the way it is.

What I do care about is this: you.

I love what we share together: a community over the written word.

I believe that reading and being together over the written word is a great way to reach out to each other. It’s what gets me up every day. Especially on the days when I don’t want to get up….

Whatever we decide to talk about, act on, or broadcast going forward, let’s make a promise to each other to do so with grace.

I am giving thanks for your presence in my life today.”

–Kelly Justice, owner of Fountain Bookstore, Richmond

I hope you find many things to be thankful for this week, whether your gratitude is spurred by national holidays, or just because you know that being grateful makes you happier and healthier and enriches the lives of those around you. I hope you’re with people you love, eating food you love, sharing memories and laughter.

I’ll be in Charlottesville, VA, enjoying autumn as we don’t see it in Florida, playing with grandchildren, roasting a turkey–since that’s been my  job since time began–and enjoying a girls day out for pedicures and Mexican food, a tradition that began years ago and shows no sign of abating.

Wherever you are tomorrow, happy Thanksgiving!

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Audible Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Terri Chlapek who won two “listens” from Audible. The Audible giveaway was announced here on the 9th in my post about the new audiobook of When We Were Sisters. It ran through the 16th. As always random.org chose the winner from all entries that followed the rules.

Terri, enjoy your new books!

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Sunday Inspiration: Gratefulness

 

Gratefulness is the only appropriate response to that which is given…and this life is a given. Every human being can realize: we didn’t make ourselves, we didn’t even choose this life. If you train yourself to be grateful for everything, every moment, then when you come to something that you don’t like, you realize it’s still given and you have to deal with it. You will be alert to the gift within every gift, which is opportunity. – (David Steindl-Rast, 1926 – )

I wish for you all a Thanksgiving week of gratefulness.

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Fun, Sun and Books in Palm Beach

Why is this week’s blog a bit early? Picture me in Palm Beach, Florida. No, I won’t be on vacation–although it might feel that way. This Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll be speaking at the Society of the Four Arts Libraries.

How do you find me?

Tuesday afternoon at 5:30 I’ll be at the Dixon Education Building (240 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, FL 33480) as part of their Florida Voices Program, to be followed immediately by a booksigning conducted by the Classic Bookshop.

It’s not too late to reserve your spot and there is no charge. Reservations can be made by calling (561) 655-2766.

Wednesday at 1:30 I’ll be chatting with the Page Turners Book Club at the King Library. (The Society of the Four Arts, 3 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach, FL  33480).

You can reserve your spot for Page Turners by calling (561) 655-2766.

If you read along here, you know I’m on a tight deadline. So why am I flitting across the state to speak to readers?

Writers are solitary folks, and novelists are solitary folks who live with make believe people and occasionally forget there are real ones in the world. Booksignings and chances to speak about our work give us opportunities to clear away the clouds, and it’s always an honor to get to know the readers who make deadlines worthwhile.

I’m looking forward to getting to know my Palm Beach area readers. If you’re in the area, please make a quick reservation and join us for one or both days. And be sure to let me know you read Southern Exposure and saw the invitation here.

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Sunday Inspiration: Easy to Judge

Isn’t it an excellent time in the life of our nation and in our personal lives to move away from judging and grow towards understanding?

 

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When We Were Sisters: One Audiobook, Three Voices,

I’m writing this before Tuesday’s election, but I can only imagine that whoever wins, whomever you voted for, and however you feel about the results, you need a break from real life. Do I have a break for you?

Are you an audiobook fan? Are you lazy, like I am, and love to be read to, or enjoy listening to books on walks, while you’re gardening, doing crafts or making dinner?

According to one source, audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in publishing today, and the industry is currently evaluated at 2.8 billion. Authors are no longer waiting to be chosen by a publisher for an audio contract. They are selecting their own narrators and recording their own books, some with stunning success.

Since I’ve yet to take that step, I was delighted when Blackstone Audio recorded my latest. For those of you who have been waiting for the audiobook of When We Were Sisters, the wait is over.

Okay, I wrote the book, but I still can’t wait for my copies to arrive, because this audiobook is different. While years ago I had an abridged novel with multiple narrators, this is only the second to be recorded that way, and at first I was dismayed.

The talented Karen White, who narrated all my Goddesses book, broke the news to me. When she learned I had a new book, she emailed to say she hoped she would be chosen for this one, too. But when she learned the novel was in first person, from three points of view, she explained that under those circumstances, each part would be read by a different narrator.

While the same narrator often portrays different characters in a novel, in When We Were Sisters, each chapter is told from the point of view of one character only, and readers are in that character’s head and listening only to that voice. Once I got over the surprise, I realized Karen was absolutely correct.

But three different narrators? How would all those choices be made?

Narrators can make or break a book, can’t they?

Have you ever turned off an audiobook because you couldn’t stand the reader? There’s one popular narrator my husband and I find so annoying, we carefully steer away from any book with his name attached.

We aren’t alone. Friends have a long drive to their house in New York each summer and like us, they fill the hours with audiobooks. This past year we listened to The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman going to New York, and I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella coming home. They were great choices. We’ve learned the hard way that we need fast-paced novels with suspense and humor to move us along those miles.

Our friends, however had made a terrible choice. Their narrator was so annoying they had to stop listening. Not coincidentally? It was the same narrator my husband and I boycott.

So what’s interesting about this? One bad narrator. So what? Well, bad is in the ear of the listener. This narrator actually has an enormous fan base.

Can we repeat together: Different “spokes” for different folks?

Because narration is so important, from the start I felt personally invested in the choices for my three narrators. Here’s the lineup:

Karen White, who narrated all my Goddesses books, reads the part of Robin.
Elijah Alexander was a good choice for the part of Kris.
But Cecilia? I wasn’t enthused, Blackstone’s original choice had a fabulous voice. I’d love to have her narrate a different book, but for this one, she just didn’t sound the way I imagined Cecilia. She wasn’t snappy; she wasn’t jaded.

After feedback from my Krewe of Review, I went back to Blackstone to express my doubts. They graciously gave me the opportunity to select another narrator, and I was given several additional options. Immediately I fell in love with Rachel Fulginiti.

Not sure you like audio? I think you need a chance to win this audiobook.  Thanks to Audible’s generosity, I’m giving two free audiobooks to one lucky winner. Only those readers who follow all the rules are eligible:

You must have or be willing to sign up for an Audible.com account to enter–see below for two different free trials.
To receive the books your account must be at audible.com, not audible.de, fr, uk or any other site operated by Audible.
Using the form at the bottom of my website giveaway page, tell me which one (or more) of my books should be in audio. There’s no right answer, but you must provide the title of one of my books, or your entry won’t count. And you must use the form.
Only one entry per person.
You have until midnight November 16th to enter.

The winner will receive a code to redeem his or her selected audiobooks online. Of course I hope When We Were Sisters  or any of my other audiobooks will be your choice.

If you buy the audiobook or borrow it from your library, let me know what you think of the casting.

Now? Enjoy!

***Audible’s offer: Right now Amazon is offering a free Audible trial for new readers. You receive two free audiobooks, and you can choose among 180,000 titles. After thirty days Audible will begin to bill you $14.95 each month for one book–there are other price plans, too. However you can cancel at anytime and keep your free books. Be sure to read the reviews and decide for yourself. For the record my own years with Audible have been trouble free. 

***Audible has a similar offer directly on their website, but their offer is for one free book, not two.

These offers are for your convenience only. I receive no commission and have no information about how long they’ll last.

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Sunday Inspiration: Calm Yourself

“You can’t calm the storm… so stop trying. What you can do is CALM yourself. The storm will pass.” -Timber Hawkeye

With election day only two days away, I thought I would share this calming quote and photo to help all those who so anxious.

Let us be aware as well that there are people who are anxious and even terrified about personal struggles in their lives, and they need calm in the midst of their storm.

May peace be with all of you.

 

 

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Sunday Inspiration: Vote Your Values

“Choose a leader who will invest in building bridges, not walls. Books, not weapons. Morality, not corruption. Intellectualism and wisdom, not ignorance. Stability, not fear and terror. Peace, not chaos. Love, not hate. Convergence, not segregation. Tolerance, not discrimination. Fairness, not hypocrisy. Substance, not superficiality. Character, not immaturity. Transparency, not secrecy. Justice, not lawlessness. Environmental improvement and preservation, not destruction. Truth, not lies.”

― Suzy Kassem

With the election only two days away, I encourage you to vote your values — not just political values of party and tradition — but your deepest religious and spiritual values. For me, those values are expressed well in the above reading.

May whoever wins be a compassionate leader who will bring our nation together and help us to create a a better future.

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