Kathleen Pooler's Blog, page 14
January 21, 2019
The Scents of Winter: A Memoir Moment
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments,embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.~ John Boswell
The Scents of Winter: A Memoir Moment
If you live in the Northeast, you either become accustomed to nesting inside or you grab your snow gear and head on out to the slopes. I’ve done both in my life where I’ve stood on the top of a hill and marveled at the beauty of snow clad mountains on a clear, sunny day. Now, I’m content to nestle in by the wood stove with a hot cup of tea and stare out at the stark, white landscape of our backyard.
Winter serves its purpose for me as I give in to my inner calling to let it be what it is…a time of quiet reflection. It is during this time that my imagination catapults me into memories of my own childhood as well as memories of my mother’s childhood.
A Taste of the Depression…
When I take this time to slow down, I am rewarded with a flood of memories. For example, when I hold a tangerine in my hands and smell the sweet, fruitiness of it, I instantly recall Mom telling us how, as children of the Depression, she and her siblings were always hungry. But at Christmas time, if they received a tangerine in a stocking they considered it a great prize. As a Boomer, I never knew a hungry day in my life, so as I bite into my tangerine and let the sweet juice roll down my throat, I try to imagine how much Mom and her siblings must have enjoyed that tangerine, if only for a few seconds. I am transported to another time and place.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road…
The 1939 Classic, The Wizard of Oz was re-aired every winter and it was always a special night in our house. Mom usually waited until Dad was on a business trip to let us see it. We’d pull out the aluminum TV tables and set them up in front of the TV in the living room where she would serve, of all things, TV dinners. They were a novelty. Mom was a fabulous cook and I don’t know why we got excited over those TV dinners- fried chicken, mashed potatoes,corn and a tiny square chocolate cake for dessert.
Then we had our special treat, a glass of real soda and Mom fixed popcorn. Sometimes, if we were lucky, Mom would pull out the chocolate fudge she fixed and hid. Poor Dad never got in on those treats. I guess she reasoned he’d be around longer if he ate well. I’ve lost count on the number of times I’ve seen the movie but each time I do, I am right back in our 1950’s living room, laughing and squealing with my two younger brothers as we eat our TV dinners and enjoy our rare glass of soda.
The In-Between Times…
I’m in between writing projects, awaiting feedback from the publisher on my manuscript. A perfect time to be still and take time to fill my creative well.
It’s true, a writer is still working when staring out the window.
***
How about you? Is winter a time of quiet reflection for you? How do you handle the time between projects?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
This Week:
Wednesday, 1/23/19
Please join me over at Joan Rough’s blog , One Rich Life , with this post on “The Lessons of Aging”
Next Week:
Monday, 1/28/19: “Sonia Marsh”
January 2019 Newsletter: Updates, Memoir Musings, Max Moments
January 14, 2019
How a Near-Death Experience Jumpstarted My Memoir by Julie Lomoe
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Julie Lomoe/@julielomoe
“How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?” ~ Dr. Seuss
Photo Credit: Free Google Image :”Book with flowers”
I am happy to introduce you to my writing colleague, novelist, poet and workshop leader Julie Lomoe who will share her writing journey with us as she begins to write her memoir. Julie and I work together in a local woman’s writing group.
Welcome, Julie!
Author, Poet, Writing Workshop Leader Julie Lomoe
How A Near-Death Experience Jumpstarted My Memoir
There’s nothing like a near-death experience to bring home the realization that it’s high time to get to work on that memoir you’ve been procrastinating about for ages. My own epiphany came about when I emerged from emergency brain surgery the day before Halloween. I’d been laid low by a subdural hematoma on October 29th—ironically, the same type of trauma that killed my mother in 1970.
Hers was more acutely traumatic than mine. At age 61, she was just coming into her own as an account executive at a Milwaukee advertising firm, building on all the expertise and the wide network of contacts she’d gained as an unpaid volunteer while playing out the role of good wife as my father rose to prominence as the editor of The Milwaukee Journal.
But a heart attack forced my father into early retirement, and his doctors persuaded him to escape the brutal Wisconsin winters by spending a few months in Florida. So she took a leave of absence, and one April night, she took a header onto the bathroom floor in the house they’d rented in Sarasota. She was comatose for weeks. Then, against all odds, she regained consciousness, but her brilliant mind had been radically damaged, and she died that November.
My own subdural hematoma was kinder and gentler—a slow bleed following a fall I must have taken while pruning the lower limbs of some young maples while sipping gin and tonic in my garden in mid-September. I awoke the next morning with a black eye, bruising and pain in my temple, but a doctor checked me out and told me it wasn’t serious. How wrong he was.
Six weeks later, recovering in the neurosurgical intensive care unit, my skull cobbled together with eighteen staples, I decided the time had finally come to get to work on a memoir. At 77, I’d had my closest brush ever with death, and I had no memory of the fall that precipitated my medical crisis. Could alcohol have played a role? I hadn’t been drunk, but it’s possible the gin and tonics threw me a bit off balance, and that I tripped over one of the irregular blue stone pavers in my shade garden.
Julie and Viola Lomoe at jazz festival in Milwaukee
Could my mother’s fatal fall have been alcohol related as well? It’s quite possible, since my parents loved their dry martinis, but I hadn’t dwelt on the subject until my own subdural hematoma conjured up the eerie parallels to my mother. Another parallel was her love of writing. In my earliest memories, I’m sitting on the floor beneath her desk, scribbling on yellow typing paper while she taps out short stories on a Smith Corona typewriter. As I later learned, she sent them off to The New Yorker, but received only rejection slips in reply. Eventually she gave up trying. At some point she threw them all away, and she never mentioned them again.
My father was an aspiring writer too. As a young man in the 1920’s, he rode the rails and lived in hobo jungles, accumulating material for what he hoped would become The Great American Novel, but when he became a journalist and rose through the ranks from reporter to Executive Editor, he abandoned his dreams of literary glory. Like my mother, he destroyed all evidence of his attempts at fiction.
How I would love to read what they wrote in their younger years. Alas, like me, they were both ruthless critics of their own creative efforts. They measured success in terms of acceptance by first-rank publishers of books and magazines. If they failed to scale those lofty heights, they saw no point in saving their work for posterity, if only for their own family.
Thanks to modern publishing technology, things are different today. I’ve written five novels and published three of them. I tried going the traditional route, querying agents and editors, even landed a leading agent in New York, but she didn’t sell my work. I hated rejection, so I gave up far too soon. Instead, I opted for the self-publishing route, so I have the pride and pleasure of holding my very own professionally published books in my hands, selling them locally or on Amazon. Sales have been fair, but my marketing efforts have been minimal, so there’s always room for improvement. As with the title of my soap opera vampire novel, Hope Dawns Eternal.
Unlike my parents, I intend to leave plenty of writing behind me when I go, if only for my daughter and grandchildren. And that leads back full-circle to my memoir. I began on my laptop the day after I was discharged from the ICU to a rehab center in Schenectady. At first I was delighted with the idea of being pampered, with my very own private room, all my needs met while I immersed myself in my writing—my very own writer’s retreat, subsidized by Medicare. I soon found out things didn’t quite work that way. I was poked and prodded, with nurses checking my vitals at all hours, and unrelentingly cheerful physical and occupational therapists urging me to get moving. But I got a decent start. I was home before Thanksgiving, and I’m plugging away at the book project I’m convinced will be my best yet
Subdural is evolving into a blend of prose and poetry, a collage of sorts, with a focus on my near-death experience of recent months and flashbacks to crucial life experiences that led me to the present day, focusing especially on memories of my mother, who died far too young. I’ve already outlived her by sixteen years, and I’m hoping for a couple of decades to go.
Julie Lomoe at poetry reding
***
About the Author:
Julie Lomoe is a novelist, poet and painter. She is currently working on a memoir in prose and poetry, focusing on her recent near-death experience with a subdural hematoma and her relationship with her mother, an aspiring but unfulfilled writer who died from the same cause. She has published three novels of suspense: Mood Swing: The Bipolar Murders, Eldercide and Hope Dawns Eternal. All are available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats.
Julie is founder and director of Creative Crone Press. In 2018 she trademarked the words “Creative Crone,” and her plans include forming a Creative Crone Community and offering merchandise on her Creative Crone website, where she blogs regularly. She offers workshops on writing, creativity, women’s issues and aging.
Julie received an MFA in painting from Columbia University and has exhibited widely, most notably at the Museum of Modern Art and the 1969 Woodstock Festival. This year, with the fiftieth anniversary of the festival, she plans to exhibit her work from that period more widely.
Visit Julie Lomoe’s website at www.creativecrone.net, and subscribe in order to keep up with her latest news and offerings.
Contact Julie Lomoe at julielomoe@gmail.com or at:
Creative Crone Press, P.O. Box 363, Wynantskill, NY 12198.
Author Contact Information:
Website: The Creative Crone
Facebook: Julie Lomoe
Twitter: @julielomoe
Amazon Author Page
Author of three mystery novels, Eldercide, Mood Swing and Hope Dawns Eternal.
***
Thank you, Julie, for sharing your thoughts on writing and publishing. And welcome to the memoir world. You have already defined a clear structure, and a title. Wishing you much joy on the journey! May you continue to experience healing and good health.
***
How about you? Do you have a memoir in you just waiting to be released? What is holding you back?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Next Week:
Monday, 1/21/19:
“The Scents of Winter: A Memoir Moment”
January 7, 2019
The Gift of Another Year: Living in Gratitude
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”~ William Arthur Ward
Photo Pixabay Free Image
I made it through another year!
What I appreciate most about the New Year holiday is the opportunity to reflect on the past year and dream about the upcoming year.
Well, 2018 was filled with challenges and setbacks for me. I’m happy to start 2019 with a clean slate. While I don’t do resolutions, I do reflect on my intentions for the year.
My focus word for 2019 is gratitude.
I trust that if I live in gratitude, everything else will fall into place. My health will stabilize, my memoir will be published and I will appreciate the gift of life, despite the challenges. In fact, having survived these challenges, my faith, hope, recovery and courage have been honed.
Over the Christmas holiday, my son reminded me of a saying I used to tell him, “Pray to God but keep rowing to shore”.
“I’ll keep rowing if you keep rowing, Mom.” Brian said.
That gave me pause as I immediately thought of the twenty-three years I prayed for his sobriety. Now my sober son was counseling me.
Joy, faith, hope, compassion, courage all wrapped in one!
And forgiveness. Brian and I had a discussion about his Dad and he stated that he was beginning to understand the person behind the behavior and was looking at his Dad’s memory with a spirit of forgiveness.
I am embracing these gifts.
***
Excerpt from Just the Way He Walked: A Mother’s Story of Hope and Healing, 1990
This intense, sensitive toddler who was once so concerned about the little things in his world now stared up at me from his fourteen-year-old body with a haunting glare that left me cold. The chilling fact that I was looking at my drunk teenaged son shattered my vision of what I thought motherhood would be.
A searing pain in its rawest form pierced me; my heart lodged in my throat and my stomach churned. The panic tried to escape as I struggled to find my next breath. My insides screamed in terror.
No Brian, not this I cried to myself but no words came, only a deep knowing that I was looking at my biggest fear. I am mothering an addicted child. Though I knew deep inside that this was not just an isolated incident, I had yet to discover what this would mean.
I was speechless. Shattered.
***
Addiction recovery is possible with patience, hope and faith and perhaps most important, love.
May your New Year be filled with answered prayers and new possibilities. And may you live in gratitude for your many blessings.
***
How about you? What are your thoughts as you move forward into 2019? Do you do resolutions or intentions?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Next Week:
Monday, 1/14/19:
Mystery Author Julie Lomoe visits us from CreativeCrone.net. Julie is the author of several novels and is beginning to work on a memoir.
December 17, 2018
Christmas Blessings, 2018: A Memoir Moment
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present and hope for the future.” Charles Dickens, Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
Photo Credit: dreamsstimefree
Author’s Note: This story has been adapted from the original story posted on Linda K. Thomas’ Spiritual Memoirs 101 blog in December, 2011, “Kathleen”s Christmas Past.”
It was also posted on 12/13 here so many of you may remember it but it always makes me smile so I’m posting it again.
***
As Christmas approaches every year, I reflect on many memories of Christmas Past. This particular memory warms my heart and makes me smile as I recall the blessings of growing up Italian and of gathering around a table to share Christmas Eve with my loving family. It is especially comforting as we face our first Christmas without our mom. Mom made sure we didn’t forget her:
“Till we meet again~ Mom” This ornament arrived this week from a dear friend who worked with Mom in Assisted Living.
Christmas Past: The Feast of the Seven Fishes
The smell of spicy tomato sauce mixed with hearty laughter greet me and my family as we climb the circular staircase to my Nan and Grandpa DiCerbo’s home. We have traveled six hours to join our family for Christmas Eve. When we open the door at the top of the stairs, aunts, uncles, and cousins surround us with warm hugs and loving smiles. I am seven years old and can hardly contain my excitement as I throw off my coat and return the hugs.
We are celebrating Christmas Eve in traditional Italian fashion with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Christmas Eve in the ancient Catholic Church was a sacred fast day, on which no meat could be consumed.
Gathering around the holiday table, 1953. Grandpa (R) looked full!
The table extends the length of the dining room and is adorned with Nan’s finest ivory crocheted tablecloth and gold-rimmed china plates surrounded by sparkling silverware and shiny goblets. Pretty soon, I know the center of the table will be crowded with steaming bowls of pasta, sauce and baccala (salted cod fish), silvery smelt, crab cakes, baked Mackerel, boiled shrimp, trout and calamari (squid).
My seven-year-old taste buds rebel against the fish but I love my Nan’s spicy, warm tomato sauce and homemade pasta. My mouth waters before I even put a forkful of sauce-drenched pasta into my mouth.
I run into the kitchen to see my Nan stirring the sauce. She wipes her hands on her red gingham apron and bends down to wrap her arms around me as we both squeal with excitement.
“Oh, I’m so happy to see you Katarina (my name in Italian),” she says, smiling as she offers me a spoonful of sauce after blowing on it a few times.
The smooth, tomatoe-y sauce slides down my throat and warms my insides.
“This is s-o-o-o good, Nan,” I say as I close my eyes and take in the sweet smell and taste of home.
“Well, it’s ready.” Nan says.
“With that Mom and her sister, my Aunt Rose, begin draining the pasta over the sink, laughing together as the steam clouds Aunt Rose’s eyeglasses. I join the parade of relatives delivering the heaping bowls to the center of the table.
Uncle Freddy, Nan’s brother, pours the homemade red wine from the galloon jugs. Grandpa and his brother, Uncle Vincent have made a new batch from the winemaking press in the basement. I think about how they both came over on the boat from Naples, Italy when they were sixteen and eighteen and wonder how they could ever leave their family in Dugenta behind. I love it when we all get together. There is always laughter.
As Nan places the tomato sauce in the center of the table, Grandpa says grace ,then,smiling, raises his wine glass,
“A saluto!”
Even the children get a small glass of wine. “It’s good for your blood” is the mantra.
I’m sitting between Mom’s brother, my Uncle Michael and my two-year–old brother, Tom. I pass on the yucky calamari, even though the adults are getting seconds. Uncle Freddy places his closed fingers to his lips then fans his fingers out in compliments to Nan.
Before I know it, the bowls are nearly empty and we’re all sitting around with our hands on our bellies. The table is cleared and Mom and Aunt Rose place trays of pears, apples, tangerines and walnuts, almonds and pecans in the shell for dessert.
All the women gather in the kitchen to wash dishes while the men sit around and start playing Pinochle.
When the kitchen is all cleaned up, Aunt Rose heads over to the bay window and motions for the four little cousins, ages two through seven, to come into the living room. “There goes Santa around the corner.”
With noses pressed against the window pain, we see fluffy, white snowflakes falling against the street lights, disappointed we missed him.
We believe with all our hearts though that he was there.
How about you? Do you have a special memory of Christmas Past to share?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Christmas Blessings, 2018
I’m taking a short break over the holidays but want to extend my greetings for a blessed Christmas/Holiday season to you, however you celebrate it. I’ll be back on January 7, 2019.
May you spend your days with the ones you love and never take one day for granted.
Our greatest gifts are our family and friends…
Christmas Blessings from our family– Wayne, Kathy and the Grands–to yours.
December 2018 Newsletter: Updates, Memoir Musings , Max Moments:
If you are interested in receiving this monthly newsletter in your inbox, please sign up in the right sidebar. I’d love to have you along!
December 13, 2018
Five Things to Give Up to Become a Fearless Writer by Karen Brown Tyson: A WOW Blog Tour
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Karen Brown Tyson
Please join me in welcoming Karen Brown Tyson in her WOW Blog Tour for her new book, Time to Refresh: A 21- Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined. She will share her thoughts on fearless writing.
Welcome, Karen!
Five Things to Give Up to Become a Fearless Writer
“Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.”–William Shakespeare
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
The writer’s life is a journey.
There are days filled with excitement when our latest book proposal gets approved. Other days seem a little less bright as we struggle to deal with yet another rejection notice for our latest manuscript. One day our writing is being liked, re-tweeted, and shared. The next day our writing can’t find any love on social media.
Through the ebb and flow of writing, there are two things many writers face: self-doubt and fear. We have all been there; myself included. As we publish our work throughout the year, we wonder if our writing is:
Good enough
Clear enough
Making a difference
Worthy of recognition
Connecting with our readers
But as we close out the year, now is a good time to address self-doubt and fear. It’s time to quiet the negative self-talk and think like a fearless writer.
If you experience self-doubt and fear when you write, get to the root of your feelings by asking, ‘why.’ Why do you feel your writing is not good enough? Why don’t you think anyone will want to read what you wrote? After identifying your reasons, ask yourself, “Is there anything I can change?” If there are things you can change, add your ideas to the list. But keep in mind, you cannot change people or what they think about your writing.
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock
Time to give up
On my journey to becoming a fearless writer, I had to identify the things I will give up to succeed. Below is a list of things I plan to give up in 2019. Use my list as a starter and add anything else you think is important.
Give up self-doubt
The road to fearless writing calls for understanding any concerns you have about your writing. Whether it’s uncertainty about grammar, spelling, style or feeling confident enough to submit your work, you must come to grips with the areas that cause you the most concerns. Then you must address those concerns either through reading books on the subject, working with a mentor or taking courses.
Give up fear
A common fear faced by many readers is that readers will not want to read their material. After years of doubt, I realize I cannot control whether people read my articles, blog post or book. I also had to deal with worrying about what people think when they read my material. I cannot control their comments or how my writing makes a reader feel. The only things I can control are my approach to writing, how I see myself as a writer and the work I produce as a writer.
Give up comparing yourself to other writers
It’s easy to look at the success of other writers and wonder if you’re on the right track. While it is fine to celebrate the accomplishments of other writers, it is never a good idea to compare yourself to other writers. Don’t look to the left or the right. Stay focused on the race you are running.
Photo Credit: Adobe Stock
Give up being a perfectionist
I applaud everyone who proofreads and edits their work. But when you hold on to your work just to apply endless edits, you only add anxiety to your life. At the start of your writing project, determine how many rounds of edits your writing will go through. Once you reach your magic number, hit publish. To become a fearless writer, you must know when to let go.
Give up your comfort zone
We all have our comfort zone. But your comfort zone may not be where you will create your greatest impact. Consider doing something you haven’t done before in your writing life. Once you reach your goal, go outside your comfort zone again. Keep looking for ways to take your writing to the next level.
Once you identify what you will give up, imagine your life going forward.
The next time you think:
What if my writing isn’t good enough? Say to yourself, what if it is?
What if no one wants to read anything I write? Say to yourself, what if they do?
What if my book proposal gets rejected? Say to yourself, what if it doesn’t?
Writing is a journey filled with trials. Be kind to yourself. Say goodbye to doubt and fear. Don’t be afraid to embrace your role as a writer in this world.
Be fearless.
***
Thank you Karen for sharing these practical tips for embracing our role as writers in this world!
***
Karen Brown Tyson is the author of, Time to Refresh: A 21-Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined.
Karen works online, in person and by phone as a communication and writing coach. Karen helps her entrepreneurial clientele focus on business and nonfiction writing.
Book summary
What happens when some part of your life comes to a screeching halt?
Time to Refresh: A 21- Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined, highlights Karen Brown Tyson’s journey through the Bible following one of three layoffs in her life.
Watch how God leads one woman on a 21-day journey through the Bible and teaches her how to G.L.O.W.— gratitude, listen, observe and witness.
Print Length: 68 pages
Genre: Nonfiction, Self-Help
Publisher: Constant Communicators
ISBN: 978-0692170489
Time to Refresh is available to purchase on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.
About the Author
For the past 25 years, Karen Brown Tyson worked for Fortune 500 companies in the fast food, pharmaceutical, and telecommunication industries. Today, Karen is the founder of Constant Communicators, a lifestyle business that helps people improve their business writing skills. Time to Refresh: A 21-Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined was released in August 2018. Karen lives in North Carolina with her husband and son.
You can find Karen at –
Personal Website – www.karenbrowntyson.com
Blog: https://karenbrowntyson.com/blog-2-feed/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KBTWrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Write-to-Inspire-385353048666490/
***
How about you? Are you a fearless writer? If so, how did you get there? Any tips to add to Karen’s?
We’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Next Week:
Monday, 12/17/18:
“Christmas Blessings, 2018”
December 2018 Newsletter: Updates, Memoir Musings and Max Moments:
“Christmas Gives Us a Reason to Hope”
If you are interested in receiving this monthly newsletter in your inbox, please sign up in the right sidebar. I’d love to have you along!
December 10, 2018
Advent Reflections, 2018
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
” It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus open doors of hope.” Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Seek That Which Is Above, 1986
For as long as I can remember, I’ve watched the priest light the candles on the wreath before Mass during the four weeks before Christmas. In my Roman Catholic tradition, as in other Christian denominations, this commemorates the season of Advent when we anticipate the joyful arrival of our Savior on Christmas Eve. Throughout the years,intertwined with all the other frills and distractions of gift giving and holiday parties, the true meaning of the season has been been crowded out, forgotten, displaced by all the hoopla surrounding the commercial aspect.
It seems it has taken a concerted effort on my part to keep the main reason for the season as I see it,Christ’s birth, in the forefront. I am not meaning to assume everyone should think and believe as I do,only to express an opinion and share an experience. Maybe I’ve become complacent in my own beliefs as I know there have been times when I have allowed myself to get caught up in the frenzy myself; when I haven’t tapped into the gifts of the season available to me through my faith. Oh, I’ve put the creche out to highlight the Nativity scene and I’ve rebelled against the focus on commercialism. I’ve made sure to buy religious stamps for my Christmas cards and encouraged the tradition of singing Happy Birthday to Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve with my grandchildren. But what have I really done to honor the gifts of the season? They’ve always been there for me but maybe I’ve been too busy to stop and look beyond the lit candles on the altar to see ..
it occurred to me that my faith is a gift that has been handed to me. It has seen me through many trials and challenges. It was faith that strengthened us all as we held vigil around my father’s death bed in 2011,holding hands and praying. It was our faith that helped us let go. It was our faith that helped us do the sam with Mom in 2018. It is our faith that sustains us now as we grieve the losses, pay tribute to his loving memory and move on in gratitude for the father and mother we were blessed ot have.
Advent is the season of hope, the season of solace from grief.
2018 has not been a good year for me as those of you who have followed my posts have heard.
My health declined, my mother and cousin died within two weeks of each other and I was rejected for a second time for a kidney transplant plant, leaving me with the reality that lifelong dialysis would be my only option.
But Advent in my Christian tradition is a season of waiting and hoping. I began in a place of confusion and doubt and have made my way into the light of hope through my faith. In this time of anticipation, I trust that my faith will strengthen me and guide me through the tough spots.
This is the first holiday without Mom and we, my siblings and I, are feeling the loss deeply. She was the center of our lives. The only way to the other side is through so I move forward on my journey of hope, trusting I will make it to the other side of the heartache and emptiness left by her absence.
It’s 4:00 pm and I want to call Mom at the Assisted Living facility she called home like I did every day for the past two years. She’d tell me about her day—the exercise class she participated in, the menu, the manicure she had, the bus ride she took and invariably there would be a funny anecdote about one of the residents, which usually had me laughing until I cried.
Mom reaches out to a visitor. I love her total concentration and compassion that comes through.
I feel her presence so I write her a letter in my journal and tell her about my day—update her on my grandsons’ activities, Wayne’s activities and my schedule. It makes me feel close to her.
I know I will make it but I also know I will miss her forever…
But life goes on…and I am celebrating my ninth blogaversary this year, and getting ready to publish my second memoir.
Time flies when you’re having fun. And it has been fun—it is a highlight in my life to meet so many wonderful people and stay connected to many. The conversation “around my kitchen table “ every week has been rich and nourishing.
Thank you for accompanying me on my journey and for enriching my life. I look forward to 2019, always hopeful for better days.
***
How about you? What is your source of hope during the tough times? Does Advent hold any special meaning for you? Do you have any seasonal traditions that give you hope?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations to Louise Carlini. Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to win a copy of Margie’s memoir, Smart Ass!
This Week:
Thursday, 12/13/18:
“Fearless Writing by Karen Brown Tyson: A WOW Blog Tour
Karen os the author of Time to Refresh: A 21-Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined.
Next Week:
Monday, 12/17/18:
“Christmas Blessings, 2018”
December 3, 2018
How a Donkey Transformed My Life by Memoirist Margie Winslow
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Margaret Winslow/@MargieWinslow
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”―James Herriot
I am thrilled to feature memoirist Margie Winslow who will share her journey to her memoir, a story of how her donkey Caleb transformed her life. Margie and I are IWWG sisters having met at the summer conferences. She is the author of an animal memoir, Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Me to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own. When Margie read an excerpt from this memoir at an Open Mic reading at one of our summer conferences ,the group was so mesmerized and enthusiastically requested she be given more time to continue!
Welcome, Margie and Caleb!
Marjorie and Caleb
How a Donkey Transformed My Life
KP: What is Smart Ass about?
MW: Hook: When an oversized donkey barges into the life of an overstressed college professor he wreaks havoc with her assumptions about what is most important in life.
The author assumes that her new donkey can be trained to perform like a horse, but soon finds out that Caleb has other plans. He is not a wannabe horse. He thwarts every attempt to subdue him; his wild spirit insists on expressing itself. By insisting on remaining true to his own unique self, he challenges the author to rediscover her own.
KP:Why did you decide to get a donkey…as an overworked, middle-aged, urban-based college professor with no experience with large farm animals?
MW: As a geologist and a professor at an urban university, I found myself at a crossroads at the start of the new millennium. After thirty years of fieldwork in South America, Alaska, and the Caribbean, numerous back injuries had taken their toll. A heavy teaching schedule and administrative duties had all but doomed any opportunities to pursue new challenges in faraway places. With my oceanographer husband away at sea for months at a time and the prospect of starting a family no longer an option, I was looking for the perfect animal companion to help navigate the next phase of my life. Most people would choose a cat or dog. I chose a donkey. Why a donkey?
Every Christmas, starting at age five, I had pestered my parents to buy me the “Genuine Mexican Burro” that was advertised in the Sears catalog. The brown -and -white drawing featured a small shaggy pony-size animal with rabbit ears. The first time I turned to the page and saw the burro’s huge dark eyes gazing shyly toward the viewer, I was mesmerized. I felt an intense yearning that was impossible to describe. For several years I begged my parents to get me this donkey until, finally, under the tree one Christmas morning, I found a large gray stuffed donkey. I later became horse-crazy and took riding lessons, until at age twenty, I was thrown and injured, which resulted in a decades-long avoidance of horses.
I never saw a live donkey until I was in my late thirties and came across hardworking donkeys while working as a field geologist in the Dominican Republic. Their steadfastness in their harsh environment captured my interest. What were these animals like? The comical ears brought back memories of that long-ago Sears ad, but it was their stoicism that captured my interest.
But that only partly explains why I became the owner — or should I say unwitting wrangler and straight man — of a seven-hundred-pound donkey.
When I returned home from the field in the spring of 2001, I found several donkey -and -mule organizations and magazines. According to the rapidly growing pile of books and articles I acquired, donkeys were steadfast and safe to ride. But other adjectives that experts used to describe these un-showy animals — affectionate, playful, smart, undervalued — struck a chord in me
KP: Are donkeys stubborn?
MW: When donkey owners are asked whether donkeys are stubborn, we insist that they are not. “Oh, no. Not at all! Circumspect, independent-thinkers, problem solvers who need time to decide if a command is worth following, but never, never stubborn.” Then we try not to smile.
KP:Where did donkeys come from originally ?
MW: The deserts of North Africa.
KP: In what ways has your donkey changed your life? Your life’s outlook?
MW: Caleb challenged me to accept his true nature — and helped me rediscover my own.
KP: Why did you decide to write a book about him?
MW: I had written two previous books about misadventures on the path to becoming a geologist while working in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. I had written about my experiences since childhood. About ten years ago I regaled friends with anecdotes about my donkey, Caleb. They encouraged me to write the stories down. I wrote the first story —about when Caleb and I showed up at a very traditional hunter pace (cross-country race), in Mexican garb, thinking that it was a Halloween costume event. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Throughout surgery and cancer treatments, I wrote stories to comfort myself and to entertain my fellow patients.
KP:What do you mean when you write that Caleb serves as both a mirror and a foil in your life?
Photo Credit: Free Pexel.com
MW: With rose-colored glasses firmly in place, I convinced myself that the side of me that had always felt underestimated as a woman in a largely male profession — the outwardly docile but tenacious striver — would resonate with a donkey’s spirit. That was the mirror part.
As Caleb seemed to take pride in opposing every single one of my goals for him, we matched tenacity with tenacity. Another mirror, actually, but at the time I thought of him as my foil. Thwarting every effort of this lifelong achiever seemed to be his goal.
KP: What do you mean when you wrote: “like the medieval court jester, donkeys speak truth to power?”
MW: In the medieval court, the only person who could make fun of the king was the court jester. Jesting evolved in Europe to a fine art of providing social commentary or even criticism hidden beneath the disguise of entertainment.
I first made that connection with Caleb from his blithe indifference to training commands and sometimes outright refusals to obey, even when doing so would seem to be to his own benefit. He would refuse until the trainer quit in disgust (this is the source of another myth about donkeys: that they are stupid) and then do the pattern perfectly.
He made fun of several trainers, yet is kind and willing, and very affectionate when people respect him.
KP: What is unique about this book?
MW: Of the many hundred books about dogs and cats, there are far fewer written —with the exception of horse books— about large farm animals. In recent years, many unusual pet/ animal companion books have appeared that feature more unusual pets.
Smart Ass started out as a collection of favorite stories about the “donkey that wouldn’t”, but as I wrote, an inner story emerged. Why was someone who was raised in the suburbs and working in NYC attracted to such an unusual animal? And why and when did curiosity about donkeys interest turn into a quest?
I had to look deep inside to find the answers about myself
Books about animals come in many types, from memoirs to collections of anecdotes but one thing they often share is that they are written after the animal has passed away. With cats and dogs, this is understandable as their lifespans are so short. So there is somewhat of an elegiac feel to many. Thankfully, Caleb at 21 years old is about at the mid-point of his lifespan. There are many adventures to come!
Book Synopsis
How do you meet a mid-life crisis? Sports car, Italian villa, inappropriate love interest? Margaret Winslow, an overworked college professor in New York City, answered a for-sale ad for a “Large White Saddle Donkey” in the American Donkey and Mule Society’s magazine, The Brayer.
Hilarity ensues, alongside life-threatening injuries and spirit-enriching insight. Through training traumas, expert-baffling antics, and humiliating races, she comes to understand of Caleb’s true, undeniable gifts: a willingness to be true to himself no matter the circumstances, to “speak truth to power,” to trust, and to forgive. As she and Caleb learn to thrive, you’ll learn the importance of being true to your own pure and powerful self
About the Author:
Margaret Winslow is a field geologist with over thirty years of field experience in Alaska, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, and the Caribbean. Originally from Huntington, New York, she lives in the lower Hudson valley of New York with her oceanographer husband, Joe Stennett. Caleb boards nearby with horses and ponies, where he continues to steal the show every day.
Dr. Winslow encountered many barriers in the essentially all-male world of field geology in the 1970s. Her thesis project was to map the rock exposures around the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. As a young woman attempting to hike and camp out during the Pinochet era in Chile, she experienced many misadventures she later incorporated into her award-winning memoirs and lecture series.
She earned a B.S cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.A., M. Phil., and PhD in Geological Sciences from Columbia University and has published over thirty papers in international scientific journals. She is Professor Emerita of Earth Sciences at the City College of New York. Her National Geographic-funded fieldwork on earthquake hazards and archaeological settlement patterns in Alaska and Chile is featured in the internationally broadcast, award-winning PBS series “Fire on the Rim.”
She is an experienced public speaker and has been interviewed by NPR’s “West Coast Live,” CBS News Radio, WABC Eyewitness News, and by The Journal News. During half-hour interviews on Napa TV in 2015 and 2016, she discussed her travel memoirs, Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond (2012), and The Cusp of Dreadfulness (2016). In 2018, she was interviewed by the Scott Polar Research Institute of Cambridge University for their upcoming “Women in Antarctica” series. She was interviewed by Bonnie Graham’s radio program, “Read My Lips Radio” (04/30/18) regarding her journey toward becoming a geologist and author as well as her adventures in remote regions.
Websites: http://www.margaretwinslow.com, https://www.margiewinslow.com
Twitter: Caleb the Donkey @margiewinslow
Facebook: Margaret Winslow
New Book! Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Me
to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own
Award-Winning Author of travel memoirs: Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats
from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond
and The Cusp of Dreadfulness
***
Thank you Margie for sharing your journey to memoir with Caleb. Any animal lover will know how our pets enrich our lives.
**
How about you? Do you have a pet who has helped you to grow and has transformed your life?
Margie has graciously offered to give away a copy of her memoir to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.
We’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Next Week:
Thursday, 12/13/18:
“Fearless Writing by Karen Brown Tyson: A Wow Blog Tour”
Karen is the author of Time to Refresh: A 21- Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined.
How a Donkey Transformed My Life by Memoirist Marjorie Winslow
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Marjorie Winslow/@MargieWinslow
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.”―James Herriot
I am thrilled to feature memoirist Margie Winslow who will share her journey to her memoir, a story of how her donkey Caleb transformed her life. Margie and I are IWWG sisters having met at the summer conferences. She is the author of an animal memoir, Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Me to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own. When Margie read an excerpt from this memoir at an Open Mic reading at one of our summer conferences ,the group was so mesmerized and enthusiastically requested she be given more time to continue!
Welcome, Margie and Caleb!
Marjorie and Caleb
How a Donkey Transformed My Life
KP: What is Smart Ass about?
MW: Hook: When an oversized donkey barges into the life of an overstressed college professor he wreaks havoc with her assumptions about what is most important in life.
The author assumes that her new donkey can be trained to perform like a horse, but soon finds out that Caleb has other plans. He is not a wannabe horse. He thwarts every attempt to subdue him; his wild spirit insists on expressing itself. By insisting on remaining true to his own unique self, he challenges the author to rediscover her own.
KP:Why did you decide to get a donkey…as an overworked, middle-aged, urban-based college professor with no experience with large farm animals?
MW: As a geologist and a professor at an urban university, I found myself at a crossroads at the start of the new millennium. After thirty years of fieldwork in South America, Alaska, and the Caribbean, numerous back injuries had taken their toll. A heavy teaching schedule and administrative duties had all but doomed any opportunities to pursue new challenges in faraway places. With my oceanographer husband away at sea for months at a time and the prospect of starting a family no longer an option, I was looking for the perfect animal companion to help navigate the next phase of my life. Most people would choose a cat or dog. I chose a donkey. Why a donkey?
Every Christmas, starting at age five, I had pestered my parents to buy me the “Genuine Mexican Burro” that was advertised in the Sears catalog. The brown -and -white drawing featured a small shaggy pony-size animal with rabbit ears. The first time I turned to the page and saw the burro’s huge dark eyes gazing shyly toward the viewer, I was mesmerized. I felt an intense yearning that was impossible to describe. For several years I begged my parents to get me this donkey until, finally, under the tree one Christmas morning, I found a large gray stuffed donkey. I later became horse-crazy and took riding lessons, until at age twenty, I was thrown and injured, which resulted in a decades-long avoidance of horses.
I never saw a live donkey until I was in my late thirties and came across hardworking donkeys while working as a field geologist in the Dominican Republic. Their steadfastness in their harsh environment captured my interest. What were these animals like? The comical ears brought back memories of that long-ago Sears ad, but it was their stoicism that captured my interest.
But that only partly explains why I became the owner — or should I say unwitting wrangler and straight man — of a seven-hundred-pound donkey.
When I returned home from the field in the spring of 2001, I found several donkey -and -mule organizations and magazines. According to the rapidly growing pile of books and articles I acquired, donkeys were steadfast and safe to ride. But other adjectives that experts used to describe these un-showy animals — affectionate, playful, smart, undervalued — struck a chord in me
KP: Are donkeys stubborn?
MW: When donkey owners are asked whether donkeys are stubborn, we insist that they are not. “Oh, no. Not at all! Circumspect, independent-thinkers, problem solvers who need time to decide if a command is worth following, but never, never stubborn.” Then we try not to smile.
KP:Where did donkeys come from originally ?
MW: The deserts of North Africa.
KP: In what ways has your donkey changed your life? Your life’s outlook?
MW: Caleb challenged me to accept his true nature — and helped me rediscover my own.
KP: Why did you decide to write a book about him?
MW: I had written two previous books about misadventures on the path to becoming a geologist while working in Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship. I had written about my experiences since childhood. About ten years ago I regaled friends with anecdotes about my donkey, Caleb. They encouraged me to write the stories down. I wrote the first story —about when Caleb and I showed up at a very traditional hunter pace (cross-country race), in Mexican garb, thinking that it was a Halloween costume event. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. Throughout surgery and cancer treatments, I wrote stories to comfort myself and to entertain my fellow patients.
KP:What do you mean when you write that Caleb serves as both a mirror and a foil in your life?
Photo Credit: Free Pexel.com
MW: With rose-colored glasses firmly in place, I convinced myself that the side of me that had always felt underestimated as a woman in a largely male profession — the outwardly docile but tenacious striver — would resonate with a donkey’s spirit. That was the mirror part.
As Caleb seemed to take pride in opposing every single one of my goals for him, we matched tenacity with tenacity. Another mirror, actually, but at the time I thought of him as my foil. Thwarting every effort of this lifelong achiever seemed to be his goal.
KP: What do you mean when you wrote: “like the medieval court jester, donkeys speak truth to power?”
MW: In the medieval court, the only person who could make fun of the king was the court jester. Jesting evolved in Europe to a fine art of providing social commentary or even criticism hidden beneath the disguise of entertainment.
I first made that connection with Caleb from his blithe indifference to training commands and sometimes outright refusals to obey, even when doing so would seem to be to his own benefit. He would refuse until the trainer quit in disgust (this is the source of another myth about donkeys: that they are stupid) and then do the pattern perfectly.
He made fun of several trainers, yet is kind and willing, and very affectionate when people respect him.
KP: What is unique about this book?
MW: Of the many hundred books about dogs and cats, there are far fewer written —with the exception of horse books— about large farm animals. In recent years, many unusual pet/ animal companion books have appeared that feature more unusual pets.
Smart Ass started out as a collection of favorite stories about the “donkey that wouldn’t”, but as I wrote, an inner story emerged. Why was someone who was raised in the suburbs and working in NYC attracted to such an unusual animal? And why and when did curiosity about donkeys interest turn into a quest?
I had to look deep inside to find the answers about myself
Books about animals come in many types, from memoirs to collections of anecdotes but one thing they often share is that they are written after the animal has passed away. With cats and dogs, this is understandable as their lifespans are so short. So there is somewhat of an elegiac feel to many. Thankfully, Caleb at 21 years old is about at the mid-point of his lifespan. There are many adventures to come!
Book Synopsis
How do you meet a mid-life crisis? Sports car, Italian villa, inappropriate love interest? Margaret Winslow, an overworked college professor in New York City, answered a for-sale ad for a “Large White Saddle Donkey” in the American Donkey and Mule Society’s magazine, The Brayer.
Hilarity ensues, alongside life-threatening injuries and spirit-enriching insight. Through training traumas, expert-baffling antics, and humiliating races, she comes to understand of Caleb’s true, undeniable gifts: a willingness to be true to himself no matter the circumstances, to “speak truth to power,” to trust, and to forgive. As she and Caleb learn to thrive, you’ll learn the importance of being true to your own pure and powerful self
About the Author:
Margaret Winslow is a field geologist with over thirty years of field experience in Alaska, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, Antarctica, and the Caribbean. Originally from Huntington, New York, she lives in the lower Hudson valley of New York with her oceanographer husband, Joe Stennett. Caleb boards nearby with horses and ponies, where he continues to steal the show every day.
Dr. Winslow encountered many barriers in the essentially all-male world of field geology in the 1970s. Her thesis project was to map the rock exposures around the Strait of Magellan and Tierra del Fuego. As a young woman attempting to hike and camp out during the Pinochet era in Chile, she experienced many misadventures she later incorporated into her award-winning memoirs and lecture series.
She earned a B.S cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and an M.A., M. Phil., and PhD in Geological Sciences from Columbia University and has published over thirty papers in international scientific journals. She is Professor Emerita of Earth Sciences at the City College of New York. Her National Geographic-funded fieldwork on earthquake hazards and archaeological settlement patterns in Alaska and Chile is featured in the internationally broadcast, award-winning PBS series “Fire on the Rim.”
She is an experienced public speaker and has been interviewed by NPR’s “West Coast Live,” CBS News Radio, WABC Eyewitness News, and by The Journal News. During half-hour interviews on Napa TV in 2015 and 2016, she discussed her travel memoirs, Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond (2012), and The Cusp of Dreadfulness (2016). In 2018, she was interviewed by the Scott Polar Research Institute of Cambridge University for their upcoming “Women in Antarctica” series. She was interviewed by Bonnie Graham’s radio program, “Read My Lips Radio” (04/30/18) regarding her journey toward becoming a geologist and author as well as her adventures in remote regions.
Websites: http://www.margaretwinslow.com, https://www.margiewinslow.com
Twitter: Caleb the Donkey @margiewinslow
Facebook: Margaret Winslow
New Book! Smart Ass: How a Donkey Challenged Me
to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own
Award-Winning Author of travel memoirs: Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats
from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond
and The Cusp of Dreadfulness
***
Thank you Margie for sharing your journey to memoir with Caleb. Any animal lover will know how our pets enrich our lives.
**
How about you? Do you have a pet who has helped you to grow and has transformed your life?
Margie has graciously offered to give away a copy of her memoir to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.
We’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
Next Week:
Thursday, 12/13/18:
“Fearless Writing by Karen Brown Tyson: A Wow Blog Tour”
Karen is the author of Time to Refresh: A 21- Day Devotional to Renew Your Mind After Being Laid Off, Fired or Sidelined.
November 29, 2018
You Want to Write in Different Genres? 5 Things to Remember by Cindy Fazzi: A WOW Blog Tour
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Cindy Fazzi/@CindyFazzi
Welcome to Cindy Fazzi’s WOW Blog Tour for her new novel, My MacArthur.
Author Cindy Fazzi
You Want to Write in Different Genres? 5 Things to Remember by Cindy Fazzi: A WOW Blog Tour
Most writing teachers advise us to stick to one genre. It’s the most logical thing to do to build our audience and brand. And yet, authors such as Agatha Christie, J.K. Rowling, and Margaret Atwood, have succeeded in juggling different genres. So, if you decide to break the “genre monogamy” rule, there are certain things you should remember.
The publication this month of my historical novel, My MacAthur, came in the heels of two romance novels. All three books were traditionally published. I never intended to write in different genres, but after more than a decade of failing to get my “serious” novels published, I wrote romance. I’m glad I did because it brought my publishing breakthrough.
5 Things to Keep in Mind
There are many reasons why genre monogamy just won’t cut it sometimes. If you are thinking of writing in different genres, here are some of the things you should keep in mind.
#1 Try to choose genres that are close enough. Notice that I wrote try. I understand that some writers are compelled to write vastly different genres.
In my case, when I signed with a literary agent who represented My MacArthur for a while, my first romance book had just been acquired (without representation). My former agent told me she wasn’t concerned because romance was close enough to My MacArthur, a biographical novel about General Douglas MacArthur’s love affair with a young Filipino actress in the 1930s. My MacArthur, however, is decidedly not a romance book because of its political and racial undercurrents. It also veers away from the happily-ever-after convention.
# 2 Brace yourself for the hard work. When you stick to one genre, you are building your audience and reputation with every book. So when you venture into another genre, you will have to start from scratch. It means twice as much work.
All of the blog posts, promotions, and book reviews under my pseudonym, Vina Arno, are separate. I have two Goodreads author pages, one for my pen name and another for my real name. Even my list of contacts for book reviews and promotions are separate. My only consolation is that some of my romance readers also want to read My MacArthur. Again, this goes back to item #1.
#3 Write your best book regardless of genre. In the end, it’s not about genre, but the quality of your work. Your readers should be able to expect great writing and storytelling each time they pick a book you wrote. Let your books be identified by your voice and originality, not a genre. Elevate your writing to the highest level by attending workshops and courses, getting meaningful critiques, and revising as much as you need to.
#4 Do what it takes to move your writing forward. Sticking to one genre is great if everything is working out, but if your first three horror books failed, you need to re-evaluate. This is especially relevant if you’re traditionally published. It’s unlikely that a publisher would invest in your fourth horror book if you have a poor sales track record.
Melanie Hauser adopted a pseudonym and wrote in another genre after her chick lit novels were unsuccessful. The world knows her today as Melanie Benjamin (her pen name), author of the best-selling historical novel, “The Aviator’s Wife.”
#5 Do what it takes to nourish your creativity. Let’s say your horror novels are giving Stephen King a run for his money. But writing 20 horror books in five years might kill your creativity. Perhaps it’s time to focus on the political thriller you’ve always wanted to write. Do it; nourish your creativity regardless of genre.
As for me, the fate of my second historical novel rests on the success of My MacArthur and whether a publisher would acquire it. For some of us, writing in different genres is not a whim but a means to adapt.
***
Thank you , Cindy for these valuable tips on writing in a different genre. I especially appreciate your statement “Let your books be identified by your voice and originality, not a genre”. You show how the decision-making process is a deliberate and thoughtful one.
***
About the Author
Cindy Fazzi is a Filipino-American writer and former Associated Press reporter. My MacArthur, published by Sand Hill Review Press, is her literary debut. She writes romance novels under the pen name Vina Arno. Her first romance book, In His Corner, was published by Lyrical Press, while her second romance novel, Finder Keeper of My Heart, was published by Painted Hearts Publishing. Her short stories have been published in Snake Nation Review, Copperfield Review, and SN Review.
Title: MY MACARTHUR
Author: Cindy Fazzi
Genre: Historical fiction, biographical fiction, literary fiction
Publisher: Sand Hill Review Press
Read an excerpt of My MacArthur .
Get a copy of My MacArthur:
Connect with Cindy Fazzi
Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads, Google+
Book Synopsis:
The year is 1930. The place: Manila. Douglas MacArthur is the most powerful man in the Philippines, a United States colony. He’s fifty years old, divorced, and he falls in love at first sight with a ravishing young Filipino woman. He writes her a love note on the spot. Her name is Isabel Rosario Cooper, an aspiring movie actress. One glance at his note and she thinks of him as my MacArthur.MacArthur pursues his romantic obsession even though he’s breaking numerous taboos. She reciprocates his affection because he could open doors for her financially struggling family. That MacArthur happens to be handsome compensates for the fact that he’s as old as her father.
When MacArthur is appointed the U.S. Army chief of staff, he becomes the youngest four-star general and one of America’s most powerful men. Out of hubris, he takes Isabel with him to America without marrying her.
Amid the backdrop of the Great Depression, MacArthur and Isabel’s relationship persists like “a perilous voyage on turbulent waters,” as she describes it. In 1934, after four years of relationship, MacArthur leaves Isabel for fear of a political scandal.
The general goes on to become the iconic hero of World War II, liberating the Philippines and rebuilding Japan. Isabel drifts in Los Angeles unable to muster the courage to return to Manila. As he ascends to his special place in American history, she plunges into a dark place, ultimately meeting a tragic death.
Print Length: 285 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Sand Hill Review Press
ISBN: 9781937818968
My MacArthur is now available to purchase on Amazon.com as an e-book (and print ) as well as at Barnes and Noble .
Next Week:
Monday, 12/3/18:
“How a Donkey Transformed My Life by Memoirist Marjorie Winslow”
Margie is the author of Smart Ass: How A Donkey Challenged Me to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own, the story of Caleb the donkey and his impact on the author.
November 26, 2018
Gratitude as a Pathway to Healing: A Memoir Moment
Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler
“It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful. ~ Unknown
Photo Pixabay Free Image
Gratitude As A Pathway To Healing
I want to start out by thanking all my friends who showered me with loving, supportive messages in response to my 11/12 post. Your messages have buoyed me up and given me strength and inspiration as I move along in my journey. Like this one, a card from my dear writer friend Marian Beaman who reminded me that the “kites represented flying victorious over the obstacles.” Thank you, Marian! Be sure to visit Marian at her delightful blog, Plain and Fancy Girl where she regales her readers with stories from her Mennonite roots.
I appreciate you all more than words can say. Your words and presence are helping me navigate this rocky road of health challenges.
***
Do you ever feeI like you’ve been in a wrestling match with yourself?
That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling lately as I grapple with kidney failure and daily dialysis. It’s easy to become consumed with the negative when faced with unwanted changes in my life. At least it has been for me. I don’t want to be tethered to a machine for the rest of my life and yet it’s keeping me alive. I realized that I was not accepting the limitations and in not working with it, I was making it more difficult for myself as well as those around me who have to deal with me.
Since this strategy was not working for me, I decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with myself. I had two choices…stay mired in the swamp or concentrate on ways to move forward.
When I stopped to think about it, I realized that no matter what our situation, there is always something to be grateful for.
Gratitude plays a part in our lives during the good times as well as the bad. We learn from our challenges and our setbacks.
I started to ask myself, what is the lesson here?
In light of all the horrific news that is swirling around–mass murders, devastating forest fires, political unrest, I can stop and be grateful that at least for today, I am safe. I have made a conscious decision to stay in the game, accept the limitations (in all honesty, some days are easier than others) and live in gratitude for all that is going well.
Living in Gratitude…
Since Thanksgiving Day was last week for my fellow Americans, it occurs to me that gratitude is a timely topic. But then I wonder,
W hy does it take an external event like Thanksgiving to focus on the blessings of gratitude in our lives?
I can think of a million reasons to be grateful all year around. My blessings far outweigh my trials and all I have to do is stop and think about where I’ve been and where I am now to get in touch with these blessings.
There are many ways to nurture gratitude–a gratitude journal, a gratitude jar, a gratitude list, a kindness extended to someone in need. I don’t have to do much to get in touch with my gratitude.
The Blessing of Gratitude…
Life’s Second Chances
For starters, as I’ve mentioned before, twenty-two years ago in 1996 around this time of year, I was diagnosed with late stage Non-Hodgkins’ Lymphoma and wondered if I would survive.
How can I forget that breathing was a conscious effort back then?
What a gift it is to be able to breathe without giving it a thought, a gift of another chance at life.
The truth is I’m still here, and these past twenty-two years have been the happiest ones of my life, despite the health challenges.
We are able to find some joy in our lives when we look for something positive, even when things are not going well.
Look past the negativity to find the bright spots in your life.
What I’ve realized is that gratitude is at the core of happiness. When you look for the smallest joys, your world becomes brighter. Living in gratitude offers a pathway to healing my mind, body and spirit and helps me to live my life in the fullest.
***
I hope you all had a blessed and enjoyable Thanksgiving. As you gathered around your tables with your family and friends, I hope you got in touch with all you have to be grateful for.
***
How about you? Do you find gratitude brings you more joy? How do you find gratitude when your world is crashing in?
I’d love to hear from you. Please join in the conversation below~
***
This Week:
November 2018 Newsletter: Updates,Memoir Musings, Max Moments:
“Living in Gratitude”
If you are interested in receiving this monthly newsletter in your inbox, please sign up in the right sidebar. I’d love to have you along!
Thursday, 11/29/18:
“The Challenge of Writing in Different Genres by Cindy Fazzi: A WOW Blog Tour”
Cindy is the author of a historical fiction novel, My MacArthur, the story of a woman who has an affair with General MacArthur during World War II.
Next Week:
Monday, 12/3/18:
“How a Donkey Transformed My Life by Memoirist Marjorie Winslow”
Margie is the author of Smart Ass: How A Donkey Challenged Me to Accept His True Nature & Rediscover My Own, the story of Caleb the donkey and his impact on the author.
