http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ I'm participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April along with 1286 others, as of today!!! Wow! This is one of the biggest "Blog Hops" I've participated in and I'm excited. I'm doing it for the discipline, the imagination, and the fun. Check it out and see what you think!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
A to Z Blogging Challenge in April
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ I'm participating in the A to Z Blogging Challenge in April along with 1286 others, as of today!!! Wow! This is one of the biggest "Blog Hops" I've participated in and I'm excited. I'm doing it for the discipline, the imagination, and the fun. Check it out and see what you think!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Book Review: Kitchen Privileges by Mary Higgins Clark
I just finished reading Mary Higgins Clark's memoir
"Kitchen Privileges" and I almost felt ashamed to be whining about my
"issues" in my (writer's) life. Yes, I have issues, but not like she
did. She does not whine or beg for anyone’s pity, ever. She writes about her losses
in such an understated way. I think that is her trademark, why she is so
successful. She was once told that her writing was “Light, slight and trite”. I think it’s because she writes in an
understated way and if you aren’t paying attention it’s easy to miss her depth.
Try her short stories sometime. Think she’s a “safe” writer? Not in some of her
short stories! I think when you live through what she has you end up hiding a
part of yourself, maybe even from yourself, to survive. Because you fear that if
you really thought about how bad things are you wouldn’t make it. Maybe those
short stories she wrote, the ones that aren’t her typical, that are tough,
hard, and sad with no happy endings, show a part of her that she had to hide. The
part of her that was afraid, the part of her that gave in to the blackness at
the bottom of the pit. I’m reading between the lines here, but I have a hard
time believing anyone could go through so much loss and not have darkness somewhere
inside. From this memoir I get the impression her family and her writing gave
her a way to the light.
I am inspired by MHC’s determination, her never seeming to
let life take her to rock bottom. Life must have taken her down, quite a few
times, but she proved her resilience by continuing on, by raising five children
without a husband by her side. Her mother was her source of courage I’m sure,
and was a huge help in making her life possible after her husband’s death. I
take heart from memoirs like hers and will try to apply that hope to my own
struggles, internal though they may be in comparison to what she, and others
throughout time, have gone through physically to pull through. Makes me wonder
if your success is only as large as the pit you had to crawl out of was deep. I
hope not. I have been blessed not to have lived through the same challenges she
did. My challenges are my own. Who is to say if one produces more “success”
than the other? Only time. Only time, and effort, will answer that one. So, I
will keep on trying. Thank you, Mary Higgins Clark, for sharing your “story”
with us, your fans. You are a living inspiration.
http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Privileges-Memoirs-Bronx-Girlhood/dp/0743529200/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332620506&sr=1-4
Morning Has Broken...In Upon My Sleep
Click for the song
“Morning has broken,” well, not really. Only by the clock. Outside
it is still dark and I should still be asleep. But my mind and body are in
cahoots against me staying in bed, and so I find myself here, putting this time
to some use.
I have submitted the “new and improved” copy of Evangeline’s
Miracle to CreateSpace. Another step in this long business of trying to “make
it” as an indy published author. Time will tell if going this route will be easier
than with selfpublishing.com or not: whether the lesser cost on the front end
will be beneficial or not. Building my own road map isn’t easy, is stressful
and causes me to question myself all the time.
However I continue to push on through, mainly because I do
enjoy the writing process, most of the time. I enjoy the stories selling for
sure. But really, I continue because of one person’s belief in me and my
abilities. He helps me think of something besides my fear of failure. The thought
of making his faith in me worthwhile is a driving factor in trying to pay
attention to what the future might hold in a positive way instead of negative.
I hope that soon he will share this “business” with me and
not have to go somewhere else to work every day. This is a goal. This I strive
toward. This pulls me out of my own issues, allowing me to concentrate on
making a mark upon the world in a good way.
I am blessed with good and great friends. I am blessed with
good health and a wonderful family. I have to remember that I am blessed at
times like these when I feel alone in my bones.
Now I’ll go and ponder upon the Seventh Man and see if he
will allow me to find the spark that’s missing. I wish you all a good weekend
and hope you have many opportunities to tell someone you love and appreciate
them: to give lots of people hugs and be hugged in return.
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