Cold Weather is coming and the wind is changing.
Time to switch out the clothes and settle in for the winter.
It can also be a time to re-evaluate your goals and see if you are on track to where you want to be by the end of the year.
I have a short story I'm trying to get done and then I need to get going on a series I've been planning all year.
Guess I better get my rear in gear and get-her-done.
Tina
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Reaching Your Destination
The journey of a thousand miles
starts with a single step.
Chinese Proverb.
Even once you're on the path some steps are harder than other and the need to rest can claim us. Stop take a breath and continue. As long as you keep moving forward you will reach your destination.
Have a wonderful week,
Tina
Friday, September 25, 2009
A Casual Comment
How many times has a friend or co-worker suggested you try something?
Your answer, "Sure, I plan on doing that, but today I’m just too busy."
Yet, one day for no reason, you don’t put it off. You go to the gym and meet a handsome hunk on the way inside the building.
"Never happen," you say, and you know it can’t happen to you.
But what happens when it does?
I have a friend that made such a casual comment to me.
"Hey, Tina. There’s this great publisher that might like your story. Why don’t you send it in?"
Now, I could have put it off. Said the timing wasn’t right.
I didn’t. I took a chance.
Guess what?
It paid off. I sold my first book.
Never happen to you.
I can’t say.
Just don’t let the undertow of despair wash away the waves of hope that come your way.
Tina
Your answer, "Sure, I plan on doing that, but today I’m just too busy."
Yet, one day for no reason, you don’t put it off. You go to the gym and meet a handsome hunk on the way inside the building.
"Never happen," you say, and you know it can’t happen to you.
But what happens when it does?
I have a friend that made such a casual comment to me.
"Hey, Tina. There’s this great publisher that might like your story. Why don’t you send it in?"
Now, I could have put it off. Said the timing wasn’t right.
I didn’t. I took a chance.
Guess what?
It paid off. I sold my first book.
Never happen to you.
I can’t say.
Just don’t let the undertow of despair wash away the waves of hope that come your way.
Tina
Monday, September 21, 2009
Speak
The courage to speak must be matched
by the wisdom to listen.
Well-timed silence
hat more eloquence than speech.
M.T. Tupper
A skill I'm still struggling to master.
Have a wonderful week,
Tina
by the wisdom to listen.
Well-timed silence
hat more eloquence than speech.
M.T. Tupper
A skill I'm still struggling to master.
Have a wonderful week,
Tina
Friday, September 18, 2009
Fitting In
This may sound like a strange topic for a person over forty, but if you think about it, we all want to fit in one way or another.
Some of us go to a job outside our homes where we have to get along with a grumpy receptionist or deal with a knit-picking boss. We shares our woes of our imperfect job with a friend, someone who makes us feel that we’re not alone on those days when we feel out of sync with our co-workers.
In that respect, I don’t have to worry. You see I write. There’s no one around when I write. It’s a solitary endeavor, which would make one think I’m home free, in paradise, away from the annoying people of the outside world.
Wrong! I get lonely. I have this insatiable desire to talk, and talk, and talk some more. It’s a terrible habit I can’t seem to break.
And what do I want to talk about?
Writing, it’s kind of a passion for me.
Yeah? Well, what about your family? They’re interested, right?
Not when you are a romance writer and a mother of two teenage boys. World of War Craft and video games, karate and fencing moves; these are the topics of choice in my house.
So where are my comrades, the people to whom I can connect?
Lost, I thought, in a world of their own design, stuck behind their desk, in their office, on a street far, far away in another galaxy.
So I prepared myself for the journey and scouted out my local library. A critique group was forming of local writers. I joined right in, ready to share my heart. My enthusiasm dimmed quickly when I discovered that the other writers didn’t exactly share my passion for romantic novels.
Still I went; searching for other places my compatriots might be hiding. A local community class was an alternative I looked into. And it worked for a short time but again, with a wide range of interests and different genres, I didn’t feel at home. But I was lucky enough to be given a name of a group that seemed to be what I wanted.
Romance Writers of America had a local chapter not far from my house, and they met once a month. They didn’t require a secret handshake to join, but I must say when I walked into that first meeting, I was leery.
Would this be the right place for me? Would I be accepted?
The lady that took my money at the door, smiled at me, was even friendly. But then again, that was her job, she wanted my money. She suggested I attend the ask-an-author session being held across the hall.
The published author would answer any question I had, she said.
Right, I thought, like they’re going to talk to me, an unpublished nobody.
To my surprise, they did.
Then they walked into the RWA meeting with me, sat down in the same room with me, and treated me like an equal. To my happy surprise, no one called me out for being a wanna-be, a bad pretender, a no name author.
Well, as you can guess, I found my home. The ladies and men in the group welcomed me each time I attended a meeting. They didn’t scoff at my stupid questions, but instead told me things I needed to know. They supported my passion with cheers of encouragement.
I made friends. I became involved. With their help and support, I changed.
And now that I have my first contract, I know I will find the help I need to take me to the next level.
Thank you everyone at Heartland Writers Group for the beautiful ripples you’ve made in my life.
Some of us go to a job outside our homes where we have to get along with a grumpy receptionist or deal with a knit-picking boss. We shares our woes of our imperfect job with a friend, someone who makes us feel that we’re not alone on those days when we feel out of sync with our co-workers.
In that respect, I don’t have to worry. You see I write. There’s no one around when I write. It’s a solitary endeavor, which would make one think I’m home free, in paradise, away from the annoying people of the outside world.
Wrong! I get lonely. I have this insatiable desire to talk, and talk, and talk some more. It’s a terrible habit I can’t seem to break.
And what do I want to talk about?
Writing, it’s kind of a passion for me.
Yeah? Well, what about your family? They’re interested, right?
Not when you are a romance writer and a mother of two teenage boys. World of War Craft and video games, karate and fencing moves; these are the topics of choice in my house.
So where are my comrades, the people to whom I can connect?
Lost, I thought, in a world of their own design, stuck behind their desk, in their office, on a street far, far away in another galaxy.
So I prepared myself for the journey and scouted out my local library. A critique group was forming of local writers. I joined right in, ready to share my heart. My enthusiasm dimmed quickly when I discovered that the other writers didn’t exactly share my passion for romantic novels.
Still I went; searching for other places my compatriots might be hiding. A local community class was an alternative I looked into. And it worked for a short time but again, with a wide range of interests and different genres, I didn’t feel at home. But I was lucky enough to be given a name of a group that seemed to be what I wanted.
Romance Writers of America had a local chapter not far from my house, and they met once a month. They didn’t require a secret handshake to join, but I must say when I walked into that first meeting, I was leery.
Would this be the right place for me? Would I be accepted?
The lady that took my money at the door, smiled at me, was even friendly. But then again, that was her job, she wanted my money. She suggested I attend the ask-an-author session being held across the hall.
The published author would answer any question I had, she said.
Right, I thought, like they’re going to talk to me, an unpublished nobody.
To my surprise, they did.
Then they walked into the RWA meeting with me, sat down in the same room with me, and treated me like an equal. To my happy surprise, no one called me out for being a wanna-be, a bad pretender, a no name author.
Well, as you can guess, I found my home. The ladies and men in the group welcomed me each time I attended a meeting. They didn’t scoff at my stupid questions, but instead told me things I needed to know. They supported my passion with cheers of encouragement.
I made friends. I became involved. With their help and support, I changed.
And now that I have my first contract, I know I will find the help I need to take me to the next level.
Thank you everyone at Heartland Writers Group for the beautiful ripples you’ve made in my life.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
A Birthday Story
Some might look at this cake and laugh. It's not perfect. No expert cook baked it. But the love inside is much greater, which to me makes it the best cake ever.
My husband and I watch a lot of food network. The cake decorating show are some of our favorite. We've talked many times about getting the recipe for fondant. It has to be hard, if the chef use it right?
Well, I can't say, but my husband can. He found the recipe on the internet and decide to give it a try for my birthday.
Not a simple task, he spend hours mixing the recipe together and rolling out the dough. What you see is the time it takes to create a beautful example of what a man will do for the woman he loves.
A master piece in my eyes, I am very blessed to be married to such an awesome guy. Even if he drives me crazy at times.
And the flowers are a gift from my son. Hope when your birthday comes around, it's as good for you.
Tina
Monday, September 14, 2009
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