WINNERS: What it Takes to Become One

You love winning, right? I love winning. We all love winning.

But how can you ALWAYS be a winner?

You must have a winner's attitude. A true winner looks at the worst day in history and sees one blooming flower beneath the crush of awfulness. That's their focus. There's a win.

So whether you win a prize today or not, you're a winner in my book.

Speaking of winners... Let's begin.

First, I'd like to introduce a total winner. Some of you may have met Theresa Milstein on the blogosphere or through Facebook, but I've been blessed to associate closely with her for many years and read her phenomenal poetry while we've both grown as writers. This woman has SERIOUS skills. Beautiful turning of the word in prose that leaves you feeling smarter and inspired. And guess what?!

HER POETRY IS GETTING PUBLISHED!!! How epic is that?

Time and Circumstance
by Theresa Milstein

Publication date: March, 2017

“The trunk of this family is lost to history / Photo fragments remain as shadows”

With subtle wit, and poignant imagery, the unrelenting passage of time connects the  vignettes in Theresa Milstein’s Time and Circumstance. This reflective collection of real and imagined poetry and prose, speculates on an erratic childhood, the uncertainty of adolescence, and the reality of parenthood, through flashbacks of love lost and found.

“This everyday, why again, sometimes / ignored tune has measured time in notes, / seconds, minutes, days, years, and so it goes. / It’s a measure of the man he will become.”

And now for the winner of the TIMELESS Cover Reveal Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yay for the winners! But they're not the only ones. I could not believe the outpouring of love with my cover reveal. Seriously. Over 60 people shared my cover throughout the week. Thank you all! But I promised one winner an Amazon gift card. I wish I could give everyone a gift card for helping.

And so the winner is:

Meradeth Houston!

AND LEST YOU SHOULD THINK YOU'VE BEEN SHAFTED BY THE WINNER CIRCLE, YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO WIN:

Want to win a PRINT copy of the book?

ENTER NOW

Goodreads Book Giveaway

     

Timeless

by Crystal Collier

Giveaway ends October 11, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

BTW, sign ups are still open for

(but not for long)

Participate HERE.

Three weeks ago, Elizabeth Seckman shared two lies and one truth with us. Anyone who guessed one of her lie correctly was entered to win an eBook of SWEPT AWAY.

The game:

1. My first week of college, I got the flu and threw up in the elevator. Fortunately, everyone on the elevator just thought I'd been drinking and didn't make a big deal of it.
2. When I was a little girl, my sisters tried to turn me into a beauty pageant queen, but I'd never walk on a stage.
3. The first time I took my driver's test, I backed into a police officer (barely bumped her...no harm done!) and failed the test.

The truth: #2. They bought Elizabeth all the cute outfits and did weeks of "rehearsals". The day of the pageant, her sister's car broke down, so they walked miles to get to the local fair grounds where the pageant was held. She did fine in all the practice runs on stage. The day of the pageant, she could see people in the audience over the blinding stage lights. She took a step, maybe two, and froze. That was the end of her beauty queen career.

Way to guess everyone! And the winner is:

...DRUM ROLL...

THE CYNICAL SAILOR!

Congrats!

There will be full month of Truth or Lie games and giveaways coming in October. Are you ready for this awesomeness?

Have you ever won anything cool? What do you think makes a winner? Do you like poetry?

Choices, Choices

Have you ever been stuck in a phase of life where it was difficult to find happiness?

I remember living in NYC, how cramped, loud, smelly and exhausting every day was. Strangely, it was also one of the best times of my life. Having just given birth to #3, I learned how to homeschool my 6 yr old--while on double diaper duty with a 1 yr old. Every day was a struggle, start to finish. I could have been VERY miserable there, but a couple things happened.

1. I started seriously into my writing career. I met a wonderful agent who was kind enough to look over my most recent book and encouraged my growth and development. That gave me hope.

2. I really had the chance to focus on my family, and just my family. Spending that much time with my littles, I finally fell in love with being a mommy. (Yeah, it took 6 years--some of us learn faster than others.)

It didn't have to be the crucible of NYC that taught me these things, but the adverse circumstances helped.

I remember a time a couple years ago as I stood, hands submerged in soapy water while I cleaned dishes--without a dishwasher--and grumbled about the never ending chore. Suddenly it struck me. There will always be dishes. I can't change that. What I could change was my attitude, and from that moment on I tried to think of the family I was serving every time a job got especially arduous. I'd think about the clean/safe environment I was creating for them, and how it would add to the overall peace and happiness of our household.

My mom who is away on a service mission said it best: "Love what you are doing - and if you aren't doing that, it is time to refocus."

Happy Monday, friends. How's your focus today?

How to Find Happiness A-Z: L

Listen.

What do you hear? I hear a little boy chanting, the scrape of a chair, the hum of a refrigerator, the click of a microwave...

The world around us is filled with confusion and noise. It's hard to tune out the sounds, voices, and electronic devices long enough to even ponder what's going on inside ourselves; but for true happiness, this is an essential element.

Picture courtesy of aresauburn

One of the things that brought me the most happiness as a teen was going out to the yard, sitting on my thinking rock, and watching a sunset or starry night sky. Just listening to and observing nature calmed my heart and gave me the perspective to deal with the crazy crazy of each school day, relationship issues, and the stresses of finding my place. Listening, or not listening to all the other insistent voices out there helped me find my center.

True happiness also stems out of the relationships we build. Do you have a friend who loves to call you, but all they ever talk about is themselves? How deep is that friendship? Do you eventually tire of that person? My advice is, don't be that person. Listening, truly listening to others requires a certain amount of investment. It means we have to care about the person in order to care about what is said. It means we have to be willing to tune out all the other noises and focus. Now I admit, when my six year old tells me the exact same thing for the fiftieth time, it's difficult to want to pay attention, but the most profound things come out of that kid's mouth. Caring about others adds a deeper dimension to ourselves. Deeper satisfaction comes from seeking others' happiness before our own. That's why parenthood is such a noble/maturing/humbling/satisfying thing.

My husband's first boss in NYC was an "art-EE-st"! The guy carried so much ego you couldn't come within twenty feet of him without being knocked off your feet. He also couldn't keep employees to save his life. Wonder why. *shaking head* He was so concerned about being right and perfection that he never paused to consider people had "feelings". Everyone quit within a week, and he blamed it on them--thinking they were all just lemons. (My hubby made it 6 months, by the way--poor guy.)

I call that an extreme case of self-preoccupation.

My neighbor in NYC was the reverse. She immediately came over to meet us when we moved in. She sincerely asked about our lives every time we saw each other, and I knew I could call on her if needed--which, it was. As my husband and I climbed into the car to go to the hospital, me eight months pregnant and extremely sick, we had no idea what we'd do with our two young children. She came running down her steps and invited the kids to stay with her family as long as we needed. She was "listening", or paying attention, and to this day my heart swells with love and gratitude when I think of her. Talk about a true friend.

Self reflection: So which are you more like? The ego-driven genius, or the invested neighbor? (Please do not answer these questions in the comments.)

Do you have a "thinking rock", or quiet place to ponder? And what is it that really draws you to people? 

How to Find Happiness A-Z: A

You might wonder why I chose to focus all of April on Happiness. It seems no matter how desperately you grasp after it, it can slip through your fingers like grains of salt.

Granted, I'm not happy 100% of the time because there have to be downs if you're going to appreciate the ups, but there are a few key things that can help anyone find the silver lining, even through the rough patches, and that's what I hope to share through this A-Z adventure.

So "A" is for Attitude.

We've all had the experience of being bullied, right? Well for me that period of life was 4-6th grade. My maiden name is Hicken, and my first initial "C". Can you imagine how much of a hay-day kids had with that? People constantly taunted me with the insult--even some of the nice kids. There were even pledges to the rubber chicken in honor of humiliating me! Looking back on it, I know they were just being kids and following the pack, but at the time it was the only reality. I was a freak. --And I hadn't done anything to deserve it.

But then a strange thing happened: I moved on to middle school. I knew I couldn't leave my name behind, that people would connect the dots no matter what, so I changed my attitude. "Chicken" became a cool thing. Oh yes, people snickered when they first heard it, but when I introduced myself that way with a grin and outgoing warmth, what could they do? By High School, "Chicken!" was a greeting that echoed down the halls after me. It had come to represent the opposite of its demeaning roots. It was my title. It was my prize.

True happiness comes from taking the bad and seeing the good in it. If "chicken" can become a badge of honor, what can you do with your dark moments?

AND a quick thank you to Arlee Bird for pulling this awesome challenge together!