In one of her songs Gloria Estefan sings that “the one sure thing is change.” She couldn’t be more right. As I look at the calendar and see that summer is almost “unofficially” over, I ask myself how did that happen? I feel as if the year is rushing by and there are so many changes going on in my life. My daughter is getting married and that’s life-changing for her, but also for hubby and me. We’re very happy to see her entering a new phase in her life. My writing is entering a new phase as well with my new Hallmark deal (SQUEAL!) and a very different book that I’ll be doing for Sourcebooks next year. There are lots of re-releases coming for the vampire books and also a Christmas wedding book in the At the Shore series. There are my weight loss and something else that I can’t tell you about now but will be truly life-changing for me in a good way. No make that in a GREAT WAY! Change. It’s the one sure thing in life besides that other thing that shall not be named. Yes, I mean taxes darn it! Have a great Hump Day!
#TransformationTuesday – An Unexpected Hard Month Vlog
I’m doing something a little different today with a video chat about this month! In short, I had expected that July would be the hard month on account of the two back-to-back conferences. To my surprise, August is proving even harder for a number of reasons that I’m sharing in the video! Hope your transformation is plugging along well if you’re on this journey with me.
Mondays are for Fresh Starts #MotivationMonday
There is an old joke that goes like this:
- Question: When do most diets start?
Answer: Tomorrow.
LOL! The truth of it is we often set aside things which challenge us in some way. Whether its changing our eating habits, exercising more, starting a new book (like me), ending a fight, standing up for oneself . . .
It’s not uncommon to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow” or “Come Monday, I’ll get started”.
So it’s Monday and it’s a day for fresh starts. Take a deep breath and set aside those fears. Think positive about what you’re about to undertake and just give it a shot. You’ll never know if you can succeed until you take that first sometimes scary step.
Discover THE LOST Energy of Change
I hope you’ve enjoyed all the guests this week and thanks for all the good wishes on the cold. I’ve still got a cough, but am feeling much better. Before we were interrupted by RWA and my illness, we were talking about THE LOST energies in the things all around us.
Today I want you to consider the energy and power that resides in Change.
“Change?” you wonder. “How can Change possess energy?”
Well think about this. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Think about all the energy and time that is wasted by doing the same thing time and time again only to have nothing different happen.
Think about what would happen if you took a different approach? Traveled a different path?
Nature inherently understands this. If you’ve ever spent time near the ocean you see how the water finds its way to the shore by following the path of least resistance. Although it may pound and pound and pound at the obstacles we throw in its way (jetties, docks, dams, etc.) inevitably it will take a different route to get where it needs to go.
I feel like I am at that point in my life. Doing the same things over and over without accomplishing anything different. It happened before many many years ago and the change I took then was what led to my writing career.
Now I look at my writing career after nearly a dozen years and ask myself, “Where do you go now? What can you change?”
Change being the operative word. There is power in Change. There is power in exploring new things.
That’s not to say that Change isn’t a scary thought. Most of us are creatures of habit and have built our safe havens where we are comfortable. It takes a lot to budge us out of those cozy nests, but sometimes you have to say, “Why the heck not?”
So with that challenge, I’m going to think about what I’ve been doing and how to effect Change. How about you? Are there things that you will challenge yourself to change? Will you empower that energy inside of you to try something different?
Also, if you’ve got a moment, visit the Carina Press blog to find out more about the inspiration behind THE FIFTH KINGDOM and the relic in the story!
Thoughtful Thursday – Determination and Heart
With the big Jets game just days away, it makes me think of determination and how that can sometimes overcome the greatest of obstacles. How the strength of heart can move mountains or cross oceans.
My grandparents had determination and heart. They were from a small village, an aldea, in the province of Galicia in Spain. My grandfather’s family was poor – just a small family farm. His determination for a better life was what made him leave Spain and head to Cuba, then the land of opportunity for many Spaniards. As the daughter of the village blacksmith/gunsmith, my grandmother was the wealthier of the two, but she followed her heart across an ocean to be with my grandfather.
Their daughter, my mother, had both. When she didn’t like what was happening in Cuba, she decided to try and change it. When the change was worse than what had existed before, she was determined to make it better. It almost cost my mother her life. It did cost her the country that she loved and one and half years without my sister and me. That’s how long it took her to get us out of Cuba.
But she never lost heart during those one and a half years and she always thanked this Nation for the gifts it provided. I think my mom identified greatly with this Nation because it is one of determination and heart.
Born in dissatisfaction about unfair taxation and a distant king who would not listen to his subjects, the People of this Nation have prospered due to their determination to work hard and try to do better. As for heart, look no further than the reaction of the People to crises like the tsunami and now Haiti.
It’s the People who make a Nation what it is.
Which I guess leads to the Jets and their upcoming game against the Colts. Peyton Manning is arguably one of the finest quarterbacks ever with one of the best teams in football sharing the field with him. It’ll be a tough game for the Jets to beat the Colts. No doubt about it.
But I’m hoping the Jets have greater heart and determination much like my alma mater Villanova did back in 1985 when they pulled a Cinderella upset over what had been a dominant Georgetown team throughout the regular season.
Of course, if the Jets do win, I may be faced with a difficult dilemma if Minnesota also wins (Go Vikings!!).
Why? Because it’s tough not to root for the old guy especially when Favre is probably having one of his best seasons ever.
But I grew up watching the Jets practice at Hofstra. Even saw Jo Willy Namath throwing some passes one day on that practice field during his final years with the Jets. I guess you know where my allegiance will be if it does end up a Jets-Vikings Super Bowl.
For now . . .
For this wallpaper and other Jets info, you can click here to visit the official Jets site.