Move Over James Joyce – The Ladies of Ireland Are on It This Month

Each year as the calendar’s page flips to March, showers of green shamrocks and leaping loads of leprechauns spread across our social media feeds. And why not? Thanks to Saint Patrick, everybody is Irish in March.

Rock of Cashel (Irish Carraig Phadraig – St. Patrick’s Rock) – @Marek Stock.Adobe.Com

This month, however, is more than green beer and chocolate coins. March is Women’s History Month. This year’s theme is “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” In the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day and supporting other women creatives, I’d like to encourage you to explore the works of splendid Irish Women Authors.

Three Irish Women Writers to Read This March

• Maeve Binchy – Circle of Friends
• Tana French – In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad Book 1)
• Elizabeth Bowen – Death of the Heart

And Remember…

St. Patricks Day Doggie – @Williee Cole

May you have love that never ends,

Lots of money, and lots of friends.

Health be yours, whatever you do,

And may God send many blessings to you!

P.S. – may you have the wisdom and good fortune to read yarns by Irish Women Writers too.

Are You a Neal Page or a Del Griffith?

Enjoying the 1987 John Hughes classic Trains, Planes and Automobiles is a tradition in my house on Thanksgiving week. Uptight Neal Page (Steve Martin) is trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. The worst happens when his flight is rerouted to Kansas and he is forced to travel with chatty shower curtain salesman, Del Griffith (John Candy). Things go from bad to worse after the duo is robbed while sharing an awkward (but funny) night in a motel.

I belly laugh during this movie every year! Having spent over fifteen years traveling for work, I recognize both characters from my own experiences. If I’m being honest, I relate with control freak Neal. I’ve learned to travel light. The more stuff you bring, the more stuff you must carry through airports. BUT – I think all of us would like to be a little more like Del. He has a jovial charm and a kind heart.

So which kind of Holiday Traveler are you?

Your suitcase and belongings are:

A – Minimal, tidy, and individually wrapped like string cheese

B – Thrown into your bag like last week’s laundry

During the flight to your holiday destination, you:

A – Put your headphones on, lean back and pretend to be asleep like an antisocial hermit

B – Wake up headphones hermit and ask him all about his life whilst you are eating the sandwich you bought at the airport

After One Night’s Stay, your Hotel/ Motel Room looks like:

A – Nobody slept in the bed or unpacked their things. Housekeeping wonders if you’re a spy

B – A crime scene! All your stuff is scattered across every square inch of flat surface

Results:

If you chose mostly “A’s” then you are a Neal Page. Welcome to the Club, friend!

If you chose mostly “B’s” then you are a Del Griffith. I may not want to travel with you, but I want to be your friend!

If you ended up with an even “A” and “B” result, then Gobble, Gobble. Take it again because something went wrong!

Encouraging Tips for Embracing Your First Step

Life is a journey. The imagery for envisioning our individual paths varies based on the unique experiences of each person. My path embraces the natural terrain of a peaceful forest. Patches of sunlight peek through the leaves as I walk, delivering warm positive thoughts. Of course, some stretches of the path are rocky. I’ve hiked through thunderstorms. My heart has been bitten by frigid snow as well. Still – I keep going. I know storms end. I have faith the darkness of night will be expelled by a benevolent sun.

Take Your First Positive Step! © _Danoz – stock.adobe.com

Our journeys don’t stay on a single path. Life is full of byways and turns. Each decision we make takes us on a new trail. If we are wise, then we will use what we have learned from past excursions.

Encouraging Tips for The Next Leg of Your Journey

• Reflect with an open and forgiving mind as you look back on your journey
• Be Compassionate with yourself and others. You didn’t have the knowledge then that you do now
• Let the past go, taking with you only the things that will aid you in future trails
• Banish the fear. Embrace the new!

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

My 2020 Book Gem Discoveries

Each year I join a multitude of other book lovers in the Goodreads.com Reading Challenge. It’s a great way to set and track reading goals. I typically list my goals at two to three books per month for a nice round total of thirty. Sometimes I exceed my goals. Other times – like this year – it’s a challenge to squeeze in thirty books.

Read and Explore the Possibilities! © Elnur – stock.adobe.com

The benefits participating in this yearly challenge make the time investment well worth it. Here are my top three benefits for folks to try the reading challenge in 2021:

1. Encourages individuals to read when they typically don’t spend a great deal of time exploring books
2. Free and fun way to engage with other book lovers
3. Goodreads offers Lists for readers to discover new books and authors they may not have found otherwise

Here are my top favorite new finds from the 2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge:

• The Felix Castor series by Mike Carey – Listed in Amazon Genre: Ghost Thrillers. Felix Castor is an exorcist barely making ends meet in a modern, but alternate version of London, UK. In this world, ghosts are a reality and zombies walk the streets.
• The Troop by Nick Cutter – Listed in Amazon Genre: Genetic Engineering Science Fiction. A Must – Listen to the audiobook! The narrator gives a John Malkovich vibe that really sends this read over the top.
• Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo – Listed in Amazon Genre: International Mystery and Crime. I first discovered Harry Hole when he appeared in the 2017 movie “The Snowman” with Michael Fassbender. Harry, the lead detective in the Oslo crime squad, is such an intriguing personality. Nesbo has given us a clever but flawed main character. I can’t wait to read more in the series for 2021

Do you have book suggestions for the 2021 Reading Challenge? Let us know in the comments.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well. AND sign up for the 2021 Reading Challenge!

Focus on Creation Not Outcome

2020 smashed all perceived notions of success. Institutions we KNEW were solid suddenly faltered. Movie theatres closed. Even the Big Mouse started their own streaming service and releases its movies on that platform. I don’t see many near-term plans for traditional theatre releases.

Be Kind to Your Inner Creator! © MarekPhotoDesign.com stock.adobe.com

So, what does that mean for your creative project? Will the time and creative energy you put into that novel, screenplay or other art go to waste? Let’s break it down to what we mean by “Successful.”

Financial – Simple. Nobody’s getting rich right now unless you own tons of stock in Amazon.

Conclusion – Everyone is in the same boat. No need to judge your progress by anyone else’s level of success (or failure). The pressure is off!

Fame – Globally, we are inundated with COVID 19 news, the American Presidency, and advertisements for early Holiday spending. Nobody can hear you right now unless you fit into one of these categories.

Conclusion – If you are counting on a huge social media party for your new book (or other artistic project), then there is a big chance you’ll be disappointed.

Changing Your Focus from Outcome to Fulfillment

In March 2020, I and my colleagues were told to work from home until further notice. The USA was on lockdown. We were all stuck at home. No face-to-face interactions with my readers. It’s very difficult to work in a vacuum. We produce art, but what if we don’t know whether or not someone is experiencing what we create? It has been frustrating and depressing. I wasn’t able to write much if at all during those early days.

The pandemic forced me to take a hard look at why I write. It’s easy to tell yourself you create your art for the sake of art. Then a horrible global event happens. Depression sets in. You crack open a bag of potato chips and lose yourself binge watching TV. The blank page stays empty. You no longer experience the excitement of planning for the next book’s release. No one knows if or when things will return to normal.

I can’t stay away from the act of creation for long. This time was different. I began to work on something new. It isn’t part of my book series. Nor is it in my “comfort zone.” This is a new story I am creating with no expected outcomes. I’m writing it, because I am a creator. I must create my art. It is who I am and what fulfills me.

Be kind to your inner creator. Cast out your expected outcomes for your creative projects. Now is the time to get back to the simple pleasure creation brings.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Five Ideas to Get You in The Halloween Spirit

Hello Halloween! © Elena Schweitzer – Stock.Adobe.com

Celebrating during the time of COVID can be a little daunting with so many restrictions and safety precautions. We NEED Halloween this year with its spirit of fun and mystery.

Here are some ideas to get you into the Halloween Spirit despite the pandemic:

1. Plan a Scary Movie Watch Party with your friends. There are many Web-based platforms you can use: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Facetime, Webex
2. Have an Autumn and/ or Halloween themed cocktail party online or by practicing social distancing
3. Read a scary book. Check out Horror.org for ideas from my fellow Horror Writers
4. Contact your city or local organizations to see if they are planning Safe Social Distancing Halloween events Social Distancing Friendly Ghost Tours (Check your Botanic Gardens or Zoos)
5. Make the Face Mask Fun! Check Etsy.com for spooky Halloween Mask ideas

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Halloween Book Sale!

Why I Changed My Mind About Memoirs

History Where You Live – © Tony Craddock stock.adobe.com

I’m fussy about what I read. So many books, so little time. The Memoir and Biography genre doesn’t typically interest me. Self-aggrandizing celebrities and politicians with their pictures splashed on a book cover written by someone else – hard pass. Then I started doing research for my novel about the Santa Fe Trail. My notion of memoirs changed a bit. The most impactful book I’ve read to date is a memoir not written by a sports star, but rather written by a woman living her life in the Southwest during the 1800s.

Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell Along the Santa Fe Trail is an authentic account of a courageous woman who traveled the Santa Fe Trail (more than once) and lived in old Santa Fe. She lived in a few forts with her soldier husband as well. Then helped him build a town in a rugged part of Colorado.

Her recollections make this memoir real for the reader. We share her shock and fear when the wagon train comes across gruesome deaths and other violence against innocents. These accounts, for me anyway, were more troubling when I stopped to consider this isn’t a work of fiction. The murders – witnessed by Marian as both child and woman – really happened. I found myself grieving with her when she experiences tragedy as a young wife. Marian was an extraordinary woman who took on a sometimes-brutal land. She was a true pioneer.

I believe part of the allure of this book for me is the setting. I’ve lived in the Rocky Mountains most of my life. Many times, I’ve traveled across Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada (in a car) passing through the places she mentions in her book. How about you? Do you know who lived in your hometown before it was a town? Seek out the stories that reveal more than one dull paragraph in a history book. You might be amazed by what you find.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Share Your Knowledge Share Your Joy

Share Your Interests © DM7 – stocke.adobe.com

The internet is a wealth of information. Some of the information you find is correct and helpful. Other tidbits are flat out wrong. Getting hardcore facts is critical when conducting research for my books. Readers want realism no matter the genre and I, as a writer, want to make them feel as if they are experiencing the story along with the characters. I enhance what I learn from books and historical evidence with human experience.

My current “Work in Progress” is a ghost story set on the Santa Fe Trail at the end of the US Civil War. Historical accounts and facts give the book accuracy, but the human experience comes from enthusiasts of the Santa Fe Trail. I’ve enjoyed watching lectures and travel videos of folks who love to visit destinations along this important route. Living in the Rocky Mountains most of my days, I have the life experience to draw on as well.

Are you an enthusiast in a special topic or historical event? Why not share your knowledge? If you write a blog, volunteer to speak on the topic, or make a video, I guarantee you will find an audience.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.

Fighting Back Against Negativity

Be an Encourager © Photocreo Bednarek – stock.adobe.com

Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I believe the struggle between Positive and Negative is a war. Imagine two kingdoms fighting for control in the battlefield of human consciousness. One side wants to lift humanity higher and encourages us to follow our own dreams. It values freedom of thought, kindness, and creativity. The other side wants to control through fear, depression, and hatred. I don’t know why. I suspect there is a larger agenda hidden from us.

Negativity has powerful weapons. Fear-mongering can be a blunt instrument that smashes common sense. It can also use gossip to subtly undermine. Both tactics are part of Negativity’s Deception arsenal. Lies cause mistrust. Mistrust causes resentment and hatred. If you don’t trust anyone, you will become isolated and depressed. The energy to fight negativity is lost to you.

Positivity may seem to be losing the war right now, but our side has powerful weapons too.

• Acts of Kindness outweigh violence
• Truth spoken with Love cancels out lies and ignorance
• Knowledge smashes the barbs of fear and misdirection
• And the most powerful weapon of all? We have each other! Be an encourager. Lift someone else up!

No matter how horrible things get or how upset I feel, I refuse to feed the enemy’s forces. What about you? How will you stand in the face of Negativity?

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well. 

Do What You Can Do

Be Kind to Yourself © laplateresca – stock.adobe.com

Task Lists are helpful. They serve as reminders for all the stuff we need to accomplish each day, week, or year. Lists manage our productivity and keep us humming along. I rely on them to keep me sane with my many literary projects. Ticking off completed tasks gives me a feeling of accomplishment. During this pandemic, however, they are seriously stressing me out.

Our world has morphed into an unpredictable and sometimes frightening place. Yes. I know. If I’m honest, life has always been an unpredictable minefield in which I had no control over anything. But it was my minefield and I knew how to navigate it. Now? Not so much.

I’ve gone from:

Forcing a positive attitude: People need my art to help them feel better!

Then Depression: What’s the point? Does my art really matter?

Finally, Acceptance: The world continues to change. Success looks different now. I must remember why I do my art. In a word: Love

Do What You Can Do

I have days when my creative brain won’t cooperate due to stress or depression. Here are a few ways I cope:

• I putter around with practical tasks: formatting my manuscripts, researching topics, outlining unfinished chapters
• I read manuscript drafts to remind myself of upcoming fun projects
• I free write random ideas (nonsense is encouraged)
• I try creative hobbies other than writing. Classical guitar is my newest interest
• I silence my inner taskmaster

Be extra kind to your creative brain right now. It will eventually adjust to the new reality. Patience, mindfulness, and self-care will ensure your creativity thrives again.

Be Positive. Be Happy. Be Well.