Finding Peace in Troubled Times

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights of your life to choose love and light.

I’ve many things to be thankful for including the reality that, because I know and understand the teaching of Dr. William Glasser, I have the ability to find my way through difficult, challenging and scary times. Actually, I wrote about it in 2018 in Staying Sane in A Crazy World.

Blending Dr. Glasser’s Reality Therapy© and Choice Theory© with The Serenity Prayer, I show you how to find that sanity, that peace of mind, that can, at times, be missing in our lives.

Here are a 3 of the key principles to staying sane.

#1 – What are your Core Values? Do an honest assessment and Be Specific. For example: if a core value is to be a lifelong learner, do you seek views that are opposite of ones you hold? Do you encourage other people, including children to question what they are being told or taught? If not, what is your definition of a lifelong learner?

My first and most important Core Values is that we are all spiritual beings and are all a part of The Sacred and thus we are all connected. Because this is a Core Value, I see the world and people around me as connected to me. The words from the Bible “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” means I treat other people as part of The Sacred. A challenge comes when I realize I may have not done so. I’m not perfect and sometimes I do not live up to my Core Values.

What then? Correct course. Apologize if appropriate. Make amends if appropriate.

What not to do? Blame the other people/person for my choice. Assume they will do something to me to “pay me back”. Build a stronger wall that will keep us apart.

#2. Break it down. Most of the time when we see ourselves struggling and liable to fail, we turn to the negative instead of breaking it down. For example: the world isn’t operating like it has for centuries or at least how we think it was operating.

To break it down, we’d need to be willing to educate ourselves as to whether that was true or not. Perhaps we were younger when it happened. Perhaps it was a generation or two before us. Perhaps it was in another part of the country or world and we didn’t hear about it. Perhaps we did hear about it but dismissed it as not something that would ever happen to us.

Once we’ve sorted things out, we’ll know what to do next.

Image by BlueJay18/Deposit Photos

#3. Make a plan. That sounds so simple and in many ways it is, however, in making a plan that fits Dr. Glasser’s teachings, the plan can only depend on us, the plan maker. It is our plan. We create it and we work it and we tweak it if needed.

Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” has a line “I will ease your mind”. In dark times, it is up to us to do it for ourselves. For some of us that will mean relying on our spiritual practices whatever they may be. For some of us it may mean time in nature, watching funny movies, getting out the old picture albums and reliving earlier times.

We do know what we need in order to identify and clarify our Core Values, to right our course and to make a plan. We might not want to, however that doesn’t mean we can’t.

If you need some guidance to find your way here are some suggestions:

Staying Sane In A Crazy World by Judith Ashley.

Any of Dr. William Glasser’s books and training. The William Glasser Institute – International has member organizations in over 30 countries around the world. To find the group nearest you, check out their website. And since I’ve been involved in the organization since 1978, please feel free to reach out to me in Comments for additional information or referrals.

Learn more about my books, workshops and training on my website JudithAshley.net.

You can find my books at your favorite e-book vendor as well as through Windtree Press. Print books are available at Jan’s Paperbacks in Hillsboro, OR and Arte Soleil in Portland, OR. Get the addresses from my website. And be sure to ask your library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2024 Judith Ashley

Head in the Clouds - Where do you get your inspiration? ............................ by Delsora Lowe

 Being a writer can be tough sometimes.

Not because of the work that goes into every piece we write, whether it is a short blog, a poem, or an entire novel. But because our imagination NEVER stops.

Too many ideas. Not enough time in the universe to make all those words sing and deliver a message.

Not long ago, I drove by a sign that indicated a consignment shop. I immediately wrote a 5-minute short story in my head, as I drove. I have since drafted out one I will eventually send to Woman’s World, after I edit it a zillion times.

Recently, I visited my son who lives about forty-five minutes away. He lives just outside a small village. I emerged from the car to a greeting from a black cow mooing. Moooo. Moooo.

And then the other cows answered back. Moooo. Next door is a big white barn, and my son’s house is surrounded by farmland. We often see wild turkeys or deer, and once a bear. Another time, while eating dinner, a fox strolled through the back yard, right past the window by the dining room table. Today, as we drove back to his house, a red-tailed hawk flew right over the car. And as I left about ten minutes later, that same (I assume) hawk flew back over my car in the opposite direction.

I know there is a story in there somewhere with all this wildlife­ and domestic animal neighbors, including my grand-dog Yaz who loves to greet his human grammy—even if it is a short piece for my weekly local writers’ group or an idea for a children’s book.

Snuggling in - my disguise - so no one knows I'm sitting on the couch,

As I cruised past the tiny nearby village, there are many rural roads that arrow off the two-lane main road. Some leading to one house and some to a small complex of houses. I love the names of the roads. They always trigger ideas. One is Turkey Trot Lane, and another little lane is named Pumpkin Way. Story ideas immediately swam through the creative side of my brain, as I repeated over and over Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way on my drive home. I didn’t want to forget any story ideas swimming through my head, since I couldn’t stop and make notes.

For a split second I envisioned a trilogy—each book title and theme based around these two street names, plus other fun names of streets that arrow off along that same stretch of road. My brain didn't have enough bandwidth to memorize more than two street names.

Now I’ve jotted notes and hopped on the computer to record thoughts before they disappear. Conjuring up story ideas that happen around Halloween and Thanksgiving, and even into the month of December.

Will Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way be locations in one story? Or will each be the title of a stand-alone story? It is hard to say. Until my fingers do the walking across the keyboard, who knows where the musings living in my mind will take me.

But let me remind you that a book I wrote several years ago (The Inn on Gooseneck Lane) and,  published by The Wild Rose Press in 2022, is titled and based around a street sign (Gooseneck Lane.) I passed the tiny lane in the middle of nowhere, while cruising a back road in Vermont.

I played with story ideas in my head for the next few hours, driving back to Maine.

So, who knows what stories the next two street signs will lead to as I write.

The creative murmurings that leave my brain as story ideas, are usually channeled through my fingers. Many times, as I reread what I wrote, I am as surprised at what ends up on the page as a potential reader will be.

So, if you are looking for signs or inspiration, don’t forget those street names that may be inspiration and turn into one more story—whether it is a short story, a novella, a novel, an essay, or a poem.

And if you are in the car and can’t write down your idea, repeat the inspirational phrase (or street sign) over and over until you can pull to the side of the road and write down your idea. Yes, it works!

 

Whether you are a writer or enjoy artistic hobbies, 

where do you get your ideas?

 

Holiday Hitchhiker

Amazon (also in print)

Books2Read

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

Amazon (also in print)

                    Barnes & Noble (also in print)

                     Apple Books (also in print)

 ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025.

Photo Attributions:
Imagination: https://clipart-library.com/imagination-cliparts.html
Thinking: thinking face icon yellow PNG file 9687643 PNG
Dog on Couch, Neighborhood, Cows, Road Sign: Photos taken by author

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Contemporary Western Romance with Stephanie Berget

I met Stephanie years ago at an author unconference.  Another author told her about a Western romance author who lived in Oregon (Stephanie lived in Idaho at the time) and who would be at the conference. When she introduced herself she said she was looking to connect with that author. I raised my hand and we've been friends ever since! We've even had stories in the same western romance anthologies.

Paty: Why do you write Western Romance?

Stephanie: I've been a cowgirl and an avid romance reader since I was in my mid-teens. As I started training and competing on barrel horses, it bothered me that the rodeo scenes in the romance books weren't true to life. The love stories were good, but I couldn't find authors who studied rodeo and ranching and wrote real cowboys and cowgirls. I started writing to put reality into my western romance.

Paty: The realism of rodeo life comes through in your books. How many series do you have? Do you only write series or do you have standalone books?

Stephanie: I have three series published, Harney County Cowboys, Rodeo Road, and Sugar Coated Cowboys. I'm working on the second book in my Change of Heart Cowboys series and hope to have it out by February of next year. I also write standalones. I just published Balancing The Books. It's an enemies to lovers story featuring an accountant and a small-town sheriff.

Paty: I've read at least one book from each of your series. But I'll have to get Balancing the Books.  Your books are mostly in rural settings. Why did you pick those settings?

Stephanie: I was raised in a fairly large city but was always horse crazy. Since becoming an adult, I've chosen to live in very small towns. I love the friendly atmosphere and people and to have room to keep my horses.

Paty: I know that draw to having horses. How do you make your cowboys so real? They all have the swagger and the toughness of a cowboy.

Stephanie: I'm married to a former bareback bronc and saddle bronc rider who has become a team roper. We've lived the rodeo lifestyle, so I've had lots of role models for my heroes.

Paty: And it comes through in your stories. Do you have an ongoing character (main or secondary in a series) that is your favorite?

Stephanie: This is a hard question, but if I had to pick, it would be Sean O'Connell in Dancing Creek Ranch, the second book in my Harney County Cowboys series. I like the fact that Sean was willing to make major changes in his life to win Catherine's heart.

Paty: He is a definite hero. Who are some other Western romance authors you enjoy reading?

Stephanie: One of my favorite western authors is Kari Lynn Dell. She was a good friend, but I love her books because she was the best at putting reality into rodeo romance. I also really like Katie Lane and D'Ann Lindun's books. I usually read contemporary western romance, but for historical western romance, I've really enjoyed your books.

Paty: Ahhh, thank you! What is the one thing you hope readers take away when they finish one of your books?

Stephanie: I hope they'll take away a smile at my happy endings and maybe I can teach them about rodeo and ranching.

Paty: They should do that, since you write so authentically. Just for fun – Tell us what is your favorite thing to do besides writing and reading, because we know that’s a given.

Stephanie: I love to run barrels and ride in the mountains on my horse, Cisco. He's a fifteen-year-old dun-colored registered Quarter Horse and if I do say so, he's the sweetest and prettiest horse around.

Paty: Thank you for answering my questions and being a guest on Romancing the Genres.   

Stephanie: Thank you for asking me to participate. 

Here's more about Stephanie:

Finding romance beneath a rodeo moon. That’s what Stephanie Berget had in mind when she began writing--adding a realistic view of rodeo and ranching to her Contemporary Western Romance.
She was born loving horses, developing a lifelong love of rodeo when she married her Bronc Rider. They traveled to rodeos throughout the Northwest while she ran barrels and her cowboy rode bucking horses.
Stephanie and her husband live in the mountains of Eastern Oregon, where they raise and train Rodeo horses with the help of Cisco, the wonder horse, and Dizzy Dottie, the Border Collie.

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephaniebergetwrites, or Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/stephanieberget. Check out all her books on Stephanie's Amazon Author Page

This box set of three stories is about cowgirls falling in love and the men who capture their hearts.

Tied to a Dream – Frannie O’Connell was taught to be self-sufficient, but being Superwoman was harder than it looked. On a lonely stretch of road as she rests and dreams of rounding the barrels, a stranger knocks on her window. By the look of his black Stetson, he’s a cowboy. Life had taught her to be wary but his deep blue eyes and sexy smile has her reaching for the door latch.

Dancing Creek Ranch – Catherine Silvera, manager of the Dancing Creek Bar finds a waterlogged, unconscious man sleeping in the only vehicle left in the parking lot at 3 a.m. She recognized the cowboy. This man had helped her years ago, when she couldn’t help herself. It would only take a few minutes to repay his kindness then make tracks like a coyote-shy rabbit with hot breath on her tail.

Rocky Road Home – Sissy Leviny couldn’t let the man who saved her from the pack of jackals at the bar. When she found him beaten up alongside the road, she picked him up. He’d been beaten because of her. She liked cowboys but there was something about this Harley-riding hero that she couldn’t shake.
Buy link:
https://bit.ly/HarneyCountyCowboys

 

Stephanie is giving away an ebook of Tied to a Dream to one lucky commenter. 

Grateful for Writing Groups by Lynn Lovegreen

November is a great month because of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it focuses on family, food, and gratitude. What can be better than that?  I am thankful for many things in my life, including my family, my friends, and my home. Today, I’m going to write about something else I am grateful for: my writing groups.

 

I belong to several writing groups, including 49 Writers, the Alaska Writers Guild, RWA (Romance Writers of America), SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and local chapters AKRWA and SCBWI-AK. (Full disclosure: I’ve been active in RWA’s reformation toward a more inclusive writing community, and I am the President of AKRWA.) While my participation varies now and then, all of these groups have helped me grow as a writer.

 

Writing groups give many benefits to writers. They provide information about the craft and business of writing through programs such as classes, webinars, and conferences. Many host critique groups, which in my experience is one of the best ways writers can enhance their writing process and improve their writing. And I am thankful for the camaraderie—I love to hang out with other people who have characters running around in their heads and understand the highs and lows of the writing life.

 

If you don’t have one now, I encourage you to look into writing groups to find one that suits your interests. Here are a couple links for ideas:

https://www.rwa.org

https://www.scbwi.org

 

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, or you’ve been on the path for years, I encourage you to create your own writing community. Find a writing group that supports you, and you’ll have much to be grateful for.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

The Month of "No."

 

Many years ago, I saw the musical, Camelot on the big screen. One of the big numbers was about "the lusty month iof May." A time whare everyone tosses self-control and does everything and anything with no regrets. It was all invigorating, and quite literally exhausting just to watch.

Every May that kind of spring fever/frenzy hits and my real life can become just as frenzied as life on the screen. 

Now, the Earth has swung half-way around its orbit. It's November 2024, the season of NO.  

No & not right now, words that help keep us from being stretched too thin. They give us time to rejuvenate our healthiest selves. Schedules are nice, but - don’t feel tied down. Learn to extricate yourself from commitments with grace. That includes saying no to good things too - even to things you want to do. Create routines that nurture you. Take any snatch of time for unwinding, rest, and rejuvenation. Renew and relax, even if you only 10-15 minutes at a time. Self care does not require a grand event, like a day at the spa. Embrace the changes that bring you joy, both big and little. Matching towels or new lingerie are small things that can make you happy.

Lean into community, the people who celebrate you. Don’t overbook activities. Don't forget that your family, especially children suffer when the adults around them are unhealthy. You are IRREPLACEABLE in your child's life, so relax and be the best you you can be!

Sometimes you NEED help. For some of us, there is a deeply rooted belief that we should not seek help, either physical or mental. That doing so is a sign of weakness. As if we’re supposed to be superwomen and supermen. learn to seek out and accept help. 

 Overcome the need to please disease.  Give yourself grace and permission to say no with confidence and without regre. Know that not everything will end up picture perfect, and that’s okay.

For now, let's recharge our batteries and respect our limits. And know that the world will keep turning. May will come again.

Finding Peace in an Uncertain World by Eleri Grace

Without dwelling on recent national events, I think it's fair to say that many of us may feel a bit off-balance this month. As we begin to look ahead to 2025, we may feel unsettled or uneasy. Change, whether it's the change you hoped for or not, is destabilizing for all of us on some level. 

As I so often am -- bear with me y'all -- I am reminded of the WWII years. Plenty of historical parallels have been drawn between the global forces at work in the 1930s and current times, and that's not what I wanted to focus on here. I've been thinking more about a perspective my novels don't focus on much -- the home front. For as all-consuming and devastating as the news itself was for Americans tuning into the radio or reading in the newspapers, most people continued on with their day-to-day lives and found there was joy and even peace to be found.

Despite rationing and restrictions on sales of certain goods, many Americans had more money in their pockets since before the Depression. And they spent it and how -- at the movies, in diners and restaurants, and in the shops. Sure, films, music, books, comics, radio programming and other pop culture content had a heavily patriotic and pro-American slant, but it boosted spirits all the same. 

Maybe some of these photos of daily life in the 1940s will lift your mood, make you smile, and remind you that there's light and fun and joy to be found even when times seem particularly challenging or dispiriting. 

You can learn more about me and my writing on my website or through my Amazon page!