Assessing the Year...Past the Midpoint ... by Delsora Lowe

I am obsessive about setting writing and writer-related goals every year. And for every year I have done so, I have made or surpassed my goals in most areas. I am predictably bad at keeping up on social media and my website. But I always make my writing word count for the year, including a high level (for me) writing goal for every February, when I join the New Jersey Romance Writer’s 30K challenge.

That’s right, thirty thousand words in twenty-eight days. We check in daily with our goals on a special loop and cheer each other on. It’s inspiring, but also, it’s the competition that drives me. Now, everyone who knows me well understands I am the least athletic person, and definitely not competitive. But for some reason, this competition calls to me. Not because I am trying to one-up others, but because I am trying to one-up myself by achieving a higher word count over the previous year. Plus, we get this cool virtual badge, AND… drum roll, a super cool pin. Okay, I know the word cool is not actually COOL anymore, but hey, I’m a 60s gal—the decade of my formative pre-teen and teen years.

This year, as we are now officially over the mid-point, and in reality, only have five months left to meet 2023 goal expectations, I must confess, I threw away—okay, a bit dramatic—I set aside purposely, my 2023 writing goals, which included finishing (this spring) my final edits on my third book in the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. Instead, I took up a challenge for me—writing a legacy piece for not only myself, but to give to my two children for the holidays this year.

I figured easy-peasy, since it was based on ideas from the book, Elderwriters: Celebrate Your Life, by Sue Barocas, which encourages creative pieces about aspects of your life, lists of favorites, a bit about family, life’s motivations, etc. The author is free to write in any creative genre, including poetry, lists, essays, etc. It is not a linear telling of your life, but based on memories, important events, and any other topics and methods the writer wishes to employ. For example, I did a piece on my travels as a kid that took my family to Hong Kong, the far east, then up through the Suez, and on to European and African locations. Another piece focused on memories of historical events in my lifetime, such as where I was when I learned JFK had been assassinated in Dallas. The project was sponsored by Midcoast Literacy through People Plus, (a local activities center for 55 and over,) and I worked with a Bowdoin student intern who helped guide the project.

I wrote free-flowing poems. One was about my love of jazz and an intimate venue I used to go to on Sunday afternoons in Washington, D.C. to listen to local jazz musicians, including my former high school English teacher who is a drummer. He’s only about ten plus years older than me. And to say the entire female population of upper school wasn’t in crush mode way back when, is an understatement. But during my more seasoned years, when I went back to work at my old school in the early 2000’s, he and his wife became good friends of mine. I also wrote a free-flowing ode to my grand-pets, and an ode to embracing my curls (a polite way of referring to my frizzy hair, inherited from my dad’s side of the family.) I wrote essays of wisdom I learned from my grandmother, and memories of my mom’s best friend who was like a mother to me, honoring her support and wonderful meals over the years.

I did extensive research on my father’s family. Luckily, on my mom’s side there is an entire 424-page volume tracing our family back to the first settlers from Scotland in 1772, and reference to the famous Mohawk Indian Chief, Joseph Brant, who had been befriended by my great, great, great, great, great grandparents, John and Betty More, during the Revolutionary War period. He warned them of an impending raid, and they and their eight children were able to escape. I am related to the seventh child, David. So, without the help of the Chief, I wouldn’t be here today.

I also wrote a lovely piece about my Aunt Virginia, married to my mom’s older brother, John. She was a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot,) during WWII as a civilian ferry pilot, and was one of the first women to ever pilot planes for the US military. She is now part of an exhibit for the Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian. In her later years she was a founding member of Veterans for Peace, founded in Maine in 1985, and helped get recognition for their contribution, in order to receive military benefits for the WASPs or their families, as many died in the line of duty. Uncle John, too, served in the war, and although never verified, we surmise from his knowledge of several languages and his assigned posts, that he may have done a bit of spying.

So, back to goals, and the reason for my procrastination. I have revised my goals. After taking time to breath for the last few weeks of July, while family visited and I refused to open my computer for a week, I am now thinking about finishing my final edits of Rescuing the Sheriff, and thinking about booking my editor for two rounds of edits, working with my cover artist, and writing the dreaded back cover copy, and refining the blurb in order to upload to various sales venues. And... And... And...I may be a bit late in releasing, since I had hoped to get this book and another book out this year. The good news is, I actually wrote a draft of a blurb and tag lines for the second book. Life happens…and I have decided to not obsess about missing my self-imposed 2023 timelines. Plus, I am still on-track with my annual word count goal, and I have released print versions of two e-books released in the last two years. And…drum roll…I still have four-and-a-half months to catch up.

Do you set annual goals?
And do you stress over meeting them?
Or do you readjust during the year?

Amazon (also in print)

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

Books2Read   

books2read.com/u/mglVqK

~ 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. The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) were released in late fall 2022. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, in 2024.

 

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
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
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

 

The Past Isn't Dead. It Isn't Even Past .... by Anna Taylor Sweringen

"The past isn't dead. It isn't even past." - William Faulkner, Requiem for A Nun

As a lover of history, this line of Faulkner's thrills me. Why? Because I believe what has gone before is not only always present, but also has the power in the present as well. 

Faulkner's line hit home when I took this picture many years ago from the Brooklyn promenade where the World Trade Center used to stand. That sky is broken and not empty. It's full of the lives lost, the lives forever affected by those losses and will always be.

In downtown Albuquerque there's an historic district called Old Town where they commemorate the arrival of the Spanish and the founding of Albuquerque. Plaques also share the history of the Church of San Felipe de Neri, the oldest continuing congregation in Albuquerque.

And yet as I stand in the quiet of the narrow streets and peruse the original architecture of Old Albuquerque, preserved in art shops and restaurants, Faulkner's line haunts me. Where are the plaques and markers that pay homage to the native people who occupied this land before the Spanish and the Christians laid claim to this territory? Surely their spirits are as present as the spirits I sense when I look at my broken sky picture. Surely their spirits hover around me in the streets of Old Town.

Whether seated on the Brooklyn promenade or standing in the cool quiet of the Old Town plaza, I imagine who filled this space with their energy and dreams and desires, whose legacy and lingering presence fill them now. Having been a minister, I'm already predisposed to accept realities that go beyond the five senses. No wonder I enjoy writing ghost stories as Anna M. Taylor. Well, stories dealing with spirits or supernatural energy to be more accurate because the past isn't dead. It isn't even past. Never was. Never will be.

Anna Taylor Sweringen self-publishes second chance romance gothic ghost stories in her Haunted Harlem series as Anna M. Taylor. Book Three, Always the Dead Between is slated to release October 31. In the meanwhile you can learn more about Haunted Harlem on Amazon here: http://amzn.to/355nKv0. 

 

Celebrating The Ones Who Inspire Us

By Linda Lovely

It’s been five years since I had the privilege of doing a book signing at the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum in Arnolds Park/Lake Okoboji, Iowa. All profits from the museum’s sales of my mystery, NO WAKE ZONE, benefited the museum, which still sells copies in its museum store.

In the last month, Historic Arnolds Park Inc. announced its plans for a major renovation to the facilities of the 128-year-old amusement park. Plans include an expansion of the Maritime Museum, new parking, completion of the restoration of The Majestic Pavilion, a new Roof Garden, and many more improvements. An anonymous group of donors have pledged to match up to $6 million for the renovation project.

I believe this announcement and Arnolds Park’s continued success owe a great debt of gratitude to my late cousin, Stephen Ross Kennedy. So in this blog I’d once again like to salute Steve, one of the Maritime Museum’s founders and its first director. Steve also was the first captain of the Queen II, an excursion boat that plies the waters of Okoboji West every summer. NO WAKE ZONE is dedicated to his memory.

Statue of Steve Kennedy at Park

While book launches and signings are always fun, this one was truly special. It let me spotlight a life that mattered. In no small part, Steve’s infectious enthusiasm is responsible for helping a number of the lake region’s family fun staples continue to flourish. His life and contributions should be a lesson to us all when we’re tempted to shrug our shoulders and ask “why bother?”

Steve didn’t graduate from college. It wasn’t his cup of tea. But he loved the Iowa Great Lakes and read any book about the region’s history he could lay his hands on. He worked in a drug store, joined the Chamber. When the idea of bringing a grand excursion boat back to the lakes took root, he sought donations door-to-door. When the Queen II was christened, he was ecstatic to be asked to be its first captain. Never mind that he’d never driven anything larger than his beloved Hafer motorboat. As Steve guided the Queen II around Lake Okoboji, his humor-laced patter brought patrons back again and again. Soon the Queen paid off its debts and banked profits were saved to build the Maritime Museum, a magical time capsule that includes all types of memorabilia from nineteenth century ladies’ bathing suits to boats with gleaming mahogany exteriors.

Steve and me at Lake Okoboji.

While the “cousin” in NO WAKE ZONE is fictional, there’s no doubt who inspired my affable character, Captain Ross. And I’m delighted to report the institutions that play major roles in my novel are real treasures of the Iowa Great Lakes. While I hope you’ll read my mystery, I hope even more that you have occasion to board the Queen II for a cruise and visit the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum located in Historic Arnolds Park. Maybe you’ll even hear Steve’s good-natured chuckle on the breeze.

Do you like to read books set in real locations? Authors, do you ever salute your loved ones by incorporating their personalities in your cast of characters?

      

A Destiny To Inspire

DaniJo Avia

Years ago A mentor of mine led me through the process of creating a Life Purpose Statement. After laboring over it for several hours I finally settled on three paragraphs that encompassed all I felt I was to accomplish in my life.

Creating that Life Purpose Statement was laborious. And while my intent wasn’t to sound grandiose, it didn’t feel like… me. Oh, it was true and accurate, and observable, but how it was expressed was just… too much. So I never really owned it, I lived it but I never owned it.

Almost 10 years later I reread those paragraphs and was able to refine my Life Purpose to one sentence, “The purpose of my life is to reflect God and to encourage others.”, and if I’m really honest, that sentence can be distilled to two words: Reflect and Encourage.

My writing embodies those two words and can be summed up as “I write to inspire”.

  

Skinnydipping, Book 1 of the Destiny Series, came about when I asked the question “What would it take to get someone to do something they’d always been afraid to do, and in the process learned who they really were and what they really wanted in life?”

Discovery, Book 2 of the Destiny Series, came about when I asked the question “What would happen if someone realized that they were more than they had previously thought?”

Legacy, Book 3 of the Destiny Series, currently in process, addresses the legacy we all leave behind us, whether we are aware or are intentional about leaving a legacy.

Writing, specifically writing romance is not something I ever expected to pursue. The stories come from my heart and are a reflection of the life I live. More importantly they need to be shared - to encourage and to inspire others to dream bigger and dream seemingly impossible dreams, to reach for more than one ever thought possible.

As I have journeyed down this path, I have come to learn that creativity spans all areas of our lives, from writing, painting, photography, music, architecture, gardening, managing, accounting and writing code.

Creativity is present in our everyday lives. We may not recognize it as creativity, or we may call it by a different name, but it inspires us and moves us forward from where we have been.

Over the past several years I was in a field that necessitated I keep a low social media profile, that and the demands on my time did not allow for writing. Having finished that assignment I now have the time to write, and what tumbled off my printer? Coloring books and Coloring Pages!

June 2016 I published ten Adult coloring books ranging in theme from Pencil Sketch, Gray Scale, Mandalas, Kaleidoscopes, Doodles and my favorite, 21 Days of Mindful Meditation. In addition individual coloring pages have also been created, with more on the way! All are available on my Etsy store.

A very wise person once told me that insight and inspiration grow in the potting soil of peace. These books and pages were designed to inspire creativity and create a moment to take a breath in the midst of life to pause and connect with the Spirit of Wisdom and Insight that comes when you allow the busyness of life to slide away. They are my attempt to help people create that time and place where insight and inspiration not only take root but flourish.

 

In the works:

More coloring books and pages! I’m having fun creating coloring pages and have also outlined books with several additional themes.

Finishing Legacy, Book 3 of the Destiny Series, Frank’s story. This series is all about encouraging people to live a larger life than the influences our society models. The Destiny Series is available at your favorite eBook site.

And I’m toying with the idea of a series based on inspiring and motivational quotes. Churchill said those that do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. We are all enlarged when we learn from others thoughts and experiences.

To keep up with all this exciting goodness, connect with me on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up for my mailing list on my website (currently being remodeled!) to hear updates and receive free stuff.

Till we meet again!

Dani

DaniJo Avia 

Dani is the wife of a real life Ben; they have no children but over the years have collected many friends and acquaintances all over the world. They live along the river in the Greater Seattle area with their dog Her Royal Moo-ness, a Dalmatian\Lab mix who is convinced she is "people".

  

Etsy store: https://Danijoavia.etsy.com

Amazon Author page: www.amazon.com/author/danijoavia

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/DaniJoAvia

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DaniJoAvia

Twitter: @DaniJoAvia

Website: www.DaniJoAvia.com

Publisher: www.VerticalCurrentPublishing.com 

MY FAVORITE CHARITY - MARGARET TANNER

AN ENDURING LEGACY – MARGARET TANNER

As the centenary of the 1^st World War is upon us. I thought it appropriate to mention a charitable organization known as Legacy. It was started after the 1^st World War by returning veterans who wanted to help the widows and children of their fallen comrades

There are certain charities that I will always donate money to, The Red Cross and The Salvation Army, I am sure everyone would have heard of these wonderful organizations and the great work that they do.

Legacy, which is dear to my heart, would be virtually unknown outside Australia.  This organization is dedicated to supporting the widows and children of Australian service personnel who die during their war service or after it.  They look after nearly 100,000 widows and close to 2,000 children. Each widow and child is provided with a Legatee, that is a volunteer, usually a veteran or a serving member of the armed forces who will act as a mentor and friend. A Legatee might have several children and widows they look out for. It is a voluntary organization and receives no government funding.

Most of the widows now are from the 2^nd World War, Korea or Vietnam, but sadly, there are younger widows and children joining the Legacy ranks because of the war in Iraq, Timor and Afghanistan.

I have personal experience of the wonderful work that Legacy does. My late mother was a Legacy Widow, and they were extremely helpful to her. They fought the Veteran Affairs Department on her behalf and made it possible for her receive a War Widow’s pension from the government.  Her Legatee was a returned soldier in his 80’s, and he used to regularly drop in for a chat, and to make sure she didn’t need anything, he also visited her when she was in hospital for no reward, other than the knowledge that he was helping the widow of a fallen comrade.

My novel, The Loves We Left Behind, is a Special Edition, three book collection to mark the centenary of the 1^st World War. It is published by Books We Love and is available in print and e-book formats.

I intend donating any profits from the sale of this book to the Melbourne branch of Legacy in memory of my mother.

http://www.margarettanner.com/

http://bookswelove.net/authors/tanner-margaret/

 

THE LOVES WE LEFT BEHIND

A hundred years ago, from the far flung corners of the British Empire, young men rushed to fight for Mother England. They left their wives and sweethearts behind. Many of these brave women waited in vain for their men folk to return. How did they cope with the loss and heartache? Could they ever hope to find happiness with another man? Three full novels, each telling a brave young woman’s story of triumph over tragedy and adversity. Allison’s War, Daring Masquerade and Lauren’s Dilemma.

http://amzn.com/B00MASTCHM

 

 

 

Shout Out for Charity

June 2015

by Courtney Pierce

As a baby boomer, I’ve maintained my idealistic view of the world and the belief that one person can initiate change for the good. It must be my combination of dogged determination and Peter Pan Syndrome. I blink, wide-eyed like a child, when we humans make bonehead moves that benefit the few and devastate the many. That makes no sense! What are we thinking?

Beneath the humorous and emotional prose in every one of my books lurks a theme of charity. Serious adult problems are met with an adolescent response and humor. My characters charge ahead, creating no end of trouble for themselves to reach a goal that benefits someone else. In my first trilogy series, Stitches, Brushes, and Riffs, a boomer couple unravels the question “What would you do today if you had the chance to be immortal at the end of natural life?” My characters make that decision over three books and – no spoilers – become inspired to make their mark on the world with a touch of magic. They accomplish their mission through what they love: art, music, and animals.

David Castillo Dominici

In my current series, The Executrix, three middle-age sisters stumble into their charitable aspirations after their mother dies. Each sister makes a mess of their benevolent path in their own way, but when they come together they’re unstoppable at honoring their mother’s memory, transforming an unruly poodle into a service dog, and helping an elderly mobster reconcile his life by writing his memoir. The fun continues in the sequel Indigo Lake, which if I can stop laughing will be out by the end of the year.

None of us wants to fade away. We want to leave something behind to say “I was here.” Through the gift of story, my goal is to make readers laugh, cry, and to whip up endorphins that inspire. Charity starts with empathy, whether for a character, a cause, or a connection to something bigger than ourselves. Then it must become tangible. For some, a donation of money or a trip to Goodwill completes the circle. For others, charity can be as simple as holding the door open for a stranger or taking a second trip around the block to search for a neighbor’s missing tabby cat.

I wrote a short story last year called The Nest for the Windree Press Christrmas anthology A Gift of Christmas, which was based on my husband’s and my deep love of animals. The inspiration for the story came from a true incident of our finding a baby owl temporarily blinded from hitting a window. While I fictionalized the tale with magical realism and characters from my Stitches series, the real process of nursing the bird back to health was magical truth. After leaving a healthy donation to the kind vets who helped us, we walked on air for weeks. The bird was finally released back into the wild with our hearts lifting its wings.

Small gestures can generate big returns.

Courtney Pierce is a fiction writer living in Oregon with her husband of thirty-six years and bossy cat. She enjoys writing for baby boomers. Her novels are filled with heart, humor, and mystery. Courtney has studied craft and storytelling with best-selling author Jennifer Lauck at the Attic Institute and has completed the Hawthorne Fellows Program for writing and publishing. She is also a board member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association.

In Courtney's latest novel, The Executrix, three middle-aged sisters come together after the death of their mother, and the manuscript they find in her safe will test the thickness of sibling blood. While Mom’s prose makes her larger in death than in life, it is the elderly neighbor and his unruly standard poodle who inspire the story that will change the sisters' future. 

Visit Courtney's website at www.courtney-pierce.com. Her books can be purchased at Windtree Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books, and at several independent bookstores in the Portland area.

LEGACY - A UNIQUE ORGANIZATION

LEGACY - MARGARET TANNER 
There are certain charities that I will always donate money to, The Red Cross and The Salvation Army, I am sure everyone would have heard of these wonderful organizations and the great work that they do.

The organization that is dearest to my heart you will probably not have heard of.  It is called Legacy. Legacy is dedicated to supporting the widows and children of any Australian service personnel who dies during their war service or after it.  They look after nearly 100,000 widows and close to 2,000 children. Each widow and child is provided with a Legatee, that is a volunteer, usually a veteran or a serving member of the armed forces who will act as a mentor and a friend. A Legatee might have several children and widows that they look out for. It is a voluntary organization that receives no government funding.

Legacy was started after the 1^st World War by returning veterans who wanted to help the widows and children of their fallen comrades.  Most of the widows now are from the 2^nd world war, Korea or Vietnam, but there are younger widows and children joining the Legacy family because of the war in Iraq, Timor and Afghanistan.

I have personal experience of the wonderful work that Legacy does. My late mother was a Legacy Widow, and they were extremely helpful to her. They fought the Veteran Affairs Department on her behalf and made it possible for her receive a War Widow’s pension from the government.  Her Legatee was a returned soldier in his 80’s, and he used to regularly drop in for a chat, and to make sure she didn’t need anything, he also visited her when she was in hospital for no reward, other than the knowledge that he was helping the widow of fallen comrade.

 

My novel, A Rose In No-Man’s Land, published by The Wild Rose Press, is set during the 1^st World War.

Battlefield nurse, Amy Smithfield, falls in love with Captain Mark Tremayne, but he is bound to his dead wife. He can never marry again or tell Amy the truth, unless he wants to risk the gallows for a murder he did not commit.

http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=a+rose+in+no+mans+land&x=21&y=15

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-No-Mans-Land-Margaret-Tanner/dp/1612177859/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371971928&sr=1-1&keywords=a+rose+in+no-man%27s+land