Hello again

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year!

So after a long hiatus during 2011, I'm back on my blogger!

As parents, we tend to put our creative endeavors in our back pockets. We work, we drive our kids around, we go to concerts and games, and we put off our own inspirations to guarantee our kids'.

What I've noticed this year is a growing number of my friends embracing their creative side out of necessity. The economy has given creative people a nudge in the caboose, giving birth to their inventions.

Take a look at some of the people that have inspired me to get back on track!

---- people like my friend, Matt DeBlass, of Baroque and Hungry, creating amazing music, check them out at http://baroqueandhungry.wordpress.com/

---- friend and neighbor, J.P. Grider, published author, her latest book is available now, titled UNPLUGGED, a portrait of a rock star http://www.jpgrider.com/

---- my nephews, John Yonge and Nick Gregory, young and eager to learn and grow, finding their niche in the music world. Find them on Facebook, or at http://www.reverbnation.com/Johnyonge

---- or, find ParmaGina's event planning/catering, founded by my friend, Gina. She's on Facebook or at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ParmaGinas/173858382624795?v=info

---- and an awesome blog by my cousin, http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/

Getting ready to unleash a chapter

Two weeks ago I had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Instead of working on my writing during my recuperation, I found every excuse to fill my time with "projects" and new things to do. Thank you, Lisa Hudak, for the gentle kick-in-the-butt to nudge me back on track... check back by the weekend and I'll have an excerpt posted! Thanks, Lisa! ;-)

This Bloggy Thingy; Or, My Journey To Author-ish-ness

So after "launching" my blog yesterday (no fanfare, no champagne, no parade), tweaking some of the fonts and fixing some typos, I closed the lid on my laptop, confident of my sure footing. I got the ball rolling, or so I thought. After a restless night in the frozen tundra we now call New Jersey, my dreams caught up with me. Let's just say they included chaneling my inner Stephen King, author photos gone bad, and being frozen shut in my car.

My goals: don't be boring, don't be predictable, dont' be cliche' (I'll start with the picture). Let me know if that happens here!

**By the way, I thought I was being creative and original, but Google "author-ish-ness" and you'll see results. Great (or demented) minds think alike, I suppose...

____________________________________
For my friends who are also ready to take the plunge into author-ish-ness with me, here are some interesting and funny articles and links:

Author Photos
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/holly-robinson/the-author-photo-wheres-m_b_677190.html

http://flavorwire.com/117566/against-promotional-author-photographs

http://htmlgiant.com/author-news/author-photo-failures/


http://www.mockpaperscissors.com/



Publishing and Author Networking

HarperCollins Literary Community / Authonomy - http://www.authonomy.com/?utm_source=hccom&utm_medium=tilead&utm_content=homepage&utm_campaign=hccomQ409

Three Miles From The Sun (the book)

Three Miles From The Sun  (a work in progress) is a work of fiction, inspired by bits of my life, but this is not autobiographical. It will journey through life in the military, deployments to the Middle East, and the families and hearts that are finding a path to a new normal. I will post chapters here as soon as they are edited, and I look forward to your feedback.

The First 100 Years Are The Hardest

A long time ago, my mother-in-law gave me some awesome advice. I was about to marry her son, and she shared some of her marital wisdom with me, saying "The first 100 years are the hardest, it gets easier after that... be patient."

Fast forward twenty-two years and here we are. I can confirm that her advice has applied to marriage, parenting, and life in general. She has taught me to "go with the flow" (another of her famous mottos)... it hasn't always so easy to follow that one, but I try. My own mother died when I was just a teenager, so I have always relied on my sisters, aunts, friends, mother-in-law, and sisters-in-law for guidance. Life sure has been an adventure, and I don't expect that to change. The challenge has always been to stand up for myself, protect my family, and to make sure that our time on Earth is worthwhile.

I had the chance to offer advice to some newlywed friends recently, I hope I steered them in the right direction. The advice I gave: "Offer love when you don't feel loving, offer patience when you're not feeling patient or you feel they don't deserve it, and offer kindness even when your spouse is driving you crazy."

Time to go take my own advice... enjoy your snowy day, wherever you are!