Wearing Words - Jewelry That Speaks To Me

I love words. I love to see them on everything. . . especially jewelry. On days when my confidence is low it is especially helpful to wear something that boosts my morale, makes me feel secure, gives me hope I am not a blithering idiot with dreams that are too big for my life.

Writing is a release for me, allows me put life into perspective as I jot down my own personal stories under the title memoir author. Sometimes I worry I tell too much. (Example My Hysterical Hysterectomy on my Sparkle blog where I talk about my upcoming surgery, not from a medical standpoint, but how to recover with six dogs underfoot. ) The Unfaithful Widow started me on sharing my experiences with others. It was the therapy I needed to get on with my life as I wrote about bad dates, adopting dogs, finding my place again.  I found a bracelet that kept me moving and wore it faithfully as I went about recreating myself. A white hard plastic bangle with the words Redefine The Impossible in black letters across it. That bracelet was my security. I'd touch it, twirl it, read it, and find the way to move forward.

Dream. Believe. I needed more words to wear for what came next. I decided to write a novel. My first attempt at fiction. It scared me more than any personal story I shared over the last years.  My confidence left me as I sat at the computer at night. What if the words don't come? What if they do, and they are horrible? Between bouts of writing at those late hours when most of the world is sleeping, I took my break by looking at jewelry on Etsy and found my inspiration to keep plugging away at my book. She believed she could so she did. And I did. Danger In Her Words was released in February.

Inspiration words - our own, from friends, on jewelry, or the written word. Cheaper than therapy - if we open our hearts to the possibilities around us. If it takes a piece of jewelry to remind me of that, bring on my Visa and I'll shop til I drop.

Some jewelry I own purchased from Etsy dealers and designers! How can anyone be discouraged wearing any of these pieces!

 

 

 

 

And the most important of all words to guide you...

 

 

 

 

Southern Sin: True Stories of the Sultry South and Women Behaving Badly

Amazon

There is nothing an unfaithful widow from Georgia likes better than to read stories of southern sin and women behaving badly. Sometimes I behave badly myself and when I do, I write about it. My curiosity got the better of me, just how sinful were these women? And how did I shape up in the naughty department in comparison? Inquiring minds want to know. 

Featured today on The Muffin, Women On Writing's (WOW) blog, this collection of short stories caught my eye and I wanted to share it with you.

Visit The Muffin (click here) to read more about this anthology and enter in a book giveaway on their site.   And BTW - yours truly will be on a blog tour with WOW with my new book, Danger In Her Words, beginning May 5th. Oh my, am I behaving badly with a bit of self-promotion?

If you don't get their newsletter in your e-mail, you should sign up and keep up with what women and writing are doing! Click here to go to WOW.



About the book:

23 strange-but-true stories of women flirting with perdition... In the steamy South, temptation is as wild and plentiful as kudzu. Whether the sin in question is skinny-dipping or becoming an unlikely porn star, running rum or renting out a room to a pair of exhibitionistic adulterers, in these true stories women defy tradition and forge their own paths through life—often learning unexpected lessons from the experience.

As Dorothy Allison writes in her introduction, “The most dangerous stories are the true ones, the ones we hesitate to tell, the adventures laden with fear or shame or the relentless pull of regret. Some of those are about things that we are secretly deeply proud to have done.”

A diverse array of contributors—mothers, daughters, sisters, best friends, fiancées, divorcees, professors, poets, lifeguards-in-training, lapsed Baptists, tipsy debutantes, middle-aged lesbians—lend their voices to this collection. Introspective and abashed, joyous and triumphant (but almost never apologetic), they remind us that sin, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

Update March 26th: This post has been added to Julie Valerie's Hump Day Blog Hop. Click on the link below to see what's happening Hump Day with some great blogs and authors! Look for Hump Day Blog Hop the last Wednesday of each month.  Halfway to the weekend and lots of great finds mid-week. Doesn't get any better!

Like to party? Hop along the Hump Day Blog Hop on Julie Valerie’s Book Blog. Click here to return to the Hump Day Blog Hop.


 

Author Jamie Salisbury Winner of Giveaway From Last Week's Blog On Sisterhood

 

Lovely earrings made by one of my good friends, Angela, from her Etsy shop

BerthaLousieDesigns
 

 

Thanks to those who left their comments on last week's blog post on sisterhood as part of WOW (Women On Writing) event for author Therese Walsh and her new book The Moon Sisters.  I've ordered my copy and can't wait to read it. If you missed the interview with Therese Walsh on WOW's The Muffin, click here to read it.

 

Jamie Salisbury's name was picked in the random drawing and I will be sending these darling earrings to her. Thanks Jamie for sharing with us and congratulations! FYI, Jamie is an author too. She writes contemporary and historical women's fiction, with a bit of the steam factor.  Check out her blog here. Jamie's book Life and Lies has been nominated for the 2013 RONE award.



 

Everybody's Talking About Sisterhood - (Giveaway And A Bit Of Bling)

A wonderful book, a bit of bling, and girlfriends. Does it get any better?

 

You could win these by leaving a comment below.

 

Join in the discussion of sisterhood and leave a comment below on 'sisters' in your life. On Friday I will do a random selection of a winner to receive the lovely one-of-a-kind rhinestone earrings pictured above and at the end of this post. They were made by my friend Angela and came from her Etsy shop. Winner will be announced here Friday afternoon. This is a giveaway on my blog. There are many others. Go to The Muffin  (Women On Writing) (click here) and read other bloggers comments and other giveaways.

Want to peek inside. Click here and go to Amazon.

I was thrilled to be invited to  the party to celebrate sisterhood and the release of Therese Walsh's new book, The Moon Sisters. I started to think about the women I am friends with and how much more than friends they are to me, they are family.

Sisterhood. The word makes me smile. My own little group of friends have helped me see the light in the darkest hours. Members of my 'hood' include my sister, my mother, and my girlfriends, both the new friends I've recently met, and my group of antique dealer buddies that go back as far as I can remember.

My sister and mother live in Florida. I am a widow. I don't have kids. Well, stop that. Sounds like a pity party! I do have six fur kids - six rescue dogs! The point of saying the above, is that I don't have family within a few hours of me who can show up if I need help. What I have is my wonderful friends, my family of gal pals. Each different, each surprising me in different ways. I hate to ask for help, but girlfriends know when to step in.

It was that band of merry antique dealers that helped me get back on my feet after my husband died. They refused to let me sit alone. As long as we'd known each other, we did our antiquing during the day, but were home with our spouses at night. These were my girlfriends - not couple friends with our husbands. The first year on my own, that loomed to be the worst year ever, took on a bit of magic under the care of my friends who would not let me sit alone. I wrote about that year in my book, The Unfaithful Widow.

Two weeks ago I had a hysterectomy for preventative reasons, my hysterical hysterectomy as I liked to call it. How does one cope with surgery and six dogs?  My life-style was about to change dramatically. How would I take care of my dogs? In fact, how would I take care of myself? While I am known to write about personal things, asking for help is the hardest thing for me to do.  I am usually the one in charge. I don't like to impose on friends. I'd forgotten that girlfriends don't let you sit alone. While I did hire a pet-sitter to come take care of the hounds, my girlfriends have brought me food, helped me with daily tasks - laundry, cleaning house.

A best friend, a sister, a group of wild antique ladies, a mother who still worries about me even though I am getting old (wink, wink - you figure the math!), I am lucky with friendships. We each have our own lives, but are there for each other when trouble brews.  Isn't that what family should be about? Hug your 'sisters' and keep them close.

Meet the author:

Visit Therese Walsh's website. 

 

In The Moon Sisters, her second novel, Therese Walsh wanted to write about one sister’s quest to find will-o’-the-wisp light, which was her mother’s unfulfilled dream. Also called “foolish fires”, these lights are sometimes seen over wetlands and are thought to lead those who follow them to treasure. Despite the promise, they are never captured and sometimes lead to injury or even death for adventurers who follow them. The metaphor of that fire – that some dreams and goals are impossible to reach, and that hope itself may not be innately good – eventually rooted its way into deeper meaning as the Moon sisters tried to come to terms with real-world dreams and hopes, and with each other, in their strange new world.

 

Olivia and Jazz Moon are polar opposites: one a dreamy synesthete, able to see sounds and smell sights and the other controlling and reality driven. What will happen when they are plunged into 24/7 togetherness and control is not an option? Will they ever be able to see the world through the other’s eyes and confront the things they fear the most? Death. Suicide. The loss of faith and hope. Will they ultimately believe that life is worth living, despite the lack of promise? 

 

The writing of The Moon Sisters was a five year journey and at times author Therese Walsh felt like it was her own “foolish fire”. But remember, some fires are worth the chase!

My giveaway on this blog only.

Remember to leave a comment below on the 'sisters' in your life and you may win these beautiful earrings made by my friend Angela. Random drawing on Friday. Every sister needs a bit of bling!

"Danger In Her Words" Coming Soon

A PS to this post. I pulled my book down to correct a few errors. It will be up shortly on Amazon and Kindle.

The best of news on a snowed-in day in Georgia. My book is now available on Amazon. A work of fiction, a bit girly, sassy, sexy, and fun, I am so happy to have finished it. My life since spring has been centered on writing, re-writing, and editing. An anticipated publication date of Christmas with a marketing theme of 'naughty or nice' got postponed until Valentine's Day.  I think it is the perfect romp for the most romantic holiday of the year!

 A TV sitcom pitch gone wrong turns dog-column writer Susan Meyers in a tailspin. Sex Sells was the topic of the day at the writers’ convention. Susan decided to try something new and a steamy romantic novel seemed just the answer. A widow who hadn’t dated in three years, Susan was out of practice with men and sex. She turned to an online dating site to find inspiration for her book and unleashed a predator with the words she wrote. Tucked an hour away from her friends in a small town where she kept to herself, with only her tiny dog for company, Susan felt safe from the world. Little did she know her life was about to change.

 

 A romp of a story about writing and finding yourself in this book within a book. If you love girl-talk, farmhouses, antiques, country towns, a touch of murder, a sprinkle of suspense, and a bit of naughty fun, come join Susan as she learns about life from her character Jamie. Two widows looking for love in all the wrong places might still get it right if they live long enough.

 

Book and cover design by  pd king design. Published by Gilbert Street Press.

For The Love Of Dogs "Give Cancer The Paw" Blog Hop

How many dogs can you see in this photo?

 

 

Yes, that is my bed. I sleep with dogs. Six to be exact. Sharing my love of rescue dogs seems appropriate today as I join  the "Give Cancer The Paw" Blog Hop. First about the hop and then a little about my dogs!

 

Dogs were the subject of Julie Valerie's Post  “We’re Talking Dog Books on Change A Pet’s Life Day!” a few weeks back. In that post, she featured three authors and four novels where dogs played a prominent role in the story. I was honored my book, The Unfaithful Widow, was included along with two great books by author Jackie Bouchard and another wonderful author Karen E. Martin. My widow memoir is full of the dogs that rescued me.

 

 

 

 

Today starts the "Give Cancer The Paw" Blog Hop, which is also mentioned in Julie's post above. Link to it for more details.

 

For all my dog loving friends and rescue groups - you can join the hop too. Blog about whatever you want - a tribute post, research info, tips on fighting cancer, etc. Author Jackie Bouchard is posting about Morris Animal Foundation and ways to help out with their canine research. If you want to join the blog hop as a blogger, or simply want to hop along the websites as a participant, check Jackie Bouchard's blog beginning today, February 6th, to get all the information you need.
 

2014 dates for this event: Feb 6, May 6, Aug 6, Nov 6.
The Give Cancer the Paw Blog Hop is co-hosted by Jackie and Peggy's Pet Place.
Check below to link to other posts in the hop!

Meet the pack in my bed: Chloe (7 pound Chi), Bray (black Afghan mix), Miss April In Paris (hunting dog, brown head, liver spotted body), Rascal (roly-poly mini-pit), Annabelle (mixed brown cocker/hound) and Bertha Barth (Mixed Basset Hound). The last pooch to land here was Bertha. She has been a hand full. My dogs teach me patience, not with dealing with them, because my love of my dogs forgives many household mistakes, but patience in dealing with others - humans to be specific. Sometimes I think every relationship should  fall in place, and be perfect, at the beginning.  There are bad eggs I agree, but I've learned if I don't jump to the wrong conclusions about someone, patience may bring a delightful surprise.

Most of my dogs came from animal rescue groups, where they were in foster homes, and, while quirky, well adjusted. They came in over a nine month period. They mixed and mingled, kissing on each other. The house was a love fest.

Then Bertha Barth came from Animal Control, several years later, in Spring 2012. She had no history with anyone, came from a group cage, with the most pitiful look a saggy face pooch could have. She had heartworms. In her fight to mix in, she wanted to be Alpha, she nailed a few dogs to the ground (not to hurt them, but to show them she was in charge). She nipped me once. She wanted to be loved but made it hard to love her out of fear she might snap and nip, or worse yet, bite. I called in a dog trainer, who trained me on how to deal with her. Her heartworm treatment was successful. She has finally found her place in the pack after more than a year, and I love her with all my heart. If a dog who wants so desperately to fit in acts badly, perhaps people do the same. Bertha reminds me that all relationships don't start smoothly, but given time and caring, things change and bloom. I hope she has made me less critical of others' actions and given me patience to allow time to sort things out.

 

Bertha Barth

 

A Visit To Julie Valerie's Book Blog In Celebration Of Dogs And Dog Books

Julie Valerie's sweet dogs. Chloe on the left and the late Cassie, who went to dog heaven last September after a long loved full life, on the right.

Last Friday was Change A Pet's Life Day and I was thrilled to be included in a blog post on dogs and dog books by Julie Valerie. A fellow dog lover, Julie shared the beautiful photo above. Such sweet faces.

You can link to Julie Valerie's Book Blog and read the dog post by clicking here. Below are the books included in the post. The covers alone make you smile. 

Follow Julie Valerie's Book Blog: Women's Fiction from Jane Austen to Bridget Jones. Click here to go to her home page.

And now the books and a special event!

 

Purchase on Amazon

Author's Web

Rescue Me, Maybe by Jackie Bouchard: If you lost both your spouse and your dog to cancer within weeks of each other, but you were sadder about the dog, would you tell anyone? Maybe your closest friends. Unfortunately, Jane Bailey’s closest friends are on the other side of the country. That’s where Jane plans to go now that she’s free to leave Philadelphia, the too cold, beachless, street taco-deficient city her husband dragged her to six years ago. But with no job prospects in her hometown of San Diego, Jane is roped into helping out temporarily at her uncle’s southwestern small-town B&B. En route to her new role as innkeeper and breakfast chef, she finds a stray at a rest stop. With her heart in pieces from the loss of her dog, she’s determined not to let this mutt worm its way into her affections. She’s also determined to have next-to-no interaction with the B&B’s irritating guests, and the even more annoying handyman who lives next door. Can Jane keep her sanity–and her secret that she’s not really a grieving widow–while trying to achieve her dream of getting back to the place she thinks is home?

Purchase on Amazon

Author's Web

 

What the Dog Ate by Jackie Bouchard: The vet handed Maggie Baxter a plastic specimen bag containing a pair of size-tiny lavender thong panties extracted from her dog; but they were not hers. Or rather, they were hers now since she’d just paid $734 to have Dr. Carter surgically remove them from Kona’s gut.This is how Maggie Baxter, a practical, rule-following accountant, discovers that her husband of seventeen years is cheating on her. All her meticulous life plans are crushed. When he leaves her for the other woman, Maggie and her the-world-is-my-smorgasbord chocolate Lab, Kona, are left to put their lives back together. As Maggie begins to develop a Plan B for her life, she decides to be more like Kona. No, she’s not going to sniff crotches and eat everything that isn’t nailed down; rather she’ll try to approach life with more ball-chasing abandon. Finding herself in situations where she begins to go through her usual over-analysis of the pros and cons, she stops and instead asks herself: What would Kona do? With Kona as her guru, Maggie begins her quest for tail-wagging joy.

 

 

 

Purchase on Amazon

Author's Web

 

Modogamous by Karen E. Martin: Kate Adams has it all figured out. Five years out of college, she’s got a steady job, a home she loves in the big city, and good friends who always keep her laughing: her stylish but nosy roommate Evette, happily-married Cecie, and of course, good old Mitch, her seriously cute co-worker who’s been stuck in the Friend Zone since the day they met.

Everything is going just fine—until the night Kate crosses the line with Mitch, and the boundaries between friendship and love begin to blur. Things get even more complicated when hunky JP enters the scene. What’s a girl to do? Add to the mix a spunky little pug Kate never expected to fall for, and her neatly-ordered life is starting to look more like a dog’s dinner. Maybe her roommate has the right idea after all: forget the men, and stick with a canine companion instead.
It’s time for Kate to figure out what she really wants in life. But can she dig her way out of the mess she’s created before she ends up permanently in the doghouse?


And  my own book, The Unfaithful Widow, where rescue dogs helped rescue me!

 

Purchase on Amazon

 

And an event you won't want to miss!

 

 

 

Give Cancer the Paw Blog Hop (February 6, 2014)

 Folks are welcome to join the hop and blog about whatever they want – a tribute post, research info, tips on fighting cancer, etc. Jackie Bouchard is going to post about Morris Animal Foundation and ways to help out with their canine cancer research. If you want to join, check Jackie Bouchard’s blog (http://poochsmooches.blogspot.com) on February 6th to get the linky info for joining the hop. The Give Cancer the Paw Blog Hop is co-hosted by Jackie and one other blogger (Peggy’s Pet Place). The February 6 event will be the second time they’ve hosted it.

 

Thanks Julie for letting me repost this information and for including me in your post!

 

From one dog lover to another, Dogs Rock!