Quote of the Day

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” 

― Martin Luther King Jr.

The Quiet Hours

In the quiet hours of the morning when dawn is starting its gradual ascend to nudge forth the day, is when my creative mind gets busy.  This is when story ideas peek through my dream state and present themselves to me.  This former non-morning person has learned to welcome these intrusions like a loyal friend.

I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be fully occupied this year between work, writing projects and life in general and plan to fully embrace it.  I hope I'm not wrong.

Embrace your passions everyone, make time for them, and enjoy them.  Life is short.  Live it the way you want to and make every second count.

Good Sunday to you all!

Exciting News - Regular Contributor Invitation to The Story Shack!

Friends,

I am bursting with news at this moment.  Today I was offered an invitation by The Story Shack's editor, Martin Hooijmans, to take a spot on the site as one of their regular contributors!

You see, this year, The Story Shack will be changing their format slightly offering only 2-3 stories per week, which will allow longer face time for each story and more opportunities for exposure to different social networks.  So what this means is, starting in April, I will be bringing you a new story every month. This is an exciting endeavor for me.  Even though this is a non-paying assignment, it is rich with opportunity, as it will provide me with more exposure, adherence to writing deadlines, and the potential for future growth.

I am extremely grateful and thankful to Martin and hope that I can continue to provide you with some entertaining quality stories.

Cheers!

Quote of the Day

“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. 
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” 

― Pamela Vaull Starr

Quote of the Day

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” 

― Bernard Meltzer

"The Angel Watches" Going Live Today

Good Morning,

Today my poem, "The Angel Watches" will be going live on The Story Shack.  I will provide a direct link for it as soon as it is up.

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful week!

Falling Short of My Goal . . . . Wasn't it Great!

Ah, the end of another year approaches.  I could talk about New Year's Resolutions, but I'm not big on those.  Instead, what I try to do is to set a couple of goals throughout the year, which I know may sound like making resolutions, but I don't view it the exact same way.

So, this past year my goal was to complete my novel.  Well, I fell short, because it's not done.  But I don't view this as an entire loss.  In fact, given my cross-country move, the new job and all of life's other ups and downs, the fact that I reached 61,345 words (88% of my goal), is pretty awesome.  Could I have gotten to 70,000 and finished if I had focused more?  Absolutely.  But instead of beating myself up, I'm choosing to look at this as a positive learning process.  After all, I achieved some pretty great things this year.  I attended a couple of online writing seminars giving me additional knowledge, insight and tools to help me with my craft.  I also managed to publish six new flash fiction pieces, one poem, and have three more pieces slated for 2014.  Not bad.

But now, what to do about that novel . . . . . well, guess what this year's goal is?  Yep, finish that book!  Once again, I will gladly accept all the encouragement I can get to help propel me towards this goal and keep me accountable during this undertaking.  I'm actually quite excited to climb back on that horse in 2014 and explore the new paths this adventure is going to travel upon.  Will one of my characters surprise me by going in a different direction, fall short of my expectations and make me rewrite several scenes, or develop into a fuller, richer character and steal the show?  I can't wait to find out!

So what goals will you be setting this year or what great things did you learn from your mistakes and procrastination this year?  Try looking at it in a positive way to see those little achievements.  After all, life is one big learning experience, and when you gain knowledge from those experiences, you gain invaluable success!

Cheers everyone!  Wishing you all the very best in 2014!

"Vehicle" went live!

Good morning friends,

Please take a moment to check out my poem, "Vehicle" on Leaves of Ink.  This poem was written several years ago at a time when I noticed person after person, celebrity and otherwise going down the wrong path in life.

Have a great week and as always, feedback is welcomed!

http://www.leaves-of-ink.com/2013/12/vehicle.html

New Story to be Published -- Danger Zone

Friends,

I'm happy to announce that a new story is to be published entitled, "Danger Zone".  For this one, I took a trip back to the darker side of human nature.  Look for it on The Story Shack on March 13th, or through my story links section on the upper right side of my blog, www.myfiddlefaddlesabbatical.blogspot.com.

Also, a reminder that my poem, "Vehicle" will go live on December 23rd on Leaves of Ink.

Have a great week!

Christina

Quote of the Day

“Humor is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them.”

― L.M. Montgomery

Quote of the Day

“Whatever may be the tensions and the stresses of a particular day, there is always lurking close at hand the trailing beauty of forgotten joy or unremembered peace.” 

― Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart

Illustration Received for "The Angel Watches"

Just a quick note to mention that I received the illustration today for my upcoming poem, "The Angel Watches" (publish date January 6, 2014).  I think Terri Kelleher did a beautiful job.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Illustrator Link-up for "The Angel Watches"

I received the link-up today for my poem, "The Angel Watches" (publish date January 6, 2014), and I'm excited to be paired with the very talented Terri Kelleher.  Can't wait to see what she has in store on this corroboration!

New Poem to be Published! "She Continues Onward"

Great news, I'm excited to announce that another poem has just been accepted by Leaves of Ink!  This one, She Continues Onward will be published on February 4, 2014.

Remember, you can find all of my upcoming publishing dates on the upper right-hand side of my blog.

Thanks for reading!

Quote of the Day

“A ship is always safe at the shore - but that is NOT what it is built for.” 

― Albert Einstein

Quote of the Day

“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” 

― Rita Mae Brown

What's in a Name?

Well, frankly a lot.  Especially when you're trying to figure out what to title your book.  No, no, hang on, I'm not finished it yet (actually, disappointingly far behind my projection of a 2013 completion), but as with most books, the title is worked into the story and therefore holds a special significance.   So, here I sit trying to come up with the perfect variation of my working title.  Ugh.  You see, my first thought was a title that is already in use.  It also is two words that by themselves are, well, admittedly kind of lackluster.  So, wanting to keep those two words in my title because of their significance to the story, I am trying to come up with a more intriguing variation.  Yes, I admit, I'm spending a lot of time on a just handful of words.  But as you know, marketing is an important piece of the puzzle.  Think of all the commercials you laugh at, the jingles you sing to yourself and the book titles that either grab you or make you feel something special.  So, instead of the 20,000 more words that I need to write, this morning I'm focusing on five very significant words that are about to steer me toward a bottle of aspirin.  Calgon take me away!  (See, some of you instantly knew what those four words meant, and smiled . . . . . )

Quote of the Day

Or perhaps I should say "quotes".  I couldn't decide, so here are two:

“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” 
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

“You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. 
What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” 
― Bill Watterson

Link for "Jack"

So after a little website glitch, here is "Jack".  Happy Halloween!

"Jack" Going Live Today!

Hi Everyone,

My next story "Jack" is going live today on The Story Shack.  There will be two stories posted today, so if don't see it in the morning, then it will be on in the afternoon.  Be sure to check it out if you have a moment. And thank you again to Alankrita Jain for the wonderful illustration!  

Book Review Time - The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

I thoroughly enjoy Jeannette Walls' books and this one was no exception.  The Silver Star is a work of fiction unlike her memoir, The Glass Castle (an excellent read).  Walls' book Halfbroke Horses is also listed as fiction although it is based on the life of her grandmother (another very good read).  

With this story, Walls takes you on a journey with two young sisters who are put in the position to make some scary grownup decisions. Some of these decisions lead them in a positive direction while other decisions have dire consequences.  

I loved the characters in this book and their quirks, and continuously felt compelled to turn the pages to find out what was going to happen next with these two girls.   This is a story of survival, perseverance, growth and change.  It is a quick enjoyable read.

Gave this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and a big thumbs up.

Illustration for Jack

Adorable little illustration from Alankrita Jain for my story, "Jack" coming out on October 31st.  There will be two stories posted that day on The Story Shack, so be sure to take a moment to check it out.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Quote of the Day

“The Lorax: Which way does a tree fall? 
The Once-ler: Uh, down? 
The Lorax: A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.” 

― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

Another Poem to be Published! "The Angel Watches"

Hi everyone!

Well, I'm very excited to announce that another poem has been accepted for publication.  This one, "The Angel Watches", has been accepted by The Story Shack with a release date of January 6th.  I am excited to find out my illustrator pairing and will update the site accordingly.

Have a great weekend!

Quote of the Day

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So . . . get on your way!"

-- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Quote of the Day

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” 

― Ernest Hemingway

Poem to be Published! "Vehicle"

Friends,

I am excited to tell you that my poem, "Vehicle" has just been accepted by an online magazine, Leaves of Ink.  The publication date is December 23, 2013.  I know that with the holidays this will be a busy time for everyone, but if you can spare a second or two to check it out, please do.  It will be on the front page that day.

Thanks for reading!

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

The following is another article I wrote for my employer's newsletter, which is appearing today:

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

The other evening my husband and I ordered some Chinese takeout, and at the end of the meal we cracked into the highly anticipated fortune cookies to see what our futures would hold.  The message on my tiny strip of paper was this: “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.”  As I read these words I chuckled at the irony and immediately nodded my head in agreement with this statement.  I chose to take this message as a reconfirmation of the strength and lessons I have gained from past experiences instead of a foreshadowing of any future events.  I also chose not to toss this little message, but instead decided to hold onto it as a gentle reminder for use in all personal and professional areas of my life.

So what does this message really mean?  “A calm sea does not make a skilled sailor.”  I tilled those words around in my head, and to me it means this: 

Sure we all think we would love to sail through life on calm waters, myself included, but it is only when we sit back and review the tumultuous waters that we have sailed upon that we realize it is only by those trials in life that we learn.  In other words, it might only be as a result of that big career mishap that you learned a lesson such as due diligence.  Or perhaps you learned from a potentially embarrassing situation with a client the lesson of quick thinking.  Maybe you hit a quandary with a particular job task that has given you the skill of problem solving, or a conflict with a colleague that has taught you the art of diplomacy.  I bet there are many other useful skills that you have learned throughout your career that even you do not realize.  And where did you learn these skills?  I would wager that it wasn't from calm waters. 

I believe we all need to learn to look at these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow as individuals, both personally and in our careers or vocations.  So the next time you feel as though a Tsunami is going to hit you, stay calm, take a deep breath, pull out your compass and dig deep into your bag of finely tuned skills to navigate through your next crisis.  And by all means, don’t forget to enter your new skill in your sailor’s logbook!

Quote of the Day

“It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” 
― Lou Holtz

Update on "Jack"

I just received the illustrator link-up for my story "Jack", which will go live on October 31st.  The illustrator I will be working with is the talented Alankrita.  I look forward to this latest corroboration!