A Book About Being Saved by Gracie...

As a writer, I'm always thrilled to support other writers. Standing behind another writer and cheering them on is just the way it should be done. When Jan Dunlap asked me to read her new book, Saved by Gracie, which will be released in April, I was excited to get an advanced copy. When I read what it was about, it interested me even more.

I've always been an animal lover and was raised with dogs, so I'm particularly fond of them. I had the opportunity in my former career in social services to work with service dogs as well, so I know the difference they can make in people's lives. When a housekeeper who worked with a former client of mine refused to enter the house when she saw the client's little Miniature Pinscher, we worked with her gradually to help her to see the dog was actually very sweet. I admired her for her courage because people have fears for a reason.

After a short time, the housekeeper and the dog were the best of friends - and her entire attitude changed. She was so proud to overcome her fear, make a new furry friend, and work with a great client in the process.

When I saw Jan's book was about not only getting over her fear of dogs, but beating an anxiety she had, I was even more intrigued to read it. As she states on her website:

"My first humorous memoir, Saved by Gracie, will be published in April 2014 by Authentic Publishers. It’s the story of how our adopted rescued dog helped me overcome a growing anxiety disorder, which was really quite a surprise, since my fear of dogs was one of my biggest anxieties to begin with. I wanted my publisher to subtitle it “How an unwanted dog dragged me kicking and screaming back to health, happiness, and God, and why I blame my husband and daughter for making me one of those people who talks for their dog,” but he said we could probably shorten that up a bit."

So, here's to Jan, her new book, her new outlook, and dealing with anxiety on top of it...and doing it all with a great deal of humor. After writing several murder mysteries that involved birds and now writing about a dog that changed her she said: "So now you might say that while my mysteries are for the birds, my career has gone to the dogs. Life is just full of surprises, isn’t it?"

Photo of Book Cover Courtesy of Jan Dunlap.

Getting that Novel Out of Your Head

One of my favorite writers, Jenna Blum, had a great blog post I looked at today about writing and getting that book out of your head. A lot of writers definitely do this - we walk around with a book in our head pretty much all the time. It seems it has to get out, but it won't come out, for whatever reason. It can be blamed in part on the distractions of life, but it doesn't go away.

I've started two books that are sitting in a drawer, and although I've written a lot of smaller pieces, I know someday those books will have to be completed - along with the newer one that is constantly running in my mind. I have characters, plots, the ending, the city. But, often when I sit down at my desk to write, I end up checking my e-mail, reading, surfing - having fun, but wasting time and not getting done what's really important to me.

Jenna's advice in her blog post, Motivation Time, is solid. Because we truly do bring our fears to the writing chair every time we sit down. A book is a huge task and can be very daunting. The old advice of sitting down and just doing it - well, that's nothing new, but it's still good to hear again from a successful author. And, I like her additional suggestions of getting the worries out in her post:

"So here’s what I suggest: Make yourself sit in the writing chair, for x amount of minutes a day. Start with an hour (or, if that seems too threatening, 25 minutes). Then maybe change the medium! If you’re used to writing on a laptop, write on paper. If you’re used to writing on paper, write on the laptop. I do find that when I’m writing by hand–my original, beloved way to write, all the way from childhood–there are whole scenes that knit themselves together out of one scrap of a sentence. So again, the work is there. We just have to figure out a way to get out of our own way.

My agent suggested something else: buy a box (she knows I like to shop, so any suggestion with “buy” in it will get my attention) and each day, before you write, write your fears and obstacles about whatever it is you're writing about on slips of paper. Put them in the box. Close the box. Then set yourself a daily word count and hit it."

After all, sitting down in the chair is half the battle. The other half is just getting started and putting words down...and doing it every day that you can. It is a commitment to yourself as a creative artist that needs to be expressed - and, seriously, it's the only way it's ever going to get out of your head.

Fashion as Art

Fashion can be art too, especially when it's something so unique made with luxurious fabrics and an inspired idea. To hang it in the closet seems to be hiding something away that just needs to be seen. 

This wonderful piece of artwork designed by one of my favorites, Kotomi Yoshida (some of her work can be found at  Studio Yoshida), needed a place on a pretty, ribbon hanger on the front of the door. Not only is it too beautiful to keep in the closet, it is hung up for inspiration to keep up with the workouts and lose those extra pounds from last year.

It is a one-of-a-kind work of art...and she's a sweetheart on top of it. I am fortunate to have a few of her wonderful pieces, but this one is one of the most treasured.

Thanks, Kotomi. This is one of the first photographs I took with my new camera - and, whether it's with my writing, photography, or just exercising, you continue to inspire me in so many ways...

New Visions

I'm not very materialistic, never have been. I prefer to live simply, have some quality things that I use, live in a cozy house that puts a roof over my head, avoid clutter and added junk I don't need, and travel as much as I can. I've been known many times to buy things and then give them away to someone who needs it - or to a friend who it just suits better.

But, I received a gift this morning that blew me away. It was a belated birthday gift from my partner. His generosity made me tear up, but it didn't make it any less appreciated. In fact, the gift is one of those gifts that will not only support a passion that has been with me since I was a teenager, but it will help me expand into it even more as I do freelance work. Because, you see, he bought me a beautiful, professional, digital camera. A Nikon D3200. One I've wanted for a very long time.

I've been writing since I was three, but I've always liked taking pictures too, and I started seriously getting into photography when I was in high school. My father bought me an Olympus OM-1 film camera, which I paid off for $20 a week while I worked part-time at a grocery store. It was a manual camera because my photography teacher at the time said I had talent, and needed the flexibility of a manual camera to use my own creativity.

My father, ever the wonderful woodworker who can build anything, also built me a little darkroom in the basement. We bought a used enlarger, trays, chemicals - all the old-fashioned things you needed at the time to develop photographs. I bought a few filters as I needed them - different types like colored filters that made clouds stand out, a starlight filter that made candlelight burst, and spent time with slow exposures and sepia-toned images to experiment and grow in the art. And it always complimented and meshed with my writing.

Then digital photography came around. And I bought a small digital camera that I take with me everywhere. I've always had to carry a bigger bag to be able to carry both a writing journal and a camera...and I'm known for just having to write a line down or whip out the camera whenever the mood strikes or I see a visual picture in my head. I often just stop and say: "That would make a cool picture!"

I've done quite well with the small camera, and my old camera (which is now displayed on a shelf), but this new one opens up so many more possibilities for me. Since Photoshop came out a few years back, I've seen it as a digital darkroom and have enjoyed perfecting my skills and playing around with it as well. Although I'm proud to say that the majority of my photography doesn't take much other than occasional cropping, it's still fun to experiment, be creative, and work a different effect with images.

As much as I love writing, my other big passion has always been photography. So, my tasks this weekend are fun ones. Read the manual. Check out the new camera. And start playing around with it on an even more creative level, and see what it can do. Because this is a gift that truly keeps on giving. And I love my guy not only for who he is and what a great person he is, but for his generosity, and enthusiasm in what I love to do. And, as much as I believe in him and his talents and abilities, it makes me think of my mother and how she always believed in my writing...and I love him even more for his own belief in me.

The old camera as decor.

Size is Relative

I came across a post today on Already Pretty about style and wearing tights. This is a fun blog and I like that she not only knows her stuff, but promotes other bloggers who know their stuff too. I am a fan of tights, usually black, but sometimes colorful. Surprisingly, I am already doing what she advises in wearing them, so I guess I'm not that far off in the style department.

But, seriously, tights are warm too. When I see all the photos of women with bare legs or open toe boots or shoes in the middle of winter, I know I don't see that in the northern region where I live. When you're dealing with twenty below zero temperatures and snow and ice, it really doesn't make a lot of sense. But, I'm also a huge fan of tall boots as well, so it's an excuse to wear more of them with the tights.

In the aforementioned post, the guest blogger was Gracey, from Fashion for Giants. Not only is Gracey informative, she is also very funny, and I enjoyed some of her other posts as well. However, although I think her blog title is clever, I can't see her as a giant or plus-sized. Perhaps it is because at a little over 5'9" I not only almost always wear heels, making me even taller, but I'm actually shorter than anyone else in my family. So, tall is clearly relative to me.

But, for her to be a Size 14 at over six feet tall, does not equal plus-size to me. A Size 14 at that height is actually quite healthy. It's the stick skinny models who are her height and starving themselves to be a Size 0 that are NOT healthy (and I'm not talking about people who are naturally really thin here). At my height, I naturally fall somewhere in between the Size 0 and the Size 14.
 
In the real world, there are many different types of beauty and they should all be celebrated. After all, the goal should be to be healthy, feel good about ourselves, and embrace our individuality. I've always been one to see the best in people - their eyes, their hair, their skin color...their unique thing that makes them stand out from everyone else. To me, Gracey looks great as she is. Because no matter what we wear or what size it's in, we're all beautiful in our own way.

On Reading

I just finished a book today that I really enjoyed. It's one of those books that pulled my interest so much that as I got about halfway through it, I just had to finish it. So, after a leisurely breakfast at a local restaurant, I settled in on a cold Sunday afternoon, wrapped a blanket around myself, and just continued to read.

I was so absorbed in the characters and the situations they were in, I forgot it was cold and dreary outside. The book was "Hidden in Paris," by Corine Gantz. Granted, I love anything to do with Paris, but it's more than that. Ms Gantz is a wonderful writer and her characters were interesting and complex - and the way their lives intertwined with each other made it an engaging story. Her characters developed and grew, and the ending was satisfying without being too predictable. I enjoyed it and it was definitely one I had folded a few pages back on for quotes I like to write down in my journal later - which I always do upon finishing a book.

After I put it down, it made me think of someone I once worked with. She would quite often say she didn't read and that no one does anymore. She was actually proud of this. Perhaps people read differently than they did before (there are millions of Kindles and other electronic readers sold each year, as well as people reading on their computers and Smartphones), but people are still reading. We also still have many crowded bookstores for the people who still love paper books. I am generally around intelligent people of all ages who love to read, and when I have mentioned this comment people have generally been as puzzled by it as I was. I am also a writer, and any good writer should be reading to fuel their creative juices, as well as for inspiration. 

But reading is more than that. Reading is a way to learn about other lifestyles, other cultures, other places. It is a way to continue learning, to be drawn into a story, to be in a different country, understand different backgrounds, and to be pulled out of your own life and into an entirely different one. I find it sad to not do that. Although I love movies, it isn't the same as the imagination and education you get by reading a good book. To never have that escape or intellectual stimulation closes you off to so much.

To each his or her own, of course, but I've been reading since I was a little kid, and I can't imagine not doing it at all. Even in the busy lives we all lead now, there are just too many things you miss out on by not pulling out a good book. Besides, it keeps your mind sharp and young. Why limit yourself that way?

This weekend I was in my favorite bookstore, Magers and Quinn, which was busy, as usual. One of the fun things about bookstores is not only checking out books, but observing the people who are in there. As I looked for my next book to read, I observed two teenagers going through the stacks and marveling at the titles. There was a lot of: "But, have you read this one? It's so awesome," and "I can't wait to get to that one." 

I smiled to myself as I headed toward the counter with my next book, where the salesclerk assured me that I had made a great choice. Yes, people most definitely still read - old and young alike. And, although there might be some that don't, it's ignorant to say no one does.  Because, no matter what the medium of choice is, there's just as much excitement and joy in it as there always has been.

A Young Woman's Courage to Fight for Education

When I was growing up, it was just understood that I would go to college. With the exception of my mother, everyone in my family got a college education. As a kid, you don't often realize how fortunate you are to have that kind of support - especially as a woman.

My mother was born in a different time. She still had regret in her eighties about not going to college. She is gone now, but I always wished she would have gone later in her life. Her father told her no woman needed to go to college. I'm so glad times have changed...at least for the most part.  And we just don't have the same obstacles here that women face in other parts of the world.

When I first read about Malala Yousafzai several months ago, I realized what a shining example she is of someone who not only had a father who believed in her, but he did it in a country where that just isn't done. His courage was clearly passed on to his daughter. Although they had made some strides with education in her country, it was taken away. When she fought for it publicly, she was almost killed.

In an article in the BBC News Magazine, it is obvious the support she had from her father contributed to her own bravery:

By the time Malala was born, her father had realized his dream of founding his own school, which began with just a few pupils and mushroomed into an establishment educating more than 1,000 girls and boys.

This was Malala's world - not one of wealth or privilege but an atmosphere dominated by learning. And she flourished. "She was precocious, confident, assertive," says Adnan Aurangzeb. "A young person with the drive to achieve something in life."

"For my brothers it was easy to think about the future," Malala tells me when we meet in Birmingham. "They can be anything they want. But for me it was hard and for that reason I wanted to become educated and empower myself with knowledge."

She is an extraordinary young woman, wise beyond her years, sensible, sensitive and focused. She has experienced the worst of humanity, and the best of humanity - both from the medics who cared for her and the messages from many thousands of well-wishers.

Women need to continue their fight for their rights to an education everywhere. There are even difficulties in the United States when it comes to poverty or obstacles being thrown in by people who are threatened by women who are more educated, outspoken, and powerful in business and politics. But, in the case of Malala, it is even more important. Because she is fighting as a very young woman who is also in real danger. She is wise, tough, and knows the fight ahead of her. For that she should not only be admired, but be honored as well.