Amazon has just made our books available on Kindle Unlimited. You can sign up and try it out and it’s free for 30 days. It’s the RedBox of books! There are over 600,000 free books available. Wow!
Discover the Life You Want to Live and Silver Element are on Kindle Unlimited for free. I would love for you to buy my books after you check it out, but reading it is also a wonderful thing. Check it out and thanks!
Time for another visit to the peaceful moment. Lately, things have been very hectic for my friends and sometimes I feel the pressure to make everything better. The truth is, I can only make things better for me. I can be a sympathetic ear, but sometimes I have to revisit what’s inside my own head and simply be a good listener and hope the best for others.
I recently read Marcus Sakey’s Brilliance and A Better World. I was blown away with the second book and his thought process. There were so many things that he wrote and said so much better than I could have. I want to understand how he wrote it and continue to pursue excellence in my work. I put up a review on Amazon to thank him and here was my favorite quote:
“Cooper had a theory about personality. Most people considered personality to be a singular identity….But he tended to see people as more of a chorus. Every stage in life added a voice to that chorus….What marked the difference between healthy people and broken ones…[was that] the inappropriate voices held an inappropriate number of spaces.”
I didn’t put these up in the review, but they were awesome quotes:
“Everything in life comes down to intentions and results.”
And, finally:
“The world works because people agreed to believe it worked.”
This sums up where I am at in my world today. Instead of the chorus, I think of my working brain as how someone would see it when it comes out of a 3D printer. I look at how my thought process was shaped through the layers of my life. I divided it into two big layers with many, many sub-layers:
LIFE and WORK (The past layer of my life):
My adult thought process was shaped through my work. I learned to organize thoughts and understand the patterns and layers. I looked for the patterns and thus observed the predictive behaviors that would occur in a criminal’s mind or an event. I layered my thoughts like a 3D printer, filling in details as they come to me. I looked for the missing pieces of the puzzle, looked for the reasoning behind the intention and then kept filling in the details until I got results, which included profiling and aiding in the arrests of criminals. I continue to draw from my past to create the present.
WRITING (the present layer of my life):
The present layer of my life has had many false starts. I erase the thoughts that don’t fit, I start over; the story dies; and then I rebuild it, sometimes going in a totally different direction. If it gets covered in too much snow, as many gardens do in the spring in Colorado, I can hope that the layers of mulch and love have protected the plants, like the layers of thoughts overlap to protect my story. And, if it truly dies, I will rebuild. My words can change many times through cutting and rewriting, until finally, the layering is right and the story unfolds. And, by choosing the sub-layer of Mystery, I am in my element and the characters’ layers reflect their personal mysteries, a group mystery, a big picture, and any impending doom. So, if the world stops working because people no longer agree or believe that the system doesn’t work, then it’s time to prepare for doomsday. And, as a writer, I’ve prepared for this over and over again. Thanks Mr. Sakey for your insight. It helps me keep going.
Keeping up with my writing is always a challenge. I love it and hate it and things always get in the way. That’s why blogging is useful. It helps me settle my mind and reboot. The garden is in and thriving. The weather has set in and now it’s time for the old butt in chair. And, even though I agonize over every word, I’m back in the saddle, settling down and creating beautiful thoughts.
Besides, I always meet interesting people who have interesting comments. Some are writers, some are friends, some are crazy people (which I am trying to learn to ignore-and I don’t approve their comments!). It’s all a part of the process. It helps me create better characters and better stories.
It helps me ignore all the dog poop in the yard (How can two little wiener dogs poop so much? We just picked it all up!), the weeds that need pulling (Bindweed is a Colorado curse!), and 90 degree weather for just a little while longer. I’m in my element!
A shout out to Laura Kirwan, author of Impervious who helped me get back on track! Buy her book!
Just when I thought I was going to have a normal morning, my husband called us to the window to observe a bear in our backyard. After snacking on the breakfast buffet (our compost bin), he chewed on our hoses (to get a drink of water?), and then knocked over one of the potted plants to peer inside the sun room. Afterwards, he settled down for a nap. Good thing the wiener dogs were inside! Oh yeah, not a peep out of them. They’ll bark at every Tom, Dick, Harry and squirrel, but nooooo, not a bear! Guess that was good though. He would have snacked on them, too. Go figure! What a day!
Bear stops in at the Tieben Household
THANKS EVERYONE! I WAS NOTIFIED (ON JUNE 14TH) THAT THEY MET THEIR GOAL! NOW THE MUSEUM WILL GET A NEW ROOF. AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO AT $10 AND $20 A POP.
Please go to this site and check out this post. Helping this project brought back good memories of the amazing southern women in my life. Their rich history and teachings gave me perspective and a nudge towards the person I am today.
http://blogthefarm.wordpress.com
It snowed on my garden. I misjudged. I planted too early. We covered everything in sheets of plastic but not everything survived. I can’t beat myself up enough for jumping the gun. Everyone told me it was a false spring. It was so warm. Who knew? I wanted them in! I felt industrious after a long winter. I just had to get out and get ‘er done! Such is my life. Even when I know better, I sometimes jump the gun. Most times, I learn from my mistakes and I move on. It is the same in life and writing. I look at is as an exercise in layers:
LAYERS
THE GARDEN: The first layer is creating a bed. I have a raised bed that we built for all of the herbs, lettuce and carrots. I also dug out the grass in two other areas which I surrounded with the 4,000 large rocks that were left stacked up against my fence by the last owner of the house. I learned that in Colorado there is this horrible yellow cake clay that the builder plopped around the yard after digging the basement out. This is underneath the bare layer of topsoil in which they laid the soil. Once I realized that this clay was what was underneath the grass that I dug out, I promptly dug it out as well. Next, I emptied many, many bags of topsoil and Supersoil that I bought from Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and King Soopers in order to make a fertile bed. I then prepared the beds one layer at a time, blending and mixing, combining each subsequent layer until I got it just right. The soil does get better over the years after many amendments to the layers. A month before, I had started the plants from tiny seeds inside the house. I put them under grow lights and plastic and nurtured them. I planted the seedlings outside and watered them thoroughly. It’s up to them to grow. I made sure that I protected the newly planted garden with a fence that I built around the garden. Otherwise, the bunnies eat everything down to the nub – nice for them but not for my family.
Over the years I’ve continued to try many methods to get plants to grow out here. I’ve tried all kinds of species of plants to try and get them to grow. I learned about growing zones and that Home Depot doesn’t always sell you plants for the right zone so they die. I take them back, get reimbursed, and try another plant. I will continue to change the gardens and, hopefully, the weather will cooperate. But when it doesn’t, I’ll replant. When life gives you snow, you learn to deal with the death of a plant and move on.
KIND, CONSIDERATE, THOUGHTFUL, COMPASSIONATE, EMPATHETIC, CARING
Ever wonder what would happen if we allowed these words and deeds come into our lives? If we can learn to accept and have happiness with whom and where we came from, we can accept ourselves. If we can learn from our parents’ lessons and mistakes, and not dwell on the negative things that happened in the past, we will become a saner adult, and a saner nation.
The best (and worst) thing I remember about my mother is that she was a clean freak. I am happy that I have learned the cleanliness factor from her, but I also gained the obsessiveness from her. It’s hard to lighten up. I believed in her principles, however: A clean house, clean garden, clean desk and clean mind sustained my sanity. Even when I was poor, I didn’t mind buying soap and other cleaning supplies. Even when I didn’t have a great place to live, it was clean and clutter-free. I didn’t have a lot of money to buy many things, so I really didn’t have much clutter. And, once I established a clean environment, I could work at for the greater good. Things really did begin to look up.
My parents also taught me how to manage my life in a frugal manner, so no matter how much money I earn now, I always think savings and giving first. I save for my son and our future, and I give to those in need when I can.
Even with crazy spring snow storms, I have successfully planted both vegetables and flowers that thrive. Beauty and sustenance is an important lesson freely given to me by my parents.
Think about what you can do for others and help out when you can. Pass on your legacy to your children so they will grow up be kind and caring to you as parents. Teach them to teach others how to care and share.
So, get up, get moving, and remember to curb those back-handed compliments. Let’s all enjoy each other, let’s delight in the groove of the present moment without argument and become a kinder and polite society once again, like our mothers taught us. Happy Mother’s Day everyone.
My writer friend, Eileen Purdy asked to guest post her outreach to women with Type II Diabetes. Here is her post:
Have you ever wondered what sparks true, life-changing “Aha!” moments? What inspires “Eureka!” epiphanies that translate to action and alter your life’s course? And how the same event can motivate one person but not affect another? I do. When I learned I had Type 2 Diabetes last summer I immediately turned to books to help me. The problem was, each book I picked up seemed blaming, overwhelming and discouraging.
I felt like I was having a life altering opportunity to “carpe diem!” and take my health’s “bull by the horns” yet it was hard to find books that were speaking my language!
Go to the cancer section in any bookstore and hope abounds! The heart surgery and heart attack section will leave you inspired to live life to the fullest and seize the day! Swing by other sections and you will find stories of people conquering the greatest of heights against all odds.
The amazing testament to the strength of the human spirit comes to a screeching halt in the diabetes section.
The “Aha” moments and “Eureka” epiphanies with Type 2 Diabetes ARE happening but seem to be hiding.
I am determined to change that! I have decided to write a motivational book for women with Type 2 Diabetes. I want to showcase stories of women managing the ups and downs of their diagnosis and living a life they love. I want to provide inspiration so that women can feel they are now part of an empowered tribe not a defeated, drag on society.
My diagnosis was definitely a life-changing “Aha!” moment for me. At first, learning about my disease and trying to manage it seemed to consume most of my waking moments. It was exhausting and emotionally challenging. But, my determination and hard work paid off and the daily choices needed to manage my disease became my “new normal”. I am now enjoying renewed confidence, energy and a higher quality of life, all because of managing my disease!
To make this book a reality, I am looking for women who are also successfully managing their Type 2 Diabetes and thriving! If you or someone you know has Diabetes and have success stories to tell, please respond or forward this to someone you know who fits this description. I would love to conduct an interview with you or your friends for my book.
Please email me at eileen@type2trendsetters.com.
Two broken people come together to heal old wounds. One needs the solitude. One needs people and the fishing. In the harsh and rugged land, Anna and Kyle move towards forgiveness and love. Anna wants stability, a house and a home after travelling for so long and the lighthouse seems to give her that. The solitude disturbs Kyle to the point he has to flee. Rachel Weaver made me think about how I, as the reader, would react in a similar situation. Could I adapt to the stark loneliness and work hard to create a pioneer life, allowing my “muscles…wrap tighter to the bone with all the work and the cold rain”?
Rachel pulls together an amazing tale with vivid descriptions of the land and sea. The imagery she gave made me live in that wild land. I loved how she described the elements and their effect on the characters:
“We sat on the beach…and watched the polite water barely disturb the smooth sand of the shore….”
“It was beautiful in a way that demanded something. A landscape that has the power to ask anyone, at any time, to measure all the hidden parts of themselves.”
“Mountains and water and ice. I can feel myself stretch out, as if all this beauty were a couch where I could finally lie down.”
“The sea beneath me, dark of full of motion, rises to meet the sea within me.”
I lived a great experience through Anna and agree that “life moves in patterns, unless you break them.”
Point of Direction by Rachel Weaver is a fantastic book. Good show Rachel! Everyone: please read this book!
After attending the Writer’s Critique group today, I’m feeling better about the way I work and the way I publish my books. Everyone gives a little bit to each other each time and it always helps. So, here’s my latest thought to everyone. Write; write some more; edit; edit some more and then publish. Only then can you move forward to your next project. Don’t let the opportunity get away from you.
Here is a great blog on the subject. Check it out:
http://tombird.com/the-fear-of-publishing-ones-book-is-far-greater-than-the-fear-of-even-writing-it/
Dru Tieben's Writing Corner 