Please welcome Barbara Barth on Choices today while on her WOW! Women on Writing book tour. This is her second time on Choices and we are thrilled to have her here. Her new book, Sleeping with Dogs: A Poetic Memoir is a poetic memoir on living with and loving rescue dogs. It is Barth's first collection of poems. She calls it a chapbook of second chances. Here's what Barbara Barth has to say on the first page this new book: "Poems are new to me, so I'm giving this my best. Just as writing was new to me when I lost my husband in 2008. But I managed to do it, a widow memoir followed by more books, self-published, finding a creative path that also included dogs, more dogs than I thought I should. In nine months, a house full of adult pups. With no one to say no, I said YES in all caps. To dogs, to life, to pushing forward through doubt and fear. "At seventy-six, I've slowed down, or I've learned to just be, at home, with the dogs, time with friends. On the Board of … [Read more...]
I’d rather wear loafers
When I was a little girl, I went with my mom by bus to downtown Chicago when she needed a new pair of shoes. She always went to the same store – Joseph’s – and usually came out of that store carrying several boxes of shoes tied together so she could carry them easier. One afternoon when I was old enough to voice my opinion, I begged her to buy a pair that I literally had fallen in love with. They were navy-blue suede with sling back high heels, little cutouts on the top and narrow ties meant to go around her ankles several times. My mom usual wore simple pump-like styles so these suede shoes would be a big departure from those. But she said she didn’t plan to buy them. They were too extreme for her. Well, I had a crying fit. I was determined not to let her go out of Joseph’s without the suede shoes tied to her package. And the crying worked. The more I cried the more she backed down until she bought and carried the fancy ankle strapped suede shoes home too. And wouldn’t you … [Read more...]
Please welcome Cliff Beach, musician and author. We’re so happy to have him here.
Musician and author, Cliff Beach, is our Choices guest today. His new book, Side Hustle & Flow: Shape-Up!, is a guide to transforming your health and fitness journey: a book every one of us needs to read and follow. To that end Cliff has written a guest post for us about motivation and the need for all of us to keep moving. Here's Cliff: Motivation by Cliff Beach Angela Duckworth, in her famous TED talk, explains that true grit is ultimate perseverance. For me, I define it as wanting to pursue and keep going long after the initial drive has faded. There’s a myth about motivation—that people miraculously love doing what they do all the time. Do you think Dwayne Johnson loves working out every day? Or that David Goggins wants to run in the snow or rain for five miles? Or that Oprah was excited about every interview she did throughout her entire career? More importantly, I’ve learned that the opposite of motivation is inertia, and the antidote is finding the smallest … [Read more...]
Want to learn about being a prostitute? Read this book!
Please welcome Milana Marsenich, author of Idaho Madams. What an interesting topic! You'll get to know about the prostitute business from the 1850s to the 1980s and I guarantee you, you won't want to put this book down. In addition Milana has written a guest post for us about the importance of towns in our fiction works. Here's Milana: The Town as Character by Milana Marsenich I believe that towns shape us. A person who grows up in New York City is much different than one who comes of age in a western coastal town such as Coos Bay, Oregon, or a mountain mining town, such as Butte, Montana or Wallace, Idaho. The town can be as significant as parents and siblings in shaping character, philosophies, and experiences. Giving the town a heartbeat and soul can enhance a story, and help make sense of the choices people make. Here are five ways to breathe life into a town: Give an action to the town: Like a starved wildcat, the town swallowed us whole. The town … [Read more...]
This is about Walter Thornton and the future of Hollywood’s Golden Age
Please welcome Nancy Thornton Navarro and Adriana Thornton-Cornejo with Philip Mershon's WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR of The Merchant of Venus: The Life of Walter Thornton. And as a special bonus sisters and daughters of Walter Thornton, Nancy and Adriana, have given us a special treat - the story of the Chrysler building - one of the most beautiful buildings in New York City. If I could ever get a tour I'd jump at the chance. And now here's their story of the Chrysler Building: History of the Iconic Chrysler Building and The Walter Thornton Story Nancy and I began our journey with little knowledge of our father’s extraordinary role as one of the early 20th century's most successful entrepreneurs. It was only through our research that we discovered he had founded one of the few new nationwide businesses to emerge during the Great Depression—an accomplishment well-documented in history books. His achievements were already recognized, needing no further … [Read more...]
What it’s like to be a park ranger
Choices is so pleased to welcome Rosanne McHenry and her new book, Tales From a Rogue Ranger, while she's on her WOW! Women on Writing tour. Rosanne has also written a very interesting blog post for us about how to succeed at a job you never wanted. I'm sure a lot of us need her advice on that. Here's Rosanne. How to Succeed at a Job You Never Wanted by Rosanne McHenry One day I was minding my own business, working as a park ranger at Folsom Lake, California, and the next moment I was drafted to work at the Auburn State Recreation Area as the Whitewater Rafting Program Manager. I never asked for this job. I didn’t want it. I balked at it. I was mandated to do it anyway. How do I get into these situations, I wondered? I figured it was my punishment for being hard-working and conscientious. This all began when my co-worker Jess took on the responsibility to impose safety controls on the American River whitewater rafting industry. Many of the commercial … [Read more...]
Welcome to our film and media maker guest today
Thank you, Neill McKee, for honoring our Choices blog with your presence today. Also for writing us a guest post about how important writing about our careers and life stories is. Neill is currently on his Women on Writing book tour. Here'a Neill: The benefits of writing about your career and life story by Neill McKee As is documented in my travel memoir, early in my career, I became a filmmaker and later a multimedia producer. After 45 years of such work, I decided to switch to creative nonfiction. Many people become consultants in their specialized fields in their senior years, but I had little interest in that. I had all these stories in my head about my varied life: growing up in a small industrially-polluted town in Ontario, Canada, and learning how “to escape” its confinements and stinks; my searching years at university, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life; and then a dramatic transition when I became a volunteer teacher in Sabah, Malaysia on Borneo Island. … [Read more...]
A technical manual for magicians
Choices is excited to introduce you to Houdini's Fabulous Magic, written by Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young, and published by Vine Leaves Press. Instead of a review by Choices, here is everything you need to know about this fabulous book about magic - including a forward by Gabe Fajuri. "I've loved this book for sixty years," Teller of Penn & Teller. This is a technical manual for magicians, complete with illustrations and diagrams, but it is also an astute analysis of the best of Houdini's magic and a readable biography of a man who turned himself into a legend. It is a book for would-be conjurers, for professional necromancers, for those curious about the methods and means of one of the most enchanting men of the previous century. "I've loved this book for sixty years. My first copy was borrowed from the Philadelphia Public Library when I was fourteen, and I kept renewing the loan till I could afford to own my own copy. Houdini's Fabulous Magic has just the right … [Read more...]
Learning to listen
After reading this guest blog post, you'll wonder where the Blooms were when you needed them the most. They are experts on how couples can avoid arguing. And I am so pleased to host them on their WOW! Women on Writing blog tour of their new book, An End to Arguing. They have also graciously created a wonderful list of tips about listening - an essential tool when trying to avoid arguing. Hopefully you'll all still be able to benefit from their advice. Here are the Bloom's and their 16 tips. The Art of Committed Listening: 16 Practical tips to become a champion listener-402 by Linda and Charlie Bloom Relationships thrive when both partners practice committed listening. When we allow ourselves to be penetrated by each other’s words and feelings, it’s not simply a matter of receiving information, but of allowing ourselves to be informed by it. When we are able to hear and accept our partner’s feelings and needs our attention moves from concerns about ourselves to … [Read more...]
Real life stories about letting life lead
Please welcome Kate Brenton on her WOW! Women on Writing tour of her first book, Rebirth. A brief summary tells us that when life is calling, often we need only the space and the support to remember our way. Sometimes we lean into our expansion, and sometimes we bolt from our greatness. The biggest shock is that big change happens in small choices. In Rebirth you will find real-life stories of people who made courageous leaps that will inspire you to make your own. It’s time to step out of line and back into the spiral of life—that’s where the alchemy is. This book fits right into the side pocket of your bag and your life to inspire you as you read others’ stories of how they listened and learned to make embodied changes in their own lives. Publisher: Inspirebytes Omni Media ISBN-10: 1953445261 ISBN-13: 978-1953445261 ASIN: B0B3V3JQT7 Print length: 278 pages Kate also shares her thoughts on mothering while working as a writer: Mothering, Writing, and Working in … [Read more...]
Middle school students will love A.J. Kormon’s cat mysteries
Please welcome A.J. Kormon on while she's on her WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING tour of her three Halloway Hills Middle School Mysteries. These three books are for ages nine to eleven and each feature a mischievous cat. And we are fortunate that A.J. has written a essay for us on what kids learn from entrepreneurial parents. We hope you'll enjoy the post. What Kids Learn from Entrepreneurial Parents By A.J. Kormon With more and more people turning to entrepreneurship—or a job and a side gig as an entrepreneur—it’s not unreasonable to expect more kids will be exposed to the benefits and struggles of being your own boss. Growing up, both my parents worked outside of the home, so starting a business wasn’t something that crossed my mind as something I could do. I just assumed I would get a job when I finished university. Entrepreneurship comes with a lot of perks, like setting your own hours, choosing who you work with, and deciding which projects to complete. There’s a lot kids of … [Read more...]
Becoming a blogger the journaling way
I have been a fervent journal writer for over thirty years and I love to hear about other's journaling experiences. Dr. Mona Balogh, also an avid journaler, writes little vignettes about her patients in her new book, How to Stay Out of My Emergency Room. And she has written a post for Choices about how she turned her journal entries into a blog. Please welcome Dr. Mona Balogh. My Failed Online Bookstore Turned Me into a Blogger by Dr. Mona Balogh I began blogging when my children were little, and I had an online bookstore called “Oasis Family Bookstore.” I sold homeschool books and wrote about “Homeschooling Made Easi-er,” implying that homeschooling is not easy. After the store and website failed, I learned how not to sell books online. But I was able to convincingly write about how to homeschool a family, and even help others homeschool their own children. I also attended many homeschool groups, conferences, get-togethers, park days, and co-schooled, hired teachers and … [Read more...]
Larry Kilham – thoughts on fiction vs. nonfiction
Choices is so excited to have Larry Kilham here today - the last day of his WOW! Women on Writing blog tour. His work with creativity, invention, and artificial intelligence is fascinating. Please check out his latest book, Free Will Odyssey. You won't be sorry. Larry has also written a post especially for Choices about his thoughts on writing fiction vs. non-fiction. I can relate since I've also written both. Here is what Larry Kilham has to say: Fiction vs. Nonfiction by Larry Kilham I have written about an equal number of fiction and nonfiction books. Each time I start thinking about my next book, I confront the difficult decision about which modality to use. With fiction, you are not held to a high standard about detail and truth. Writing a nonfiction book, on the other hand, about a current topic like addiction generally requires a team of researchers and a noted research institution in order to gain gravitas and establishment acceptance. Nonfiction is clearly the … [Read more...]
Letters from World War I France
Hubert William Kelley's letters home from France during World War I are extraordinary. And that his daughter became the editor of The Weeping Angel: Letters and Poems from World War I France is also extraordinary. Thank you Crystal Otto and Bring on Lemons for hosting a virtual tour of this book. About The Weeping Angel Now, on the Centennial of World War I, Hubert Kelley's wish is realized with the publication of The Weeping Angel, his account of the war in northern France as he lived it. Told through letters and poems, Kelley writes home to his Kansas City family with vivid descriptions of day-to-day life on the edge of the battlefield. Enlisting right after graduation from Central High, he claims to play the bugle to be accepted and proves to be a talented raconteur and observer. Although he could not play the bugle and never learned, he became the regimental poet of Company D of the Twelfth Engineers and found his true vocation as a writer. Mary Kelley, his daughter, … [Read more...]
Nina Amir on creative visualization for writers
I've met Nina Amir several times and heard her speak at writers conferences, and I guarantee that you will not be disappointed in her wisdom and advice about writing that she shares in her latest book: Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing Your Book Ideas and Writing Career to Life. I'm pleased to showcase Nina and her book during her WOW! Women on Writing tour. Please see the link below if you'd like to participate to win a copy of Creative Visualization for Writers. About Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing Your Book Ideas and Writing Career to Life: To become a more creative, confident, and productive writer, you need to focus your attention, visualize your desires, set clearly defined goals, and take action toward your dreams. Let Creative Visualization for Writers be your guide on this journey of self-discovery. You'll learn how to: Evaluate your beliefs and shed self-defeating behaviors. … [Read more...]
