05/18/12
Welcome Guest Blogger Stacey Joy Netzel.
I’m so pleased to have Stacey Joy Netzel with us today. She has a new book out, MORE THAN A KISS, a contemporary romance inspired by a Netflix commercial.
Stacey says she fell in love with books at a young age, so for her the graduation to writing them was natural. An avid reader and fan of movies with a happily ever after, she lives in her native Wisconsin with her husband and three children, a couple horses and some barn cats. She works part-time as a travel agent, and in her limited free time enjoys gardening, canning, and visiting her parents in Northeastern Wisconsin (Up North) at their cabin on the lake.
Stacey, thank you so much for stopping by. Today, I thought I would ask some fun questions to give the readers a chance to know you. How’s that sound?
Thanks for having me, Elizabeth! I’m happy to answer some questions. Read the rest of this entry »
04/18/12
Last week, a friend and I were talking about body shapes—the pear, the apple, the banana—and diets. All that diet and calorie cutting chatter naturally led me to think about chocolate. Not a practical leap—maybe a little ADD—but it did get me thinking about the different types of chocolate.
Like the multitude of people in the world, chocolate comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
08/12/11
Escape this Economic Nightmare by Melanie Atkins
Good morning everyone. Please welcome Melanie Atkins. Melanie is a multi-published author of romantic suspense, a fan of crime dramas, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for her—it’s a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love, suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses. Her new book, Keller County Cops Book 2: Quest for Justice, is due out September 1. Check her webpage for the exciting details about Detective Mitch Ranson.
In the time of economic crisis, Melanie gives advice on how to escape the nightmare. She say:
Read! Books can take you away from the doldrums and ferry you back in time, help you defeat evil, or whisk you away to another world. When I was a little kid, I read everything I could get my hands on. My mom would check out a stack of books from of the library for me every week. Biographies were my favorite, along with sports stories, but I loved the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew, too. Even the Hardy Boys. That should have told me right then that one day I would love mysteries and suspense. Read the rest of this entry »
07/8/11
An ideal body, a better job, less stress, extra energy for friends and family, aren’t those the things we all want? Then why don’t we seek what we want?
For me I know its fear, fear of not being able to change my lifestyle to achieve those things I want. To be labeled a failure if I try and don’t succeed. So, I do the easy thing. I avoid setting goals. I don’t do, or act, to become the person I dream of being. Or if I do set goals, I find reasons— excuses—for not doing what I need to do to change my life.
Today, I woke up with a miserable cold, my body aches, and as I lay curled in my bed I committed to making a change. By the end of the day, I plan to have my goal worksheet updated, new timelines set, and by the end of next week to have communicated my goals, once again, to family and friends. For my weight loss goals, I know what I need to do. I’m not going on a diet. I’m going to make a lifestyle change. I won’t ask to see the desert menu, and I will stock the house with fruits and veggies, and freeze grapes when I want a frozen treat. I will sit at my computer and write. When my friends call, I will tell them I’m working on a personal project, because it seems that they don’t understand that writing is work, hard work. And, I will get back to weekly calendar reviews with my husband. He tends to do a good job of holding me accountable, so I will let him do that—even if I don’t like it—I know he only wants the best for me. For my part, I’m going to try to stifle those little voices in my head that are telling me I’m insane, and that create doubt. I’m going to surround myself with my supporters and distance myself from the critics. I’m going to put my feet on the path of change, and be brave enough to take a step forward.
Well, that is, after I sleep for the next five hours to get rid of this nasty cold.
What’s your excuse?
06/10/11
I get so caught up in my own life that sometimes I forget to look around me. Recently, in so many ways, I’ve been reminded how precious life is—reminded that I should take a moment to add value—if only in a small way. Yesterday, I started making a list of those small things that would only take a pittance of time.
Smile at a stranger, pull an item off the top shelf for the elderly at the grocery store, offer to run to the pharmacy for a sick friend, drop food at an animal shelter, listen intently while a friend shares a story, pick up the neighbors paper when they’re gone for the weekend, leave an extra large tip with a handwritten note, play hopscotch with a neighborhood kid, say thank you to a soldier, let a car merge into my lane, leave a flower on a friend’s desk, buy coffee for the person behind me in line, share a recipe with a neighbor, mail a card to a friend for no reason other than to say hello, ask to see a recent picture of the grandbaby, etc.
As my list continued to grow, I thought about my fellow writers. Writing is such a lonely journey. Many of us sit at our computers, day in and day out, with very little encouragement, so I began to make a separate list.
Tweet about a book recently enjoyed, post a review on Amazon or Barnes and Noble, comment on a blog, send an encouraging word to a writer struggling to get published, tell an agent or editor how useful and valuable their blog is, hand out a friend’s bookmarks, attach a book video to my Facebook page, let an author know how much I enjoyed their work, discuss a new plot over tea, volunteer to judge a contest, listen.
In the grand scheme of things, these small gestures may not move the dial far, but I know what joy it gives me to make someone else’s day a bit easier.
What do you think? Do you have any more ideas for my list?
05/6/11
I love tea. I have a whole cupboard full of tea, pots, cups, and infusers. My favorite teas are: Earl Grey de la cream, Vanilla Bean, and Mint, to name a few.
Seeing a friend’s massive collection of teapots, I became curious. Here’s what I discovered about the history of tea.
The story of teapots begins with their necessity. Tea has been around for centuries. Early on, tea came in the form of bricks. A chunk was cut off and then broken up so that it could be boiled in water. Shortly after, powdered tea became popular. The ground tea was mixed with hot water in a deep, wide bowl. This type of bowl helped facilitate the whipping of the powder by whisk into a froth. When the powder settled, the tea was drunk out of the bowl. As the drinking of tea continued to develop, its regular consumption required an efficient and later an aesthetically pleasing vessel for brewing and drinking.
It wasn’t until the 1300′s, when leaf infusion started, making the use of a teapot necessary to allow for the tea to steep. Teapot-like vessels have been around in China for thousands of years, but they were used for wine and water. These vessels had a spout and handle and eventually were adopted for the steeping of tea. The most popular teapots from this time were produced in the YiXing region of China. These teapots were made of purple clay and were known to be of fine texture and high quality. These YiXing teapots were hybrids of the earlier drinking bowls and the modern teapots. These vessels were not only used to brew tea, but were actually drinking vessels. An individual would drink directly from the spout of the pot.
By the 15th century, both the Chinese and Japanese were drinking tea for ceremonial purposes and the beverage was no longer regarded solely for its medicinal properties. Chinese scholars and intellectuals involved themselves in the design of teapots. The “cult of tea” in Japan, led by the artist Sen Rikyu (1522-1591), became an impetus for stylistic and artistic evolution in YiXing teapot designs. The Japanese imported Chinese artists to teach them potting methods, and developed new techniques for creating these delicate wares. Red clay was used to create what we know as shudei teapots.
When Dutch importers brought tea to Europe in 1610, the teapot also made the trip and this sparked new teapot designs. Early on the European teapot designs were inadequate due to poor workmanship and poor quality of materials. A breakthrough occurred in the early 1700′s when new clay was found. With the help of new technology, fine porcelain was created that still today rivals the best that China had to offer. While a china teapot or porcelain teapot holds heat the best, a ceramic teapot or stoneware teapot is fun and mood setting as well as a great conversation piece.
Making the perfect pot of tea.
Fill your kettle with fresh cold water. While the kettle is heating, pre-warm your teapot and tea cup by filling it with hot tap water. When the tea kettle is ready, empty the tap water from your teapot and add the tea. One rounded teaspoon for each teacup. As a general rule, let the tea seep 1 to 2 minutes for green teas, 2 to 3 minutes for oolong teas, and 3 to 5 minutes for black teas.
What’s your favorite tea?
04/5/11
Recently, I attended a conference and listened to a writer describe “voice.” As I looked around the room there were blank stares, and furrowed brows. The audience did not connect with the concept she described. Before attending, I already had a concept of voice in my head from my years of painting, so I could see the image she tried to create.
For me a story is like a painting…. Read the rest of this entry »
03/29/11
Today, I received an email with a disparaging comment directed at me. Now, I know, the sender certainly did not mean for me to see it, only the others on the email, but I got it…AND…it hurt. While I responded professionally, I didn’t really want to. I wanted to scream, and rant. I wanted to remind the person that it takes ten kind deeds to undo one malicious one. People remember how you made them feel. I will.
I beg you kindly, before you click that button to tweet, post your status, or reply to an email, remember there is a live human being on the other side of that unfeeling, electronic object. Please take care to do no harm. It is each of our responsibility to build others up, not tear them down.
Today, I will lick my wounds. Tomorrow, I will start afresh. What kind act will you do today?
03/24/11
Character Traits…not good or bad, just different
The hero, in my work-in-progress, is a controlling man. He lost his parents when sixteen, and tries desperately to control everyone around him and pushes people out of his life when he can’t influence them to his ways.
As I think of him, I try envisioning controlling people within my own life—those who try to control their environment, and the people around them. My thoughts focus on one individual who dissects people’s actions, and focuses on how they don’t meet his expectations. He rejects any idea that is not his, refuses to listen, and often challenges any opposing ideas, wearing a person down until conceding. Unfortunately, the individual feels victorious, but in ignorance he’s not won anything.
Why can’t we accept other’s differences as a gift? Read the rest of this entry »
03/11/11
How did you celebrate your day?
International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated on March 8th each year marks the anniversary of this very special day for women around the globe. Many world organizations set this day aside to commemorate those who have struggled to enhance the lives of women.
