Sunday, June 29, 2014

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Tuesday Quote


Don't tell me the moon is shining; 
show me the glint of light on broken glass.

--Anton Chekhov

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Friday, June 20, 2014

5 Really Big Fears!


Fear, according to Dictionary.com, is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc. whether the threat is real or imagined.

Synonyms for fear include:
     foreboding,
          fright,
               panic,
                    apprehension,
                         dread,
                              terror, and
                                   horror.

No matter what we call it, we all have fears. Some may be small, but others may be big...really BIG! For some individuals, fear rules their lives. It controls them and prevents them from doing what they really want to do. For others, fear is more of a minor inconvenience.

Old Bridges

I'm afraid of the old camel-back bridges like Bryant Station Bridge. I have been afraid of these bridges for as long as I can remember. I have absolutely no clue why I'm terrified of them. It makes no sense. I have absolutely no problem driving over the Houston Ship Channel or the bridge to Galveston or any other modern bridge. I have no problem fishing off of piers, but I can't handle the old bridges.

Heights

Being high off the ground scares the crap out of me. I jokingly say, if I climb a five foot ladder, someone has to come up to get me down. But the fear is real. Acrophobia. This fear has a name. Is my fear extreme and irrational? Yes.

I've realize this fear combines with my fear of the old bridges.


Failure as a __?__ (writer, parent, artist, secretary, etc.)

Is this story good enough? Will people want to read it?
Can I do this job?
Am I smart enough?

The fear of failure is deadly. It often keeps people from even trying to do something they really want to do. No one wants to fail. It's no fun falling flat on your face, because then you have to pick yourself up and decide if you're going to quit or try again.


Changing Jobs or Quitting a Job

I work full time at a day job. I've been with this company for a long time and even longer in the profession. I've started thinking about quitting my job and writing full time, which has been my dream for awhile.

I have a plan in place, if I decide to quit my day job, and I'm seriously considering it. I'm not sure which scares me more--the idea of quitting my job or the fact I'm actually considering it. Part of the fear is losing the stable paycheck, especially in today's economy. DH tells me life is too short to worry about somethings, and I should follow my dream. He tells me if it doesn't work, I can always get another job.

The loss of an income, for many, is not just a fear but a reality. It's scary.

Losing a Partner

My DH is my best friend. We have been together for over two decades. Yeah, that's a long time to be with just one person. I've been very lucky.

The possibility of losing him is a reality I face everyday. Four years ago this month, DH had a major heart attack. At the time his chances of surviving were extremely low. In fact, the doctor told me not to expect him to live, but to call family and make funeral plans.  I'm sure you can imagine my reaction. We were lucky. Several days later, DH woke up.

Yes, there was damage to his heart, and yes, we were told there would be another heart attack and that the odds of him surviving are slim to none.

We try to take each day as it comes and not worry about stuff we can't control. Easier said than done.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Do You Want a Do Over?

With today's technology and medical care, it's not uncommon to hear about someone celebrating his or her one hundredth birthday or even 105th or 108th birthday. These people surpass our current life expectancy by as much as two decades.

But it wasn't always this way. Our life expectancy wasn't 80+ years. Depending upon the era you dig into, the life expectancy was half of what we current have.

Scary!!!

That got me to thinking. If you lived during a time when you knew your life would be over sometime during your forties, would you live your life differently? Would you change the things you did?

Do you really want a do over?

I don't know if I really want the do-over, but there are a few things I would do differently.



First
I would buy a house sooner. Preferably it would be one with several acres and either a large tank (pond) on it or a river or stream running through it.

Second
I would focus on my writing earlier than I did. I put my writing on hold several times because it didn't fit into what people wanted or expected me to do. I let others influence me when I should have. If I could do this over, I wouldn't let others have that influence over me.

Third
I would pursue a different career. my day job has had its rewards, but the rewards are outnumbered by the negatives. I don't feel like I'm making a difference anymore.

Fourth
I would have made time to take trips to all the places I've wanted to see.


I have a home. I'm now writing and pushing toward making it my day job.  I'm traveling for fun more than I used to in the past. I haven't been out of the country, but that's on my bucket list.

What would you do differently or want to change?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Tuesday Quote


A writer who waits for ideal conditions 
under which to work 
will die 
without putting a word on paper.

   --E.B. White

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tuesday Quote


A writer never has a vacation. 
For a writer, 
life consists of either 
writing 
or 
thinking 
about writing. 

  --Eugene Ionesco (playwright)

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Excerpt from Reluctantly Undead




The night I died, I woke up into a world I thought only existed in the warped minds of screenwriters in Hollywood and romance authors who wrote about the dark, tortured soul looking for his or her soul mate. I mean, get real. Vampires and werewolves are stuff of myth and legends.  Right?

Wrong. Wrong! WRONG!!

Vampires are REAL.

How do I know this?

The night I died, I woke up as a vampire. But of course, leave it to me to screw up the whole process.

Okay, I am rambling. Sorry about that, and I am sorry for apologizing, and I—you get the idea.

By the way, I’m Ember. Ember Winterstone.



Buy your copy today!

 

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Tuesday Quote


When I sit down at my writing desk, 
time seems to vanish. 
I think it's a wonderful way to spend one's life.
  --Erica Jong

Sunday, June 1, 2014