How Books & Such And The Disney Imagineers Ruined My Cruise.

27 Mar

I am generally a pretty laid back kind of person but last week the opinions on the blog, Books & Such and the Disney Imagineers just about ruined my cruise on the new Disney Fantasy.

How did this happen? Consider these two paragraphs from the blog:

Building a significant literary career takes perseverance. Some agents and publishers view the self-pubbed author as one who lacks the patience to build slowly and strategically.

When you make a choice to go it alone, some professionals could see it as a maverick attitude. Does it denigrate what a whole team brings to the process?

The whole cruise I could not get these words out of my mind. Would this writer hold the same standard to an artist or musician? Should an artist never let the public see their work until an established gallery decided it was worthy of a show? What about Chris Daughtry, should he have never played in a band before he could be “discovered” on American Idol?  Self publication has brough to the writer the same opportunity to share their craft, artists and musicians have always enjoyed. With the availability of self publication it is ridiculous to expect writers to wait six months for one publishing house to make a decision before they can submit to another house. That is not patience, it is foolishness.

Since I didn’t want to allow one blog post to steal my chill, I headed for my favorite spot on a Disney ship, Quiet Cove.  On the Dream and Fantasy it is an adult only area with  plump chairs, cushy loungers ,a soaking pool, huge hot tub and servers who will bring  you a nice latte  or tea. This is where the Disney Imagineers ruined my cruise. Why would they jam an enormous jumbotron movie screen blasting NEMO! NEMO! next to a quiet area? THINK imagineers, THINK.

If you would like to read the whole blog from Books & Such, you can find it here:

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The Gentle Art Of Friendship

21 Mar

Recently I noticed my friend, DiVoran posting daily friendship tips on Facebook. I told her how much I enjoyed them and she emailed  her tips to me. I have been tweeting them periodically and because they speak to the heart I decided to post them as a column on friendship.This is also a tribute to my mother, my dear, dear friend. She went to sing in heaven eleven years ago today.

 

Genuine Friendship: the rarest of precious jewels

Friendship starts with admiration, respect, and having something in common.

Friends can complain to each other and talk things over, but the friendship can last only as long as both know God is the one with the power to help.

Friends don’t pretend to know everything, even if they do.

Friends speak as kindly and diplomatically as possible, remembering what Mother said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Friends remember that a pint of example is worth more than a gallon of talk.

Friends toss the conversational ball back and forth.

Friends let many harmless mistakes go. Most mistakes are harmless.

Friends hardly even notice if someone offends them, if they notice, they try not to dwell on it.

Friends forgive, no matter what.

Friends always have time for each other but are careful not to take up all of each other’s time.

Friends answer the telephone in a welcoming way, they call back when you leave a message, and they answer your emails.

Friends listen with their hearts and gently speak back to check out what they believe they heard.

Friends don’t alarm each other.

Friends try to stay as positive as possible at all times.

Friends brainstorm together not shooting ideas down, but putting them in the stew to simmer.

Friends co-operate and help each other not too much, but just enough.

Friends can share their good news with each other.

Friends don’t gossip about each other, or anyone else if they can help it.

Friends are gently and diplomatically honest with each other about how they feel.

Friends remember that others are vulnerable.

Friends don’t try to fix or change each other.

Friends know that others have feelings and try not to trample on them

Friends ask, they don’t demand.

Friends laugh together and pray for each other.

Friends are interested in what’s going on in each other’s lives without being nosy.

Friends become lovely not because of physical attributes, but because they are friends.

Friends never underestimate the value of encouragement toward each other.

Friends aren’t friends because of what they do for each other, but because of the ways they listen and speak.

Friendship means being able to say, “I can’t,” or “I don’t want to,” without fear of rejection or repercussion.

Ephesians 4:32 Be ye kind one to another, tender, loving, forgiving each other.

Friends don’t make derogatory personal remarks to each other, even in jest.

Friends, by their graciousness, make you feel at home.

Friends say each other’s names.

Friends say, I hear what you are saying and I validate it.

Friendship nourishes our souls in the same way that good food nourishes our bodies.

Friends can have different dreams and goals and still support each other.

We are free to have as many friendships or as few as we want to.

 

DiVoran has been a life-long friend of the heart. She has been my teacher, mentor and best of all friend.

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Singing In The Zoo

19 Mar

   Thanks to DiVoran for continuing to cover for me while I am away.Enjoy.

I love to hear the noises of the Gibbon apes at the Brevard County zoo. Last Tuesday I got there in time for the apera (short a) and the Gibbons were indeed singing. One was in the cement bunker whoo-whooing out and the other was outside answering in. The bunker made a fine echo and I think they appreciated it. You could hear them all over the zoo, and people were stopping to watch and listen as they always do.

I thought I’d walk around to a place where I could see better, but I ended up next to the kangaroo compound in Australia so I went back to where I was.  Now, however, both apes were singing from inside.

“There aren’t any apes in there,” I heard a tall young man say to a grandmotherly lady in a red straw hat, “that’s just a recording,” he went on, “to make the zoo seem more lively.”

“Oh,” the lady said, in a disappointed voice.

I told myself to mind my own business, but when the young man started to walk away, I took my chance and sidled up to the other woman.

“The apes are in there,” I said, “I saw one of them not five minutes ago.”

“I’d much rather hear that,” her face beamed.

“Me too,” I said. “Maybe, we’ll see them if we come back in a little while. Don’t they make a lovely noise, though.” She agreed.

DiVoran Lites

DiVoran is also an artist. Her works for sale can be found here.
Creative Artworks!.

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My Friend, Rebekah Lyn

16 Mar

I am venturing out onto the wild blue ocean, crossing my fingers the March winds will be gentle and the seas will be smooth. March certainly came in like a Lion, so I am hoping she will go out like a lamb. While I am away, my dear friend and guest blogger DiVoran Lites will be carrying on.

My Friend, Rebekah Lyn

I ran into my friend’s daughter in the grocery store one day and we got to talking about our secret loves, which are novels. Both of us wanted to write one, but the daily round and toil was keeping us from it. As we talked, we decided we could probably help each other, so we began meeting once a month. At first, we talked over some of the things that were stopping us, then moved on, almost unconsciously, to actually writing, and from there to reading each other’s pages aloud, without criticism or critique. Soon, Rebekah Lyn completed drafts for two novels and I was well into one of my own, still enjoying the process.

At last, it was time for Rebekah to publish. With the help of savvy and willing friends, and because of her own hard work, she had an e-book. I ordered it on my Kindle right away and later Rebekah Lyn presented me with my own in-print copy. What a great book! I can highly recommend it.

Over time, Rebekah and I discovered that the full generation (and more) between us, rather than being a drawback, worked to our advantage. Each of us had a new friend for life and a finished novel to warm our hearts.

DiVoran is also an artist. Her works for sale can be found here.
Creative Artworks!.

Links for Rebekah Lyn. Be sure to like her Facebook Page

Kindle Edition

Like Rebekah Lyn on Facebook

Nook

Rebekah Lyn’s Blog

http://rebekahlynskitchen.wordpress.com

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One Perfect Snapshot In Time

14 Mar

I can’t believe I have never visited Charleston, SC. I have always wanted to, why did I never make time? Last weekend we made a crazy 1200-mile road trip for a family reunion.  So of course, it just made sense to throw in a visit to Charleston. In defense of this whacky decision, Rebekah traveled with us and suggested we break up our trip with an overnight at her best friend’s home outside Charleston.

It turned out to be an idyllic weekend. I needed a trip into the past to re-focus my energy. I don’t think we take ourselves quite so seriously when we see how small we are in the realm of time. We ate at Poogan’s Porch, an old home turned restaurant. The floors were original wood, the walls a rough plaster broken up by large windows. Our meal was pure southern comfort and as I sat there with my family, for one perfect snapshot of time, all was right in my world. I don’t have an explanation except that God’s timing is perfect.

Rebekah Lyn is posting her own impressions of Charleston. I bet she has the same food pictures. Stop by and check it out.

http://rebekahlynskitchen.wordpress.com/

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Prose On Clothes

8 Mar

My regular guest blogger, DiVoran Lites will be posting today. You may have noticed my tweets quoting her advice on friendship.

I love soft clothes for home, for my potato couch, and for a power walk. Youth knows mini skirts, but as I recall you can’t cross your legs without exposing your underwear. I remember pointy toe  high-heels. My aunt Waunita wore them to work and they eventually made her toes overlap. Permanently. Are girdles now called Spanx? It doesn’t matter; you still can’t breathe in them. Solomon, said, “behold, all is vanity,” But I’m not here to preach. I’m just here to tell you that this morning I got out of bed and put on a loose tee-shirt, a pair of knee socks with orthopedic sandals, and elastic waisted knit pants. Admit it. When you don’t have anyone to impress, not even yourself, you probably love soft old clothes yourself, do you not?

A verse for thought

Isaiah 61:3

King James Version (KJV)

 3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

It’s All About Fishing

7 Mar

Today I was tweet chatting with my friend; author Regina Puckett about being an outdoor person. I like the outdoors and she prefers to view it through a window. It turns out both our fathers loved fishing.  Coincidentally, earlier in the day I was tweet chatting with another author friend, Charles Dougherty about fishing. All this fish talk made me very nostalgic.

In our house, Friday night was not movie night or pizza night or staying up late night, it was fishing night. We lived about 60 miles from the east coast of Florida and after work my parents would load the car with poles, tackle, and sandwiches and off we went. We usually ended up at Mather’s bridge in Eau Gallie or the pier in Titusville.  We used a lantern dropped down over the water to draw the fish to the surface. It was thrilling to watch the trout swirl and dive under the light. I would hold my breath hoping one of them, preferably the big one would decide to rise to the surface and smack my bait with a pop.

Isn’t that kind of like being an Indie author? You dream and write and work to be published hoping that one day someone really big will rise to the top and pop your book with a great contract?

Hopefully the big fish will come, but until then I like my fish rolled in cornmeal with a little flour, fried in bacon grease on a Coleman stove right there on the water. Right Charles?

Check out my favorite Indie author Rebekah Lyn’s Summer Storms

Kindle Edition

Like Rebekah Lyn on Facebook

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You might like to follow my friends @ReginaPuckett and @clrdougherty on Twitter.

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Great New Review

2 Mar

Just received this great review for Summer Storms on Rebekah Lyn’s Facebook page.

Paige McNamara Sprowl
“Rebekah, I just finished Summer Storms; it was great. I really appreciate the spiritual theme; so refreshing compared to many “love stories” which don’t interest me because they’re too descriptive if you will. Well done, I could visualize everything as you described it too. Looking forward to the next book! :-)”

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Welcome DiVoran

29 Feb

I am pleased to welcome  my friend of the heart, DiVoran Lites as a guest blogger for Oldthingsrnew. DiVoran has been a columnist for a local paper, edited several books for publication and her poems and stories have been published in magazines. She has written four novels and has a work in progress. She currently facilitates a writing group she created entitled Ten Minute Stories in which visual artists and writers produce short pieces and share them with the group. This helps everyone in their private writing and art goals as well as providing an almost sacred place to make accepting and encouraging friendships.

DiVoran will be posting random subjects but I hope her main theme will be the art of friendship.

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My Newest Thing

23 Feb

I’ve added a new thing in my life and I never saw it coming. One day I was playing in the garden, canning and baking in the kitchen and the next thing I know, I am glued to my keyboard, pounding out 140 characters.

I thought I was going to spend a nice winter/spring in Florida, reversing the trend and mooching off our daughter. I planned to carry my weight with a little cooking and cleaning in exchange for a winter escape. It hasn’t quite worked out that way.

I was so proud of Rebekah when she self published her first book in the Seasons of Faith series. To be a writer has been her dream since she was a child, writing, “I’m very mad at you” on her chalkboard. She had to interpret the scribbles. Since we were mooching off of her for the winter, I offered to help her promote her book.

Book promotion has changed since the old days. Rebekah held a book signing at a friend’s restaurant and made an impact on seven people. I quickly learned social media is the way to go. Fortunately I love technology and was already a twitter addict. So here I am, pounding out 140 characters, hoping it makes a difference and best of all making new friends like you.

If you are new to social media and blogging. Check out this very short eBook by my new twitter friend. I promise it won’t overwhelm you.

How to Make a Splash Online eBook: Kathy Lynn Hall: Kindle Store http://j.mp/A2XKNM

I would love to have you follow me on twitter @onisha or @iluvscoops if you don’t mind my political side.

It would be greatly appreciated if you would Like Rebekah Lyn author FB

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