Archive | January 2015

Attitude is Everything

Jan19

How easy is it for you to put a smile on your face? Supposedly it takes less muscles to smile than frown. Would that mean that frowning causes a person to wrinkle faster? Maybe my logic is lacking…

Even so, I’m sure you’ll agree that a person is 100% more attractive with a warm genuine smile turning up the corners of their lips. I’m more likely to engage someone in conversation who appears happy. I’m rarely comfortable talking for an extended period of time with someone who scowls or looks like they had sour milk on their breakfast cereal.

I recently moved to a new city. It’s small and has that southern hospitality I’ve grown to love. But what I love the most is that the people here are welcoming. Everywhere I go I’ve been met with a smile. Maybe it’s because I’ve been flashing one of my own. I think that if I leered at everyone–or hid my head and didn’t make eye contact at all–I’d have a much different impression of my new home.

Attitude is everything.

I hope I don’t butcher this little tidbit I either read somewhere or heard on the radio some time ago.

A man was approached by someone new in town. They asked him if the town was friendly. In turn, he asked them if the place they moved from had friendly people. They answered ‘yes’ so he said, “Our town is just like the one you came from.” They went on their merry way, ready to meet the friendly folks in the new town.

Another man asked him the same question, but when asked about his town said that the people he’d left behind were rude and hateful. The man told him, “The people in our town are just like the ones you left.” Man number two went on his way, grumbling.

It’s inevitable that no matter where we go we’ll encounter hateful people from time-to-time. But when we do, we should distance ourselves from them. Negativity is poison. It’ll bring you down no matter how good your day was prior to meeting them.

Most importantly–Don’t allow yourself to be that negative person. Surround yourself with positive people and good friends who will lift  you up when you happen to run into that grumbler.

A new town, job, vacation, etc. is what you make it. Put a smile on your face and tackle the world! I think you’ll find it’ll smile back.

A smile--our greatest asset!

A smile–our greatest asset!

Guest Author – Rebecca Neely

Jan14

If you followed my twelve days of Christmas posts, then you met a number of guest authors. Today I’m hosting another one of the wonderful ladies who participated in the blog tour!

Her books are a bit higher on the ‘heat’ scale than mine! But this time of year a little heat can be a very good thing.

Please say hello to Rebecca Neely!
A Mighty Good Man by Rebecca E. Neely

Rebecca Neely A Might Good Man Book Cover

3 days. 2 people. 1 story.

‘Hank’ Jerry, a down and out writer, and Jack Darcy, a former gang leader, team up to write his story for mutual gain and end up falling for each other.

It’s not long before their romance is as hot as the copy she’s writing, but they’ve both got something to hide that could blow up in their faces, and with time running out and gang enforcers closing in, will the trust they’ve forged survive the ultimate test?

Pick up your copy today from Amazon.

 

About the Author

Rebecca E. Neely was born and raised in a small town in western Pennsylvania. Her father, an English teacher and a writer, instilled in her a love of words, and literature, especially short stories, at a young age. Her mother, a voracious reader, gave her Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild as a Christmas gift when she was nine, and Rebecca’s been hooked on reading stories of all stripes ever since.

Rebecca’s family also owned and managed a restaurant until she was about sixteen, and she grew up in the business, working, cooking, and eating. Rebecca enjoys finding, and reading new authors via her Kindle. Live music inspires her, as do the characters she’s blessed to have in her life, including her daughter, her boyfriend, and her mother. She loves drawing, crafting, walking, and camping. She also enjoys traveling, going to music festivals, and exploring cities she’s never been to before with her daughter.

In a former life, she earned a B.S. in Accounting, and worked in that field for about a decade. Since 2001, Rebecca has freelanced, writing a wide variety of copy for local magazines, and businesses all over the country. She is a member of Savvy Authors, and a PRO member of Romance Writers of America.

Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Downton Abbey

Jan4

I rarely watch TV these days. Most of my spare time is spent writing. I may squeeze in a movie every now and then, but rarely get hooked on a television series.

BUT…I’ve been jumping up and down celebrating the return of Downton Abbey!

I’ve always loved Jane Austen, and maybe this series is a bit “Austenesque.” Of course, the show is more contemporary than when her stories were set. Yet they’re still set in a time when women wore lovely dresses, and most gentleman behaved ‘gentlemanly.’ I could say it’s the romantic in me that draws me to this program, but it’s more than that. The characters drive the plot, and there’s more than just love stories. Enough more that my husband likes to watch it with me. It’s not a chick-flick stretched into a series. It’s an epic saga that we can’t seem to get enough of.

I admit we were unhappy at the loss of some of our favorite characters. My husband swore he wouldn’t watch another episode after the end of season three–I think he might have even thrown something at the TV–but we did, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.

I’m glad I finished up my edits on my current work in progress, and sent them to my editor yesterday. Because tonight I’m allowing myself a guilty pleasure–or maybe not so guilty! Downton Abbey is TV at its best, and I’m certainly not ashamed to say that I’m a fan.

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