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Book Review: Eyelash
I have to admit that I struggled with this book a little. It has a somewhat slow beginning, but when a book makes me forget that I’m reading and gets me inside the action feeling all sorts of emotions, you can’t deny that it is a good book!
This is the story of a couple of professionals who decide to leave the hustle and bustle of New York City to open a bed and breakfast near the city. The first issue is that they don’t share the excitement about the decision. It’s the husband, Dan, who being sick with his corporate job who wants out and into the entrepreneurship life. On the other hand, his wife Laina, is very happy with her career and the prospect of growth, but in an unexpected turn of events those prospects are cut off and in a swift decision she agrees to move to Cape May to open up the B&B.
And you would think that the business went bad or something and that’s the issue. No. Dan, who was the one who wanted the B&B decides to be the entertainment director ( just to give himself a title) and leave all the hard work to his wife. I admit that for the large part of the book I was super angry with Dan and wanted to see him suffer greatly. The author’s heart is better than mine and she did put him through some hurdles, but I wanted a little bit more.hahaha!
The kicker to this story is that Laina has a cousin, Tia. Who decides to invite her to Las Vegas so that she can catch a break from the life at the B&B. Laina accepts not only because she needs the time away, but because her inconsiderate husband needs to experience how much she does and how much of him is required to run the B&B.
All those who know about my reviews know that I hate to spoil the fun, but let me just say this; I literally read the last two chapters with my mouth open.
This is a great book to read by a poolside or the beach, when you want some lighthearted reading. Good job Mary Anne Benedetto. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Mary Anne Benedetto is a speaker, blogger, Certified Lifewriting Instructor, ghostwriter and author of 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!,Eyelash and Never Say Perfect. She enjoys world travel and walking the spectacular South Carolina beaches. Web site: http://www.awriterspresence.com Blogs:http://www.maryannebenedetto.blogspot.com
The Silence of My Imaginary Friends
It’s been said that writer’s block is nothing but a time when our imaginary friends won’t talk to us. As writers we get frustrated because once we finally settle down, are able to shut down social media, and we are in the middle of a promising good scene; then poof, words just go away.
We tend to forget that our imaginary friends can get tired, hungry, and bored just like us. I understand and have experienced that their timing tends to be very inopportune, but since we need them, just like with babies, you have to adjust to their schedule.
When I’m on a roll with my writing and my muse just stops, I have to check to find out what 
my imaginary friends need so that I can get them talking again. Sometimes when I lay down for a nap, the funniest thing happens. They go from being absolutely mute to arguing amongst themselves about how the plot should go. At that point I tell them to shut up. If they weren’t willing to talk to me when I was in front of the computer, this is not the time to talk. So they finally calm down. Sometimes they seep into my dreams showing me whatever conclusion they came up with during their argument.
Other times we both need food. The “glamorous” life of a writer comes with long work hours and ironically we sometimes forget to eat. I had not discovered this particular need of my imaginary friends, until recently. I used to keep a plate with junk food right next to me during my writing times. However, now that I’m trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and making sure I eat what my body needs and not just what it wants. I don’t keep anything at my desk, other than water. I’ve discovered that sometimes when my imaginary friends stop it’s to get me off of the computer and get me to eat.
The other thing that I’ve discovered that helps me sometimes, is to take a walk. My dog particularly appreciates when my imaginary friends coincide with the fact that she has been laying at my feet for hours without relief. Yes, your muse (our imaginary friends) gets bored too and sometimes a walk can help. I’ve read that for some people working out does the trick. I guess that depends on your physical condition. While I try not to pass out at my Zumba class, it’s very hard for me to think of anything other than not dying. However taking a walk through the neighborhood, looking at the trees, and watching other people interact can help entertain them and when we get back they feel more incline to start talking again.
So when your muse aka your polka dot people (don’t judge, not all little talking people are green or pink) try to see what they need and they may start cooperating again.
If you want to read a different type of novel that will keep you at the edge of 
your seat. See the story that God placed in my heart to share, a story that will definitely touch your heart: The Road Home
Related articles
- What do you do when your imaginary friends won’t talk to you? (redheadcarol.wordpress.com)
We got awards!
My new blogger friend and great writer Holly Michael from Writing Straight has awarded The Rising Muse with the One Lovely Blog Award. How cool is that! I’m so humbled and appreciative for the consideration.
But that was not all, she also awarded me with the Reader’s Appreciation Award.
As a writer you have no idea how honored I feel. We live for our readers, to connect with them and provide for them the information, inspiration and entertainment they seek, that’s why we exist. Thank you!
Now I believe the rules require that we share the joy with our favorite bloggers and I shall do just that.
The One Lovely Blog Award goes to… Nancy Jill Thames and her blog Queen of Afternoon Tea. I met Nancy through twitter and she’s a very supportive blogger and friend. She interviews different authors on her blog and is a lover of tea. I’ve learned about different writing styles through her blog. Very well deserved, Nancy!
Last but not least, the Reader’s Appreciation Award goes to…Rebecca LuElla Miller and her blog Rewrite, Reword, Rework. This is a blog that provides a lot of great information for writers and I could never express enough how grateful I am for how much Rebecca has expanded my writing tool belt.
Congratulations to the winners!
Can routine affect our purpose?
Routine is an element that could prevent us from embracing the new things that God wants to do in our lives. No matter how free spirited our lives may be the most disorganized of us has a routine. We get up, go to work or school, we have a hygiene routine, eating routine, a schedule. After all the hours outside of our house, we then return and do mostly the same things, clean up, eat, and entertain ourselves (television, internet, games, Facebook). The day ends and we have not given God a minute of our time.
Some people have included God in their daily routine somewhat, but if something comes along that changes the things we usually do, we have the tendency to present resistance. I know that God has woken me up in the middle of the night with someone’s name. He usually wants me to go and pray for that person. I have to admit that I have not always been obedient to that call. How many times have you ignored that voice when you know in your heart that you needed to do something for someone or in obedience to God?
This reminded me of the parable of the Good Samaritan, when people bypassed helping someone in need in order to make it to the temple on time. Stopping there would have affected their routine. I have found out that when I get out of myself and actually allow God to alter my routine, I get more blessed than any blessing I can be to anyone else. Let’s decide today to give our daily schedules to God everyday and let his will be done.
Treating PLMS
With all new diseases and syndromes coming out on the media, it must be concerning to discover that you may have PLMS. However PLMS is a very old condition,as old as humankind itself. So what is PLMS? Poor Little Me Syndrome. It’s the root of jealousy and selfishness when the subject (meaning us) feeling sorry for themselves and comparing themselves to others. Let’s study this syndrome a little closer.
PLMS in biblical history:
- Cain and Abel- We all know this is where it started. A brother jealous of not obtaining approval as his brother did. God even tells him, you did wrong this time, but practice, you’ll get it right (Gen 4:7). He didn’t respond back and resolved that if there was no other to look at, then he would get approved as there was no point of comparison.
- Joseph- He was well regarded. His father loved him, he had a gift of revelations in dreams and they not only were jealous of him, but concern that he would have a higher position than they did. So they felt the need to get rid of him. They dumped him in a well to die. (Gen.37:2-20)
- Jesus- The Pharisees where concern that Jesus was growing in popularity and challenged what they had established. They had control with the government on how things function and that was threaten with His teachings. (Matthew 12,15) Yes, Jesus came to die for us, so what was meant for evil God used it for good, but it was their jealousy that killed our Lord.
There are many examples through the bible, it would take me days and multiple postings to go through them all, but the bottom line, what’s the root cause of jealousy? Selfishness! When things are not about us, we feel threaten.
Diagnosing PLMS
PLMS is easy to diagnose. There’s no medication for it. Every time you start looking outside of your circumstances to your surroundings to find your worth, you’re in trouble.
Think about it:
- The neighbor that buys what you can’t.
- The co-worker that gets the promotion you wanted.
- The family member that gets the attention that you desire
- The spouse that doesn’t give you the desire attention and instead of fixing the problem you need to find your attention no matter what.
- The “sinner” who gets a leadership position in your church when you’ve been a “saint” for years. (read
- The childless mother about her mother friends
- The single about the married and vice versa
Yes, this list can be exhaustive as well. Bottom line is if we’re honest with ourselves everyone has those feelings, how you act upon them and how long you dwell on them it’s what makes the difference.
How to treat PLMS:
- Make a list of things you’re grateful for. (Hey if you’re breathing and reading this means you have internet and a computer…there you have three already. That’s a start!)
- There’s ALWAYS someone in a worse situation than you are. Think about that.
- Be realistic with your situation and see which things are you responsible for and which ones you are not.
- Create a realistic work plan for those that can be changed.
- Forgive others and yourself for those things that are outside of your hands
- Get up and help someone else, not only they will appreciate it, but it will make you feel better about yourself and realize..its not all about YOU!
- Since PLMS makes you think only about you, let’s do that. Spend time in meditation and prayer so that you can identify God’s plan for YOUR life. (One of the things I’ve learned is that my purpose is not my neighbors purpose and that in life I’ve wanted things that I’m glad I didn’t get because they were not going to align with those things God had planned for me)
Side Effects of this treatment
- Peace
- Self-Esteem
- Sense of Satisfaction
- Sense of Purpose
So when you start feeling that the symptoms of PLMS are starting to show, get your medicine . If nothing else works, try this:
Blessings
The hair clip from hell!
Have you ever heard that we are affected by things, people and places? The results can be both negative and positive and sometimes without our conscious acknowledgement. We live our life day by day and our life gets transformed for good or bad and it’s not until we make a pause that we realize how far we’ve gone; either towards our purpose or away from it.
There’s a particular thing that was a symbol in my life for a long time without my conscious knowledge, it was a hair clip. Apparently when I was very angry I would pulled my hair up, others will say that it was very high, and that I placed the hair clip on the top of my head. It was an unconscious thing.
I use to be a manager, and I heard some of my employees pass by my cubicle and announce, “oh oh hair clip is on”. I never paid attention, I thought it was a joke, 
until one day someone who I was in a relationship with and I were having a phone conversation. It was more an argument. He got quiet and said. “I bet your hair is up” and when I touched my hair, he was right. This same individual had a fist fight with his brother. I was called by a neighbor who couldn’t pulled them apart. I asked to be placed on the phone with my boyfriend and announced that I was on my way. When I made it to his place the guys were in separate rooms, I talked to “my guy” and started asking questions about the fight, he kept staring at me in silence. Finally he said,” I’m not talking to you until your hair comes down” I started laughing and pulled the clip off. This was over five years ago.
Why a hair clip story? During the last five to six years God has been working on me. I’m not sure if I had an anger issue, it was more a legalistic spirit. Everything needed to be in a way (usually my way) and I was miserable. If things were not inside the mold I would not only be upset but angry. As things started changing in me I started enjoying my life. I laugh more, I have less concerns and I’m way less affected by sudden changes in life.
When I stopped managing my life and surrendering it to the one that could actually do something about it I had less reasons to worry and less need to control. That gave me more time to enjoy life and do more of what I like: writing! I’m not going to say that I never get upset or angry anymore, but the clip went away from my life as I am not nearly as uptight as I used to be.
I laugh when people say how funny or laid back I am. If they only knew me then. But what about the hair clip you may ask? I have not used it in years. I realized this week how long God has brought me when I found it buried in a box.
Would you like to share things that God has changed in your life? Have you identified things, people or places that affect you positively or negatively? I would love to hear them!
Be blessed!!
He’s alive!
It is time to rejoice! There’s a party in heaven and in earth. The best party ever. They saw him bleeding, battered and bruised. Once he had exhaled and taken down from the cross his breathless body lied in the arms of his mother who cleaned his face with her tears. He was probably getting cold real quick as he had lost so much blood.
A friend of the family had a tomb that had not been used and gave it for them to put his body in there. Because it was the Sabbath and nobody was supposed to do anything, everyone left. The women came the next day to do the habitual embalming of that time and guess what? He was nowhere to be found.
Some thought that maybe someone had stole his body and they were starting to feel sadness, but then two angels told the women that he had risen as he had promised. (Rephrasing from Luke 23 and 24)
If we think about the purpose for which we were created and how well we do
(not really) and that even then we obtain redemption because on a day like today he lives.
If we think about other religions who worship someone who was a prophet, but there is an actual grave site where their body lies. Or those who believe that an unanimated object is their god. We have a living, breathing, Almighty, All Powerful GOD!!!!
In life, He won! In death, He won! The movie has a happy ending. Rejoice, he’s alive, he’s risen from the dead, he won it for us.!!
Happy Resurrection Sunday!!
The shortest story
I’ve been reading a few blogs from other writers in the past couple of weeks and I’ve met a lot of interesting people. My fellow blogger Sonia posted this on her blog, about a story in 50 words.
Fifty words I said! It takes me more than that to say hello to somebody. Anyone who knows me has noticed that I’m a talker and my writing goes pretty much with who I am. However, I always like a challenge, so here’s my first attempt at a 50 words story. I admit that Sonia’s is a lot better, but here we go.
The morning from my dog’s point of view
She was curled up under the bed. Suddenly she heard it, that horrible sound from every morning. She jumped on the bed thinking, “If I could only find that thing!”
Her owner was still asleep.
“Please get up” She thought.
” The sooner you leave the house will be mine!”
I thought this picture would compliment the story, LOL!!
So far on writing goals
Image by churl via Flickr
Starting the third month into the year I was prompted to evaluate how my writing goals have worked so far. Kind of assessing if I actually kept my new year’s resolutions or if they were already been postponed. I feel closer to my writing than I have ever felt. Writing has slowly snuck up on me and it’s a need like eating and I love to eat! Every day I feel the need to write, but not every day I think I have something relevant to say.
I’m pushing myself to be a better writer and what are some of those things that I have put in place to accomplish that in 2011…?
- I’ve returned to my reading roots. Last year I dedicated a lot of time to writing, but not enough to reading. I believe that a healthy balance is important for any writer.
- I’m actually following my calendar. In December I created a calendar of contests I wanted to participate (if you’re interested in peaking at that calendar it’s on the publication and achievements page). Last year I created the calendar but actually did only a few of those. So far I have submitted to each and every one of those competitions that I committed to participate in. It doesn’t matter the outcome, it’s about the exercise of meeting deadlines and writing more.
- Joined wordpress post-a-week challenge where I’m committing to at least post on my blog once a week. I’ve been trying to post more than that. At my current rate I could have joined post-a-day, but at least once a week still gives me the necessary breather for days when things get complicated.
- Accountability- I hired a proofreader who is aware of my deadlines, so the expectation of the workload I have to provide for her it’s a constant reminder that I have to come through with my committed contests. Also, I have some readers who have decided to contact me when I go without posting for more than two days to ask when the next post will come. I’m flattered that they enjoy this blog, but also the feedback gives me the sense of responsibility to keep it up.
- Class- I have committed to be part of at least one writing workshop before the end of the year to improve my skills. I have invited a teenager aspiring writer to take the workshop with me. Have you been able to promise something to a teenager that they will forget? Trust me we will go to the workshop!
- Social Media- I’ve subscribe to the Kristen Lamb’s Blog. She not only gives great advice for writers but also advises about how to utilize social media more efficiently. I just found this blog last week and I’ve learned a lot.
So these are some of the things that I’m doing to take my writing to another level and so far so good… Have some tips of your own? Share them!!!
Stay tuned.
Having a bad writing day, week, season… you get the idea!
Some women experience bad hair days, I think I’m having a bad writing day (or season) not all days are inspired in a writer’s mind. Some days words flow and some days it’s really hard work. Even I’ve had great revelations when I’ve been tired or sick, but lately it’s like my brain has ran out of steam and finding the ways to express myself has been nothing less than challenging.
I guess it’s because I’m trying to force myself to write in a certain way, my head is not going in the direction that I’m trying to steer it. So it basically has come to a halt. I’ve been having somewhat of what I have called writer’s ADD. Multiple ideas, stories and sentences are all popping into my head not enough to do anything with them or that would make any sense and by the time I sit down to write, they are gone. Having lost the routine of walking around with my netbook, which has been in ICU for a while, giving me only glimpses of available usage every now and again; I have missed plenty of opportunities of random usable muses that have crossed this brain of mine. (My netbook has been crashing and freezing and now that finally I can get a new one, I’m emotionally attached to the dysfunctional one and can’t part from it. You don’t have to say it, I know!!)
I went to the website of writer Lisa Scottoline. I recently read one of her latest non-fiction books; she’s funny and real and I wanted to gain some perspective from a professional writer. On her website, She was talking about the everyday of a writer. She has a word count goal everyday. I started thinking that I write most days, but not everyday. Not because I don’t want to, I just don’t do it. Ironically, the day I don’t write I spend the day agonizing about the fact that I have not written a thing.
Then I started feeling insecure about my writing. I think most writers would agree that there are days when you write exceptional things and some days you just write junk. I think that’s part of why there are some days where I don’t do the commanded “butt and chair” exercise of writing is because I already know in my head that whatever is coming out is junk and I don’t like to write junk. So I get discourage before even sitting to write trying to achieve perfectionism, where do you even find such thing?
I had read about writing everyday before, I want to come up with a reasonable word count goal, as I’m not yet (calling it in faith) a full time writer and I hold a normal 8-5 job and a life, (well something like a life…hahaha!) I don’t consider writing a hobby. Writing is a part of me; it’s my way of expression, so even when today I think that my writing sucks, I don’t think I could stop doing it. The times that I did, I felt dead and I’m not going backwards. Writing like anything in life takes practice, so the more I write, the better it would get.
I decide today to start writing everyday, (not necessarily a blog post). I’ll think of my reasonable word count after a few more hours of sleep, right now I couldn’t decide between chocolate or vanilla ice cream. I promise to start browsing for a new laptop, and pray that I fall in love again with one that will follow me for a few more years in this journey. I chose to just abandon myself in the words and allow them to flow instead of trying to control them…that’s why they don’t want to come out…LOL! …and look, who knew? I had tons to say from someone who didn’t know what to write about! (All 650 words and all 
)
