Return of the Fall Doorway Series

Rate the home doorway in the 4-Coffee Cup Rating System ...

1 Cup - Diamond in the Rough
2 Cups - Charming
3 Cups - Welcoming!
4 Cups - Home Sweet Home

~Joanne

Without Apology

Life is rich in texture, shades, and nuances. Salt water inlets wind through tall marsh grasses, with a dark forest backdrop rising to the sky. Greens of every shade fill the view, with the sound of lapping waves reaching from the distant beach. The air is redolent with the salty sea, life stirs unseen beneath the calm waters.

It exists for all of us, the textures and nuances shading our lives. Inlets of our journeys wind through the landscape of our days. Dark forests of distraction and interruptions sometimes loom. Yet still the colors of sunlight and home and nature filter through, accompanied by the sounds of family, and music, and birdsong.

Remember through it all to let yourself always shine. Always. Be seen for who you are, for your values and expectations, your love and dedication. No matter if you're working, cooking, shopping, visiting. Walking, singing, writing, painting.

Think of this little egret here, and how without trying, without effort, without apology, it always, always lets itself shine through.

~Joanne

I Do

Everyone loves a wedding, when the happy couple declares their love for each other. Oh the romance in the air! And the promise, the dedication, the vows heartfelt and moving. Then there's the formality, stemming from the deep commitment, the promise to love and cherish forever. Weddings are celebratory and serious at the same time.

Have you made public your writing, painting, photographing, baking intentions? Did you ever announce your commitment so that people in your life are aware of your "significant other" passion?

How have you formally declared the love for your passion?

~Joanne

Talking the Talk

We've talked Twittering. We've wondered about web sites. Internet presence is critical for promotion, whether it's for a book, garden tour, horse club, painting or photography exhibit. But some insist still that the best promotion is face-to-face. Talking in person. A certain honesty and warmth comes through in our talks and presentations. Our emotion, our expression, our caring, is visible right on our faces, in our body language, in the verbal tone we project. So who better than a published author and public speaker to enlighten us!

Claudine Wolk is a CPA and mother of three. The author of It Gets Easier ... And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers, she writes columns as well as magazine and newspaper articles on all subjects regarding motherhood in the 21st Century. She also is available for humorous but informative workshops on the subjects of "new motherhood" and "mothers returning to the workforce." Claudine lives in Bucks County, PA with her husband and children, and I'm hosting her today as part of her WOW Women On Writing Book Tour. Welcome Claudine!

Public Speaking Tips

All authors are asked to speak at one time or another. For some authors like me, speaking becomes more of a career than the actual writing of books. Speaking is one of the best ways I know to spread your message, to keep your finger on the pulse of your audience, and to network. Here are some favorite tips for putting together a well-received presentation.

1. Make your presentation palatable to the different kinds of folks who may be in your audience. For example, some folks learn better with visuals – have something to look at. Other learn better through story telling – make sure that you frame your points with a personal tale. Still others prefer something more tactile to keep them interested. Have objects at your disposal to make your points.

2. Stay engaging and entertaining. If you are not animated and excited about your message, how can you expect your audience to be? Don’t be afraid to pause and smile as you make a point or a joke. People go to speaking gigs (unless of course it is required) to be entertained by the presentation, no matter how serious the material is.

3. Keep going… every public speaker comes across an audience who seems to look at her with a blank stare. Not to worry. Keep going with your material. It is amazing how misleading that blank stare can be. Often times, it is the “blank starer” who will come to me at the end of a presentation and tell me how much I helped or moved her.

4. Most importantly, remember that your audience will only take away one or two points from your presentation. A trick to stay on point is to start the preparation for a presentation by writing down five ideas, lessons, or points you want the audience to take away. Working backward, build your presentation around these points to insure your audience comes away with what you hoped they would come away with.

Most of all, remember to keep your content sincere. No matter how good an actor you are, your sincerity and passion for a topic is palpable to an audience. Good luck and get speaking!

Thanks for sharing this advice with us here, Claudine. I've often heard that a real sincerity comes through in a talk, a passion for the topic, that the audience connects with. It seems like a talk makes our work more "real."

If you have any questions or comments about public speaking, Claudine will be stopping by the Comments to answer them. Now let's get speaking!

There is no question that being a mother is challenging, but this fun, frank, and prescriptive guide tries to do the impossible and make new motherhood easier. Featuring interviews with hundreds of moms and candid stories from author Claudine Wolk's own experiences as a mother, It Gets Easier!...and Other Lies We Tell New Mothers mixes humor, honesty, and insider strategies that will give new moms a 'leg-up'. This upbeat and entertaining book drives home the point that new moms are not alone and that there are things they can do to make motherhood a little more controllable and lot more enjoyable. Complete with resources for further exploration and a helpful glossary, this funny, irreverent book will help ease every new mother's frustration.

Published by AMACOM (June 2009)

Paperback: 192 pages

ISBN# 0814415024

Find out more about Claudine by visiting her website: http://www.help4newmoms.com/.

Fall Book Club

What are you reading this Fall?

Fiction? Memoir? Literary?

Share your suggestions here ...

~Joanne

Coffee Break

Wow, after all those lessons I think we can use a Coffee Break field trip. No more pencils, no more books, I've got to have a cup of java to process all your insights. This looks like a good place to stop, Ben and Bill seem to know the value of chocolate in relation to coffee. The Chocolate Emporium is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, with plenty of room for all of us to grab a seat and unwind.

It's an important ingredient in our choice lives, indulging in that coffee break, inhaling the aromas, lingering with the flavor, feeling our lives relax. For me, coffee and chocolate together, while I'm writing? Another heavenly indulgence. What's one of yours? A shopping excursion? A television show? A long hike? I'll be in the Comments, stop by for a coffee break, and dish :)

~Joanne

Fishing for Facts

Here's a genuine school of fish ... These swimming friends are painted on the side of an elementary school in Niantic, Connecticut. And today they're trawling for information, casting a line for lessons you might share. Life lessons, technical lessons, any knowledge they can reel in and apply to living their choice lives. Would you suggest persistence? Zooming in close? Weed often? Revise, revise?

Today you are the teacher. This school of fish wants to learn about pursuing a craft, or hobby, or passion. What one lesson would you share?

~Joanne