Five Special Gifts

I know, right, another blog about Thanksgiving and all it’s trimmings. Well, not exactly. I want to introduce you to five beautiful women that, yes, I am thankful to say I know. I want you to meet them because of something they are doing, something that inspired me and should inspire us all. But before I go further, let me make the proper introductions:  


Tory Rummel, Kim Wiederhold, Christine Wolfer, Krystle Gauche, Patty Luschek



Starting November 1st, they began posting on facebook what they are thankful for. Their goal - post something everyday for thirty days. I was intrigued and impressed. I didn’t participate, but I watched, smiled and clicked ‘like’ on many occasions, and nodded my head in agreement and understanding. Their posts ranged from the simple things they felt blessed by to the world around them. They gave tribute to their country, their friends, their family and their beliefs.

They didn’t do this for attention or for gain. They didn’t know that I would ask permission to write about them and share their blessings. I didn’t even ask them why they felt compelled to do it. All I had to do was look at their posts each day to know the reasons why.

We get caught up in all the bad around us and in the world that sometimes - often times - we forget to be thankful, to pay attention to the good in our lives. In the good we can do in the lives of others.

Obviously, I can’t include every single post they've each made, so below you'll get only a sampling. As you read, keep in mind that these women don’t have perfect lives. They face the same world we all face, they all work outside the home, they are raising or have raised children, they’ve loved and have had their hearts broken, they’ve been touched by cancer or other illnesses in their lives or the lives of loved ones, and they have all experienced loss. They are who we are, who we can be, what we should strive to be - real women, strong women, beautiful women - who choose to focus on the good in their lives.

Patty - I am so thankful for my wonderful parents and the love they gave me. With their love and support I am who I am and am so thankful. :-). Love ya Mommy and Daddy!!!!!

Christine - I am thankful for my Sisters...they know just what I need at all times!! I don't know what I would do without them!!

Krystle - I am thankful that in this recession I am able to have a job to help support my family.

Tory - Today and everyday I am thankful that I married my best friend 7 years ago. He graciously accepts my constant opinions, doesn't complain that I hate to cook, supports me through everything, and is the best daddy Cara could ever ask for. Love you babe!

Kim - I am thankful for the smell of fall harvest!

Christine - I am thankful/blessed to have a beautiful, happy and healthy baby girl!! She is 15 months old today. I love watching her personality get bigger everyday!! She makes my world a much better place!!

Krystle - I am thankful for the farmers who go out in the spring to plant and go out in the fall to harvest those crops that help feed the world.

Patty - I am thankful for the roof over my head. It may not be a show home but it is ours and provides us shelter, and warmth. There are so many that are not as blessed.

Tory - Thankful every minute of every day for my mother. I'm almost 30 and her supporting nature never fails me. Truly an angel here on earth. She continues to amaze me with her love and ability to care for others. I pray I am half the mom she is.

Kim - I am thankful and truly blessed to work with so many amazing people

Krystle - I am thankful for my little sister who I may have beat up a time or two, argued with, cried with and laughed with.

Christine - I am thankful for all of my Grandparents!! All of my Grandma's are now my angels in Heaven and so is my Papa Howard!! But those in Heaven and on earth mean so much to me!!

Tory - thankful for laughter and the people that make me laugh. That's what gets me through the days most often.

Patty - today I am thankful for the wonderful time over the weekend. Good company and Good entertainment.

Kim- I am thankful for my baby sister, Patty Wolfer Luschek. She may not realize it, but, I value her opinion and treasure every moment we share.

Tory - Today I am thankful for answered prayers, the grace of God, and being raised a strong Catholic.

Christine - I am so very thankful for my amazing Mom! She has never failed me and she showed me what being a Mom is truly about. She also taught me how to work hard and be a strong woman!

Patty - Today I am thankful for my faith in God and the Love and Blessings he has granted to my family and me.

Krystle - I am thankful for my wonderful neighbors. They watch over our place like a hawk whether we are home or not, as we do for them too.

Kim - I am thankful to live in a country that gives its people a voice. Vote!

Tory - I am thankful for my best friend in the whole wide world, Maggie Schoellman Crawford! Since 3rd grade, she has been my sister from another uterus!

Christine - I am thankful for my Daddy! He taught me what loving selflessly means! His love has shown me what kind of love I deserve as a woman!

Krystle - I am thankful that God blessed me as a mother. So many people don't get the chance to experience the joy of motherhood. Even though I felt the heartache of losing one and feel very blessed to have 2 healthy and happy boys and 1 angel above.

Patty - On this day, the only thing on my mind is how thankful I am for all the brave men and woman that have and are serving our county. I am very blessed that many of my friends and family have served and have come home safe. Thank you and God Bless you all!

Kim - I am thankful for growing up and staying in the country. Where values and beliefs are strong and opinions are honored. We don't have to always agree, and I will fight for your right to disagree with me.

Tory - I am so thankful for my cousins. Each and every one if them. Its true cousins are your first childhood friends and the ones you can always count on!

Krystle - I am thankful for one of my best friends Ashley Attinger. She is a strong person, a firecracker and doesn't tolerate crap from anyone.

Kim - I am thankful for food on our table, coffee in my cup, gas in my car and faith in my heart. All those things keep me going!

Christine - I am thankful today is Friday!! It means I get two days to do whatever I want. I choose to spend them with my girl...can't wait!!! ;-)

Patty - Today I am thankful for the sun in the sky there is nothing like a beautiful morning with a little sunshine.

I want to thank these wonderful women for letting me share bits and pieces of their story. In honor of them, I am giving away five e-books to five lucky commentors: Undercover, All Bets Are On, Buried In Briny Bay, Love's Long Shadow and Two Brothers. I hope you will take a moment to share with us what you are thankful for. Drawing will be Friday, Nov. 25th.

To the right of the screen, you can view the five e-books that will be given away. I would like to thank authors Bobbye Terry and Ciara Knight for graciously donating a copy of their books. Click on their covers to see more detail or to purchase the book. See below for other books by these authors:

By Bobbye Terry: THE MARRIAGE MURDERS, BURIED IN BRINY BAY, COMING TO CLIMAX. Sequel, NICK OF TIME, By Daryn Cross, WALK RIGHT IN, L&L Dreamspell
Visit Bobbye at: http://bobbyeterry.blogspot.com/

By Ciara Knight: Love's Long Shadow. Visit Ciara at: http://www.ciaraknight.com/

UNDERCOVER - Available Now

As a police officer, Erica Salinas is determined to eliminate as many gangs as she can. When she's offered an opportunity to go undercover as a student at a Chicago city high school to stop the drugs trafficking its halls, she jumps at the chance. She intends to right a wrong committed against her family years ago and prove to herself she isn't the coward she once was.

It doesn't take long for her to identify the two gangs that rule the school and get offered drugs. But she isn't satisfied with runners, she wants to go up the chain to the dealer and supplier.

She befriends a boy who has connections with one of the gangs, hoping to get closer to her goal. Instead, she finds herself getting attached to the kid and falling in love with his brother, Derrick.

Sparks fly when Derrick and Erica meet for the first time. Derrick can't believe she is only seventeen and takes on a moral battle when he can't get her out of his mind. How will he ever forgive her when he finds out the real reason she's there?

Erica knows she is putting the case at risk by getting too involved. And when she spots a gang allegiance tattoo on Derrick's wrist, she'll have to decide if her career and avenging her sisters death is more important than love.

Undercover (novella) -  available in digital formats at the following places: Amazon.com, All Romance e-books and Smashwords.

Print version - coming soon.

Book Signing

Visit me October 8th from noon to 3:00 pm at the Clermont County Public Library - Owensville Branch. Books will be available for purchase. Those who already have their  book are welcome to bring them in to be signed.

2548 U.S. Route 50
Owensville, OH 45160
http://www.clermontlibrary.org/locationoe.shtml

Cheerleader or Nerd - Wacky Wednesday

By Joelene Coleman

I went to a parade Saturday to watch my granddaughter on a float (I hate parades in general. Grandchildren force you to do things you don't like). I watched the marching bands stroll by, followed by the cheerleaders jumping and whooping behind. My "Wacky Wednesday" topic presented itself, unfortunately, taking another embarrassing page from my life. From age 13 to 17, I lived through various stages of "nerdiness." However, this event at age 15 placed me at "Mega Nerd."

I always wanted to be a cheerleader - wear the cute little outfits on game day, and shake my "pom-poms." Cheerleaders got excused from school for away games, rode the team bus with the players, and always got the cute guys. Boys always wanted to date a cheerleader. It was like an ultimate code of acceptance from the other male chromosomes if your girlfriend was one. I wanted to be "that girl" who dated "that guy" and was naïve enough to think I had a chance.

I signed up for tryouts. A few things became immediately clear that I hadn't given a second thought to. Besides coming up with my own cheer and making a costume, I'd have to pull off some amazing spine damaging entrance and exit stunts. In front of the student body. Piece of cake? My brain had been abducted by my hormones. All I could see was me and the Quarterback cuddling under the bleachers, me wearing his letterman jacket and his class ring dangling on a chain close to my heart. Yeah, I could do this.

I wish my brain blocked this traumatic memory, because my road to becoming a cheerleader proved disastrous. I came up with my 4-liner masterpiece of prose, destined to wow the judges. Made my pom-poms. But my outfit? Oh dear Lord! My girlfriend and I picked a pattern for a cutesy one piece jumper thing, but her mother helped her. My mom didn't sew so my jumper bulged in the wrong places and the seam down my backside wanted to tuck between my "cheeks."

Every day I practiced in the back yard on the soft grass. I had cartwheels down, round-offs perfected, and ten years of ballet and contortionist gymnastics insured I could do the splits. The one thing I couldn't master was a backward flip. I tried repeatedly, but something about thrusting my body backward onto palms facing an unnatural direction, then propelling my legs over my head and landing in a soft bounce on the balls of my feet, proved impossible. I fell sideways, rolled into an overdramatized summersault, but never an actual handspring.

Two days before tryouts and still, no flip. I adjusted my routine to add a couple extra round-offs, hoping no one kept count. "D-day" arrived and I spent most the day inside the girls' bathroom. When 3:30 rolled around, I felt weak. But there was no copping out. I lined up in the locker room to get my number pinned on my back, just above the "wedgy line." I watched the contestants before me, taking mental notes on what worked, volume, and how many back flips. Everyone, including my girlfriend, managed at least one off. Well hell.

The girl right before me did four back flips for her entrance! The crowd loved her! I felt a trickle of sweat scurry between my breasts and my breath lodge in my throat. Of course she had to wow the crowd with a fantabulous exit, too! My cartwheels and round-offs would prove lackluster, if not downright hilarious. My name was called. It all went downhill from there.

I ran enthusiastically from the gym door, noting the blue tape where I was to begin the "wow factor." The wedgy tightened and I fought to not run knock-kneed, reminding myself the crowd would not see my backside. I tossed my pom-poms and performed a perfect round-off the minute my toe edged the blue mark. Points earned. A couple of cartwheels landed me square on the next mark. Another plus. I vaguely remember doing my cheer, because when I gathered my fluffs of crepe paper and turned, panic ensued. The crowd was much larger than I anticipated, and behind the panel of judges sat the football team. The Quarterback. On the bench beside him, the jacket, on his finger, the class ring. I had no choice. If I wanted an inkling of a chance at winning my prize, I'd have to do a back flip - one where I'd end in the splits.

I started my descent. Life unfolded in slow motion. Two round-offs executed with precision, and then…my back arched in a tight curve. Hands slapped the polished hardwood angled enough to support my weight or break my wrists if things went awry. I studied the wood grain of the slats, feeling my legs leave solid ground; my wedgy exposed and tucked even tighter in fear. When both appendages lined up over head, I felt my shorts slip! Holy crap! My underwear was exposed!! (Did I wear good ones?) Seconds felt like hours before my toes eased onto the floor and my body propelled upright, ponytail swinging over my red face. Immediately, I pushed my leg forward into the splits, but I'd landed wrong. My left foot was forward more so than my right and I couldn't shuffle. My legs spread and the force of my body coming out of the flip slammed me against the floor. Any chance of having children in the future disappeared. A searing pain radiated up my leg and I cried out…luckily covering the sound of the "fart."
I didn't make it to the final round. My prize? A pulled ligament, not the Quarterback. However, I did pull off my one and only back flip, even if I split my shorts in the process. The upside to my downfall? I still got the letterman jacket and class ring, only it ended up being from the captain of the tennis team, not the football team, but proved a better prize all around. He did confess after several months of dating, it was my exposed pink panties that won his heart that day. I never asked if he heard the fart. It didn't matter. He like me anyway. Wedgy and all.

So why share this embarrassing moment from the page of my life? Because life is a "blackboard"…always another lesson being scribbled across it and once we pass the pop quiz, erased and ready for the next. Trying out for cheerleader was my first attempt at stepping out of my "comfort zone" and doing something really scary. I'm very shy (I know, shocker to most of you). But I discovered when I wanted something bad enough, I was willing to go up against the fear. Each time we stretch beyond our limits, we grow. All my shortcomings, embarrassing moments, and shining achievements have shaped who I am. (I'd like to believe it's the "shining moments" that tipped the scales and shoved me out of a Size 4).

Tell us about a time you stepped out of your comfort zone. Was it to get a boys attention or was it the first time you let someone read something you'd written? Was it an embarrassing moment or a shining success?

Thanks, Joelene, for sharing your wonderful sense of humor with us. To check out other hilarious Wacky Wednesday posts visit Joelene at http://www.jcolemanauthor.blogspot.com/.

Joelene Coleman writes young adult as Harley Brooks

"Untangling superheroes from their capes."

Joelene creates journeys of discovery, inspired by all the "first times" of youthful innocence. She loves writing in the young adult romance genre because in her mind, she is still seventeen and think boys are hot!

When she needs to escape life, Joelene jumps on her Harley Davidson in search of her new muse. She doesn't believe in "I can't," and has stepped so far out of her "box," she has no idea where it is anymore. Besides, she's never been comfortable with square - she prefers round...."give what you can and the good will come back to you. Here's "winking" at you!"

What Now?

Can you believe a month has come and gone since my debut release, Two Brothers, hit the stores? Okay, maybe you can, but for me it has been an amazing five weeks that flew by, setting a speed record all its own.

Last week, with the hype of the first few days and weeks having waned, it hit me that somewhere, someone I’ve never met could be reading MY book. It was a breathless moment for me, a humbling one.

I am amazed every time I get an e-mail from someone saying they read my book and loved it. “Couldn’t put it down,” are my new favorite words to hear. And while I will never get tired of hearing people's thoughts on Two Brothers, I also know it is time for me to get my butt back in the writing chair.

Before we do that, here are some of the best moments of the past month:

For almost two weeks straight, I sat in the number one spot for bestselling suspense e-book on All Romance E-books.

I stumbled upon a review blog, where another book was being reviewed, and in the comments section a lady mentions Two Brothers as one where the characters stuck with her for days after reading.

Holding the actual book in my hands.

My family and friends have gone out of their way to make me feel like a celebrity and are actively pimping me out to just about everyone they meet. Co-workers are bringing the book into the office and asking me to sign. This just tickles me.

These are the things that take me by surprise, that make me go WOW. These are the things that a writer, this writer anyway, dreams about, but doesn’t expect to have happen until they hit the level of Nora Roberts. I am grateful to everyone who has so openly shared their enjoyment of the story.

So, what now? What is in the works?

The novella I’m working on, Undercover, is coming along nicely. I hope to have it finished by the end of September and it should be available sometime the first part of November. This is a story about a female police officer sent to high school as a student to bring down drug dealers and about finding love when you least expect it.

Once Undercover is complete, I will begin edits on The Daughter, which is scheduled for release January 2012. From there, I'll move on to book three, Emotional Warfare, which is in draft form and needs to be polished. Or as I like to say, I have it sketched out and now all I need to do is fill in the color.

And to think, the journey has just begun.

It's Here - Two Brothers is Now Available

I'm super excited to announce that Two Brothers is now available. This is the day I've been waiting for. I'm surprised at how quickly the time went by, but they do say time flies when you're having fun. And it has been both fun and nerve wracking.

To purchase follow this link: http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/

I read the words to Jason Aldean's song Tattoes On This Town. It speaks to the heart of my story, talking about small town life and everything we learned living there. So, I've included a small portion of the song. 

We laid a lot of memories down,
Like tattoos on this town.

There’s still a rope burn on that oak branch,
That hangs over the river, I still got the scar,
From swingin’ out a little too far,
There ain’t a corner of this hallowed ground,
That we ain’t laughed or cried on,
It’s where we loved, lived and learned real life stuff,
It’s everything we’re made of.