Tag: life

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Beautiful Chaos

Early

 

Someday, I’ll miss this chaos.

 

I’ll miss the pitter patter of little wet feet covered in dirt and blades of grass, jumping up and down on the newly washed floor, running around the house doing the pee-pee dance, screaming “Oh no, it’s a bumbling bee! A bumbling bee! And also, can we have some juice?”

 

Someday, I’ll miss getting hot and bothered in oh-so-totally the wrong way: wrapping them in scarves and hats and mitts and snowsuits inside a cramped hallway, only to learn once they are all dressed that they have to go pee.

 

Someday, I’ll miss the inevitable post-bed time, “I want a glass of water!” and, “There’s something under my bed!”  and, “One more story pleeeeease?”

 

Someday, I’ll miss the grossness of it all: the wiping of little bums and snotty noses; the Puke, Puke, Everywhere Puke, because along with the putrid comes loveliness: the unconditional love of butterfly kisses, of warm, unending hugs; of a small, sticky hand inside mine.

 

Someday, I’ll miss the impossibly early mornings, the insanely late nights, the flu bug the entire family battles. I’ll miss all the things I say all-too-often:  Don’t hit. Don’t shove. Share your toys. Eat your breakfast. Be good now. Do you have to go pee? No dessert until you eat your supper. Brush your teeth. It’s bedtime! No. No. I said No. Because I Said So!

    Someday, I’ll want it all back. The thousands of digital photos and movies won’t do this beautiful chaos any justice. The time is now, and it is fleeting.

 

Someday, I’ll want it all back. The thousands of digital photos and movies won’t do this beautiful chaos any justice. The time is now, and it is fleeting.

 

So when this chaos has disappeared from my life, this chaos I complain about a little every day, I will mourn for it with all my heart.

 

I will mourn for what I had but didn’t always embrace. I will mourn for what has flown away, for what has evolved into something even greater; into something I can only dream about.

 

Someday, I’ll miss this beautiful chaos.

 

from the bestselling Kindle & paperback colour coffee table book LEAP

 

 

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Hold On

Hold On

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Find the Fun

Find the Fun

Find the fun today. Inspire yourself. Inspire someone else. Read a paperback book. Review a paperback book! Try something you’ve never tried before, just because you’ve never tried it. Call – don’t text – a friend. Raise a glass to a friend who’s passed away. Sing in the car at stop lights; smile and wave at the drivers beside you. Today is a gift that you’ll never get to open again. Find the fun.

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Writing Obstacles For Parents

Are you a writer? Then you’ve likely spent a lot of time reading about the real obstacles to getting published, marketing, and succeeding at selling many copies of your book. Hopefully, those articles provide lots of tips on how to get the job done. This isn’t that article. I’ve only got so much energy, I’m a writing Mommy.

Top Five Writing Obstacles For Parents

5  Your kid won’t take his nap – your premium writing time – unless you sing ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ and bark at his door every time you hit the chorus.

4  Your kid wakes up from his nap, stands up in his crib, blows you a kiss, and hands you his poo. Poo which, artistic genius that he is, he has also smeared like paint all over the walls.

3  Your kid starts Kindergarten and learns how to use the computer. Your computer.  Your delete button.

2 Your kid starts Grade One and learns how to use the iPad. Try writing the next Great Gatsby to Angry Birds being, well, Very Angry, in the background. Go ahead. Just try it.

1 Your kid decides he wants to be an architect when he grows up. You encourage that. He builds crazy fort tunnels from your office door to your office chair. Watch that back as you crawl to your office every morning!

At this rate, you’ll finish that book when your kid graduates from high school…Good luck!

When I said there were obstacles to sitting down to the computer to write, this wasn't what I meant. But add it to the list!
When I said there were obstacles to sitting down to the computer to write, this wasn’t what I meant. But add it to the list!
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YOU MADE SPACE FOR IT! THANKS!

Thank you for reaching out and making space on your Kindles for THREE SPACES. I has been out two weeks tomorrow. And guess what? In two weeks, I’ve sold more Kindle copies of THREE SPACES than any of my other poetry ebooks. In fact, it has already outsold the Kindle copies I sold of Carry On Dancing (mind you, as of end of December 2012 –  I’ve just learned from my publisher – I have sold 242 copies of that book, print and ebook totaled, realizing my goal to sell 200 copies before its 1st anniversary mid-March! I am SO thankful to my publisher, several Chapters bookstores, Kingston’s Novel Idea, and The League of Canadian Poets for your help selling those copies. And of course to you readers for buying & telling others about my work. Please keep spreading the word…

Still haven’t sold as many ebook copies of THREE SPACES as THE FRIENDS I’VE NEVER MET  – that one blew me away! I keep thinking about writing another screenplay, because I never imagined I’d sell so many copies of a SCREENPLAY on the Kindle! (don’t forget it’s also on many other ereaders like Kobo, Nook, Sony, and iBooks).

Since you are my most loyal readers, my dear blog-following friends, you can be the first to know I’m working on a romantic-comedy novella. I say novella because the thought of coming up with 60,000 words when I have 1,000 so far frightens me to death. But I am not giving up! The plan is to write it as a novella, see if it has promise as a novel, and then write it as a screenplay too! Ask me again about this in 2014, because for me, this is a huge project and I’m taking baby steps with it for now.

Amid all this writing, I’m going to be giving a workshop on the wild new world of e-publishing (There’s An App for That: YOU!) at Queen’s University next week, March 9th, and I’ll be the panel of journalists on March 10th.  I’m also going to be signing books & reading at Chapters Pointe Claire Quebec on Sunday, April 14th, to celebrate National Poetry Month, and I’m planning a reading & signing at a beautiful garden in Hudson, Quebec this July.

THREE SPACES will be available on Kobo , Nook and iBooks shortly. Sorry for the delay, hang in there !

Limited First Edition, signed, printed colour copies of THREE SPACES are available for $36 plus shipping. (Yeah, it’s not cheap, but they are in full-eye-popping colour). Just contact me via this page for details. At this point there are nine copies left up for grabs. Second edition copies with a colour cover and black and white interior  will be for sale online (at Amazon stores around the world)  at $14.99 by the end of April.

Speaking of April – here is a little inspiration for those of you living anywhere with snow and sleet in your line of vision every day (like me). These purple tulips are $6 of bliss that keep me going when it’s miserable outside. Hang in there!

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