Under the Weather

You may have noticed I haven't posted all week. I am fighting off the mother of all chest colds. I was afraid to post anything, not knowing what the cold medicine would make me write.

I will return with the posts next week.

On Monday, I'll be talking about being a "single" parent with a cold.

Tuesday part 6 of Fallen Angels will be up on the Anna's Legacy blog.

Wednesday, I'll be talking about the wonderful world of So You Think You Can Dance.

Thursday is Clever Fiction day!

And Friday I'll be sharing my Strawberry Pound Cake recipe!!

Fallen Angel - Part 5

Check out part 5 of Fallen Angel over on the Anna's Legacy blog ~ http://annas-legacy.blogspot.com/2013/05/fallen-angel-part-5.html

Weekly Wrap Up

It has been a fabulous week.

On Sunday I was part of a huge movement, Listen to Your Mother. I can't put the experience into words. I blessed for having been a part of it.

The fabulous Listen to Your Mother - OKC cast

Monday, I shared my Craamazing Weekend with y'all.

Giddy!

On Tuesday, I finally posted part 4 of Fallen Angel on the Anna's Legacy blog.

Dark clouds are a forming.

Wednesday, I embraced my Fat Arms.

You are you know

Thursday, I spent a fantastic evening with the lovely ladies of the Bartlesville Women's Business Expo.

Bartlesville Women's Business Expo

Friday, I told y'all how I am who I am today all Because Of My Mother.

My sister, Brandy, mother, Cathy and me

Don't forget this weekend, Quail Crossings is FREE for your Kindles!!

Because Of My Mother

When I was in grade school we had an academic competition called Storytelling. You'd think I'd be a shoe-in right, but no. The object to the competition was to hear a story and then repeat that story. I couldn't do that. The entire time I was supposed to be listening to the story, I was writing my own story. I would go into the room, judges expecting to hear the prepared story and I would tell an entirely different story. And for some crazy reason I never won.

My love for storytelling began early with hearing my own mother read her stories to us. We were just babies when my mother wrote us a lullaby, A Land Not So Very Far Away. To this day she'll tell you she can't sing, but I remember thinking that I had never heard anything so beautiful. I was in awe that my mother had written this fantastic lullaby (so fantastic is won 2nd Honorable Mention at this year's Oklahoma Writer's Federation, Inc contest). And I knew I wanted to be just like her. I knew I wanted to create a lullaby for my own baby one day.

Truth be told I haven't written a lullaby. I sing my baby the same lullaby my momma sang to me (because it's awesome y'all). But I am living my dream of being a writer. And I write because of my mother. It was because of my mother that I wrote and published my first novel. It was because of my mother that I entered and won contests. It was because of my mother that I stood up in front of 400 people last Sunday and finally got to tell my story.

I love you, Mom.

My sister, Brandy, my mother, Cathy and me

Quail Crossing FREE!!

Fat Arms and All

"I can't believe you used that picture!"

"What? It's a good picture."

"I look like an old lady. You can see all my wrinkles and I'm about 15 pounds heavier there than I am now..."

***

Why do we do this? Seriously, why are we women so hard on ourselves? Yes, I realize men are hard on themselves as well, but how often do you hear a man gripe about a pictures someone posted of him on Facebook? We women do it all the time and I am just as guilty of it as any of my friends.

I told y'all of my craamazing weekend, and it was crazy amazing. I won 2 second place awards at OWFI and got up in front of a sold out crowd of 400 people to read for Listen to Your Mother. I was walking on cloud nine, then the pictures started getting posted of the weekend's events, and I fell.

Actual text to my bestie: As I look at all the photos from this weekend I realize I need to work on my arms... like a lot.

It makes me sick to think that of all the wonderful things that happened this weekend, I'm dwelling on the fact I don't have Michelle Obama's arms (politics aside, the woman has fantastic arms). Why? Do my "fat arms" make my wins any less of a win? Let me check my certificate: Nope, I still won second in both categories, "fat arms" and all.

Let's see, were the people in the audience of Listen to Your Mother saying to their neighbor, "Her piece would've been so much better if she had Michelle Obama's arms"?

I'm gonna go with no.

Are there things I need to work on? Of course, but not for vanity sake, for health reasons. But as I work on those things, it doesn't make me a lesser person for still having those flaws. We all have things we want to change, but we are ALL beautiful just the way we are.

We are our own worst critics, so stand tall and get up in front of that sold out crowd of 400, or wear that bathing suit to the lake, and smile in every damn picture you take, because you are BEAUTIFUL. You are FIERCE. And you are AMAZING, "fat arms" and all.

A Craamazing Weekend

Last week was crazy... but crazy in a good way. In fact one might say it was Craamazing (Crazy Amazing, thanks Sonia Gensler for the word).

Thursday morning we and my wonderful WordWeaver friends left for the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Inc. conference. This is my 4th year attending the conference and I will be the first to admit I go for the people, more so than the workshops. I am not exaggerating when I say the people who attend the OWFI conference are some of the nicest, most talented, generous people you will every meet. And going to OWFI every year is like a big reunion of friends.

My reading of Quail Crossings at OWFI.

This year was a bit different for me, this year, on Friday, I was featured in the Famous Author's banquet for having published Quail Crossings. And then we had the opportunity to listen to the uber funny Patrick Rothfuss.

My sister, Brandy Walker and I at the Famous Authors Banquet

Saturday was the awards banquet and I was elated to find out I had won 2 awards. Second Place in Young Adult Short Story and 2nd Place in Prose Humor. Not only did I win, but my wonderful, wonderful writing group, the Bartlesville WordWeavers, took home a total of 17 awards!!

With the uber talented, Peggy Chambers.

Yay!!

And as if that wasn't enough to have me walking on cloud nine, I still had Listen to Your Mother on Sunday. I am a writer, it is my job to put emotions into words, but I cannot do that with my Listen to Your Mother experience. It was an unbelievable journey from start to finish and each and every one of the cast members had an amazing story. And each and every one of us told our stories in front of a SOLD OUT house of 400!

Our wonderful Listen to Your Mother producers, Julie Bohannon, Misti Pryor and Heather Davis.

 

The Listen to Your Mother - Oklahoma City cast

 

I wish I had pictures, but I don't yet. When I do I will share them. Today, on this Monday, I feel so very blessed to be living this life.... so very blessed indeed.

AND if you missed anything from last week, here ya go!

You still have time to win!! Moms Who Rock Giveaway!

Listen to Your Mother is in the books, but don't miss the read-thru pics.

I posted a BRAND NEW short story on Clever Fiction, A New Dream.

And if you're craving a sweet, healthy treat, try my Chocolate Strawberry Banana Muffins.