Welcome Guest Shelley Hitz!

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author and speaker Shelley Hitz. What I know about Shelley is that she is one energetic lady, juggling so many amazing projects simultaneously, it's mind-boggling--even to a serial multi-tasker like me! In spite of her ambitious schedule, she is always there to offer suggestions and answer questions posed by other authors in our group. She is an encourager and a marketing dynamo. So, Shelley, thank you so much for joining us today. May many be blessed by your inspiring words!

21 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude

Idea #17:Be Tree-mendously Thankful

Guest post by Shelley Hitz

Thanksgiving season is soon approaching and this year, I encourage you to take the opportunity to celebrate gratitude.  In the midst of the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, take a moment (or two) to celebrate gratitude.

Don’t forget to check out the free book giveaway below. Please take a moment to listen to a short video!

                                       

Idea #17:Be tree-mendously thankful this holiday season.  Create a large paper tree and cut out ornaments to write out what you are thankful for on each one.  Then tape these ornaments on the tree as a reminder throughout the holiday season.

See all 21 ways to celebrate gratitude this Thanksgiving at Shelley’s website: http://www.bodyandsoulpublishing.com/21-ways-to-celebrate-gratitude-during-thanksgiving-this-holiday-season/

Free Gratitude Resource:

On November 14, 15 and 16^th, 2012 you can download a FREE Kindle copy of the book, “21 Stories of Gratitude:  The Power of Living Life With a Grateful Heart.”

Get your copy here:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YWM3WI

  

Book Description:

Are you living life to the fullest? Or are you merely surviving from day to day?

One way to live life to the fullest is to live each day with a grateful heart. In this book, we share 21 stories of gratitude to give you encouragement and hope in your own journey. Gratitude is possible! Even though many times we cannot change our circumstances, we can change the way we see them. We can ask God to empower us to change our thoughts.

Our prayer for you is that you find encouragement within these pages. And we pray that you will ask God for His strength to renew your mind with His truth and the hope He offers each one of us every day. It is only through Christ renewing our minds that we can truly live each day with a grateful heart.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

Other Gratitude Resources:

·         21 Days of Gratitude Challenge:  Take the 21 days of gratitude challenge to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.  You can do this by yourself or as a family.

·         21 Prayers of Gratitude:  Read a prayer of gratitude for 21 days to focus your heart on God and all He has given us.

 About the Author:

      Shelley Hitz has been writing and publishing books since 2008. She is also the author of the website, FindYourTrueBeauty.com, that reaches thousands of girls each month around the world. Her openness and vulnerability as she shares her own story of hope and healing will inspire and encourage you.

      Shelley has been ministering to teens since 1998 alongside her husband, CJ. They currently travel and speak to teens and adults around the country. Shelley’s main passion is to share God’s truth and the freedom in Christ she has found with others. She does this through her books, websites and speaking engagements.

 

      You can find more about Shelley at www.ShelleyHitz.com or invite her to speak at your event here: www.ChristianSpeakers.tv

Thanks again for visiting with us, Shelley! 


And to everyone out there in Cyber-land, don't forget to capture the stories of loved ones during the holidays. It's an opportune time to engage older relatives in conversation about events in their lifetimes. Keep a small voice recorder handy, and don't forget to turn it on so you will preserve those stories. Someone can transcribe them into a document any time, but you have to seize the moment to catch those important memories! 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing provides a long list of questions you can ask the relatives or use for formulating your own stories. See http://www.awriterspresence.com for available formats, and order your copy today. Future generations who read those stories will be so glad that you took the time and effort to preserve family history. Happy Thanksgiving and Blessings to all!

Featuring author Gina Conroy

A warm welcome today to our guest, Gina Conroy!

Fighting Through Insecurities to Reach Your Dreams
by Gina Conroy

Ever since I can remember, I've dreamed of being a dancer. I remember watching Flashdance, Fame, and all the other fun dancing movies and thinking how much fun it would be to do that. But to achieve that goal would take hard work, discipline, and talent. We didn't have a lot of money growing up, but when I was ten I took my first dance lessons. To this day, I can remember the recital. I also remember feeling chubby, uncoordinated, and self conscious in a class of older girls. So I quit something I loved for fear of ridicule.

When I went back to take dance lessons at 15 years old, it was obvious I'd never be good enough or catch up to the level of the other girls. My insecurities had held me back from reaching my dream of dancing.

Fast forward twenty plus years and my secret desire is taking form in ballroom and swing dance lessons. After attempting to swing dance in sandals last summer and suffering through insecurities and my ignorance on the dance floor, I thought it necessary to take lessons just in case I ever got the opportunity to go swing dancing again.

So I signed up not just for swing, but salsa, rumba, cha cha and a whole slew of dances I was "expected to master" in just seven hour long classes. Okay, I admit, I didn't plan on mastering them all, and the dance studio's gamble won out when I purchased another set of lessons. And after 20 plus hours, I still didn't master any of the dances. But I've made a conscious decision not to quit, no matter how tough, no matter how insecure I got at times.

I remember one particular lesson when my instructor arrived 20 minutes late with a scowl on his face and threw me into a salsa turn immediately when I was still trying to get the footing down. I tried my best, but I was perfectly fine with my bent legged salsa. Unfortunately, he was not. I guess we had two different definitions of "mastering" salsa. We spent the next 30 minutes trying to get my leg to straighten. I just couldn't get it. And the more I tried, the worse and more confused I got, and the more flustered we both got.

There was a point he kept pushing me that I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and quit, and say "This is not Dancing with the Stars."  Instead, I asked him if I could practice at home and if we could move onto East Coast swing.

And we did. And he threw me into a spin again when I was still adjusting to the footing, but by this time he had apologized for his attitude because he'd just quit smoking that morning AND had come from a stressful, life altering situation. We laughed through my own klutziness and made progress. I worked through my insecurities and inadequacies and kept pushing until I figured out what I was doing wrong. The point of this story? If I had given into the voices in my head that told me I'd never get it and my instructor thought I was hopeless, I never would have succeeded and learned.

It's the same with our writing or any other dream in our lives. When insecurities start to shout “I'm not a good enough writer, no one will ‘get me,’ and my story isn't good enough to show my agent yet,” I have to push through the inadequacies I have, real or imaginary. My work may not be perfect, but who better to show me how to improve it than my agent who wants me to succeed?

I might never be worthy of Dancing with the Stars, but I'm not quitting. And too bad if I have bent salsa knees, at least I'm on the dance floor! 

Let’s Talk: What dreams have you buried for fear you’re not good enough or they’re impossible to achieve? Are you ready to face your insecurities and risk ridicule to do something you’re passionate about?

Gina Conroy used to think she knew where her life was headed; now she’s learning to embrace life’s detours. After seven years of dream pursuit, she held her first novella, Buried Deception, in the Cherry Blossom Capers Collection, in her hands and Digging Up Death, her first full length mystery will come out Thanksgiving 2012. Gina founded Writer...Interrupted  to encourage busy writers and chronicles her triumphs and trials as she pursues her dreams while encouraging her family and others to chase after their own passions. Gina loves to connect with readers, and when she isn’t writing, teaching, or driving kids around, you can find her on Facebook and Twitter, or pursuing her new passion — ballroom and swing dancing!

Connect with her on
Twitter: @GinaConroy
Facebook: Author Gina Conroy

Thoughts by Mary Anne:

I’ve always heard that the cover design of a book is critical in attracting readers. The cover of Cherry Blossom Capers by Gina Conroy and friends caught my eye a few months ago, and the book didn’t disappoint.

My Amazon review stated: “This was an entertaining collection of four modern, snuggly mysteries rolled into one delightful book. With backdrops of various locations in Washington, DC, the friendships of four women have formed via the proximity of their condos at Cherry Blossom Estates.

In separate sagas, the girls find themselves involved in precarious situations, as well as navigating tumultuous paths that might just be leading them to find the guys who could potentially become their lifetime loves.

Light and breezy, all four segments marvelously meshed to represent a pleasantly engaging read!”

GOOD NEWS--Gina is currently launching a new book entitled Digging Up Death, which is definitely on my “To Read” list. This is the scoop:

Archaeology Professor Mari Duggins is adjusting to life as a single mom and trying to balance a television career, but gets caught between the pull of her former flame, a field archaeologist, and her ex-husband who is wanted by the FBI on an antiquities crime. Then her colleague is murdered, and she gets in over her head as she searches for truth in a desert of lies. Mari Duggins’ life caves in as she tries to excavate the truth, but realizes only God can dig her out of the hole she’s created. Will Mari sort through her muddled feelings and put her trust in someone else before her world caves in? Or will the truth bury her alive?   

“Dig into a fun story with Digging Up Death. It’s got all the dirt you want–a tangled mystery, a quirky heroine, hints of romance, and page-turning action. Conroy keeps the story real and delves into the clean and the not so clean parts of life. Highly recommended.” 

                            Christy Barritt, author of the Squeaky Clean Mysteries series

Personally, I LOVE devouring a modern day story that includes romance and inspiration. I’m allowed to escape into the issues, accomplishments and disappointments of the life of someone else for just a little while. Check out Digging Up Death. I know I will!!

A HUGE THANK YOU to Gina Conroy for stopping by today. See you soon with a visit from another author friend, Shelley Hitz. She’ll be talking about GRATITUDE just in time for Thanksgiving!

God bless,

Mary Anne

Family History Tattoo-Part II

Today's post continues with the story of affable Bob Soukup, a retired Florida resident who has tattoos depicting his family history.

Can you tell us a little bit about your own history?

I grew up in Chicago on the far, far south side. Today it is known as the Calumet Harbor area. Then it was known as Roseland Pullman, and I grew up literally across the street from George M. Pullman Manufacturing of the Pullman dining cars and sleeping cars. I saw many of those train cars being built, and another one I can remember is the snowmobile that Admiral Byrd used back in the 30’s. I can remember seeing that actually being built and out in the yards. I think it was an articulated bus-type facility, but I can remember seeing that particular unit for Admiral Byrd out in the yards at the Pullman Company.

Going back, I can remember the Green Diamond, which is one of the first modern streamlined locomotive trains for the Illinois Central going past our apartment back in the 30’s about 4:00 in the afternoon because I knew I had to be back in the house by 4:00. That was by the big Pullman clock that we could see with the hands on the 12 and the 4. I believe, to the best of my knowledge, that it is still in existence and on the national historic register.

I had one brother, John, three years older. He passed away a couple of years ago in Houston, Texas. We are both graduates of the public school system of Chicago, but our formal education...our college degrees...are from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.  My brother graduated in 1952, and I’m the class of 1954.

In my case, I did not want to go to The Citadel. I was enrolled in Blackburn College in Collinville, Illinois to study horticulture. I was apprentice to a German horticulturist from the south side of Chicago for a good number of years, and I loved the field. In 1950, I graduated from high school. In June, the Korean war broke out, and having done some soul searching on my part, I felt that I would be better off going to The Citadel and choosing my second profession that I would go into, and that would be teaching.

So I asked my parents if I could go to The Citadel, and I can remember my father saying, “We don’t know if we can get you in or not. It’s pretty late.” About two weeks later, he said, “You’re enrolled at The Citadel.” After I graduated and a good number of years out, and having been one of the founders of the Florida Central Academy, a private boarding school here in Lake County, Florida at the Sorrento/Mt. Plymouth area,  my father and I were reminiscing about the story. He wondered if I remembered the time we were talking about it, and I said, “Yes, I remember.”

He said, “You were already enrolled at The Citadel. We were just hoping that you would go there. Do you have any regrets?”

I said, “I have no regrets whatsoever about matriculating at the military college and getting my degrees from there.”

For the past eleven years prior to coming back here to the Florida area, where I’ve retired, I’ve lived in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My roommate from The Citadel was from Myrtle Beach, and his father was assistant postmaster so I was familiar with the Myrtle Beach area. Just prior to my retirement, for over five years I was supervisor of security for the largest mall in the state of South Carolina, Coastal Grand Mall. I had 11 officers under me, and then I retired March 18, 2011.

I am loving retirement here in Florida. It is more home to me than anywhere else. I’ve lived here for so many years with a lot of wonderful friends, classmates and students that I’ve taught here in the state. I’m just thrilled to be back in Lake County and enjoying retirement.

Besides displaying the stories with tattoos, have you written any of your history?

With Florida Central Academy, since I’m the last of the original administration from the founding of the school in 1959-1960, one of our students in Central Florida by the name of Kent Griffith and I have been collaborating, and he has done a lot of research on Florida Central Academy. That is a totally different story and highly fascinating that the hotel itself that we took over, the old Mount Plymouth Hotel and Country Club, was founded in 1925 and 1926 and built by the mob money out of Chicago--literally. It has been traced, and this is gospel, going back to the south side of Chicago where I grew up with the Al Capone era, prohibition, and the hotel with that type of mob money.  The hotel was also the Central Florida headquarters for quite some time for the illustrious Al Capone of the city of Chicago. In fact, my apartment in the building, until I built my own home out in Mount Plymouth, was the apartment of Al Capone. That was the big tower of the hotel. That has all been documented through the newspapers that Kent Griffith has been researching that I have collaborated with him. I assume that eventually we’ll put this into a story. I’m not sure which way we’ll go with it yet.

In conclusion…

I’ve seen through motorcycling and everything else, different sports I’ve been involved with, a lot of people get a tattoo and they might later on regret that they’ve gotten one. I’ve always looked at it that it is lifetime. It’s more painful to have it removed, or more expensive than it is to get one. There has to be a lot of deep thought about putting ink on your body. I chose it and I have no regrets. To me, I look at it on a daily basis and it’s just part of my family history that I grew up with, and I’m so proud of the fact that the ancestral side on both my paternal, as well as my maternal side of the family, have such a unique history. And I thoroughly enjoy it. It’s wonderful, and it has carried me and sustained me more than once.

Note from Mary Anne:

A very special thank you to Bob Soukup for spending time chatting with me by telephone about his history and life experiences. Now for the promised photos of his family history tattoos:

We have to admit that this is one innovative way to carry family stories with you! Our thanks again to Bob for sharing his most unusual story.

Learning how to share your story is easy! Check out 7 Easy Steps to Memoir Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time! 

Visit http://www.awriterspresence.com for links to all formats. 
 
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Special prayers and thoughts to victims of Hurricane Sandy, as rescues take place and damage is assessed today.

Most Unusual Family History Format

Family History Tattoo-Part I

As a memoir writing instructor, I have the privilege of meeting some amazing people and hearing a variety of stories—some poignant, others hilarious and still others that are downright unusual!

I’m all about preserving our family histories and capturing them in any method that works best for the individuals involved, but one day I met a gentleman who chose to capture his family stories in the most unique way.

I was speaking to a local Kiwanis group, and after my talk, Bob Soukup approached me. He said, “I’ll bet you have never seen this before.” He pointed toward the floor, leaned over and pulled up his pant leg to display a series of tattoos. “My family history is depicted in these tattoos,” he announced. He went on to tell me a little bit about the stories that were portrayed on his flesh, and I believe that I was so astounded at the time it didn’t occur to me to ask for his contact information so I could interview him in the future.

 

Time flew by, and I occasionally envisioned that tattooed leg. I finally contacted JoAnne Delahaut, the Kiwanis representative who had invited me to speak. I asked her if she could provide Bob’s email address and telephone number for me so I could interview him for my blog, and she graciously gave me the information and also sent me photos of those infamous tattoos. 

I was finally able to enjoy a fascinating telephone interview with Bob. He has retired and moved to Florida, and I asked him to refresh my memory on the exact family history that he was trying to capture in the tattoos. He said, “My mother was born in Kirkwood, Missouri, which is a suburb of St. Louis.  Her parents and about seven of the children, back sometime in the late 1800’s or early 1900’s, migrated from the St. Louis area or Kirkwood to Helena, Montana. I can remember her telling about the trip. Now she had to be a young child because she was born January 6, 1898 in Kirkwood. I can remember hearing her talking about traveling the plains and seeing the plains Indians. She always talked about the face paint that they had and the painted horses that she could remember.  The short story is that it was too cold in Montana, and the family relocated in the early 1900’s to central Nebraska, where through my research, I found where my maternal grandparents’ family lived in the Sargent/Taylor-central Nebraska area.

It had always intrigued me with her telling about how they had migrated out west and then back again, and I began over the years in my work with Florida Central Academy in the Lake County area, operating our Western Division’s school and conference center in Estus Park, Colorado.

I looked at the Drake side, which is my maternal grandparents. They settled out into that area in the west. So I began doing a little bit of research and found Drake, Colorado, a little tiny stage stop on U. S. 34 between Loveland, Colorado and Estus Park through the Thompson Canyon. I was related to a State Senator from Colorado who lived there. The Drakes had settled into Nebraska along with the Metcalfs, my maternal grandmother’s side of the family as well as up into the Helena, Montana area.”

How did you happen to choose tattooing as your canvas for preserving this family history?

I think it is tucked way back in the rowboats of the mind somewhere with my mother narrating the story of seeing the plains Indians with face paint and the painted horses.  It always intrigued me, and I thought it would be a nice tribute to my maternal grandparents  to wear for a lifetime, and that’s really how the tattooing began. Research on all of this was with Bob Lanz, who is the owner of Elite Tattoo in Myrtle Beach, over on Seaboard Street. So between Bob and myself—we are good friends—he said why not go ahead and commemorate your grandparents and let’s do a tattoo in their memory? So that’s how the tattoo came about on my right calf.

Had you ever previously had any other tattoos?

Somewhat, yes. I had quite a bit of work done up at Marks of Distinction in Wilmington, North Carolina. When I began this crazy idea of getting a tattoo, I wanted to make sure that everything was very safe. At the time, tattooing in the state of South Carolina was underground, and I didn’t want to go that route.

I’m a graduate of The Citadel, pre-medical in 1954 plus sports education. I’m one of the first undergraduate double majors graduating from The Citadel. So I contacted several of my classmates who were in medicine in North Carolina, and they advised me to go to Marks of Distinction in Wilmington, as they were highly recommended in the state of North Carolina for doing cosmetic tattooing on burn and cancer victims. They were highly reputable. So that’s how it started, and then with Bob going into the work in Myrtle Beach and tattooing becoming legalized in the state. Bob taught the blood pathogen courses in tattooing and piercing for the Department of Health in Horry County, so I knew that I was going to have somebody who was up and above board, and I knew it was a good safe way of going with Elite Tattoo.

Before you started tattooing the family history, what was your first tattoo?

Up at Marks of Distinction, we began on each shoulder, the upper shoulder, the upper arm, left and right, doing the Mayan Dagger, which represented my degree in pre-medical from The Citadel. Going back in Mayan history, that was some of the earliest medicine because they drilled holes in the skull to let out the evil spirits. The daggers began all that and then it continued with the chain mail surrounding the dagger, which represented my military going back to the 12^th or 13^th century the chain mailer armor. My military from The Citadel was artillery. So this was artillery going back to medieval times. We developed the two into the upper arm tattoo.

How many sessions were needed to complete the story of your family history?

Probably about four or five. I never really figured how many there were until the work was done. We just took our time with it and allowed each piece to take about a month to heal. I decided to do about one a month as we developed it, so it was probably a course of about six months on the leg alone. That is, doing the outlining work and doing the outlines for the map and each detail as we went. That picture represents my grandparents, and I always say that was my mother as a young child and one of her brothers gathering the fire wood and helping tend the fire, my grandfather tending the horses.

 In the background is the Indian pony. What tribe, it’s so hard to say. It could be the Sioux or the Crow nation. I have no idea, but it is a generic representation of the Native American in the tattoo. Regarding the map itself, I have basically been, over the years working out west, over most of this area either to or from travels between Florida and Colorado. All of my mother’s people still live out west—cousins and so on live up in Sturgis, South Dakota, which is an interesting side of the family on into Rapid City and down into central Nebraska—Sargent/Taylor, Burwell, into Ainsworth area—that’s central/north central Nebraska.

 All of the tattooing is on my right calf.

What about the pain in tattooing?

That’s a difficult question to give an answer to as to the normal individual. I have found out that I have a very high tolerance to pain. I could feel the needle doing the work on it. Basically, it felt about like a cat scratching my leg. What I do have is a tattoo on my upper chest of the Olympic flame commemorating my 1984 certification with the Olympics, and that is the Olympic torch. Now I have to admit that the one on the sternum hurt. I can’t say that it didn’t. We had to do it in small sequences because there’s no fatty tissue or muscle. It’s straight down onto the bone, and that did hurt quite a bit. That was the most painful because it covers the entire sternum area.

What kind of reaction do you get from people when you are wearing a pair of shorts and they see the multi-colored etchings on your leg?

Well, I don’t think I’ve worn long pants here, having retired back to Central Florida for over a year.  I get some quizzical expressions on the faces. They don’t know whether to ask or not. I’m very outspoken and open, and I’m glad to tell them the history. Sometimes people will actually come up and ask what it represents. I tell them the story and they are just as surprised as anybody else. The study and background work in developing this particular tattoo is a tremendous amount of time and energy over many, many years in putting all of this together.

You don't necessarily have to be tattooed in order to capture your family history. Learn how to write about your memories in 7 Easy Steps!  Visit http://www.awriterspresence.com for links to all formats available for this book. Jump-start your memory gathering project with this compact set of tools!

Stay tuned for the conclusion of the interview with Bob Soukup in my next post, which includes actual photos of the amazing tattoos!!

Be blessed and bless others...

Mary Anne