Welcome to the Happy New Year Facebook Hop, hosted by @Love Kissed Book Bargains!
Featuring tons of prizes from over 150 authors and bloggers, including Amazon gift cards, it’s a great way to spend New Year’s Weekend!
At the end of the hop I’ll be giving away a $20 Starbucks gift card, in honor of the many Starbucks drinks that powered me through hours of writing. 😀
Please join the fun by visiting my author Facebook page and following the instructions provided. The giveaway is open from 12pm EST on 12/31 until 12pm EST on 1/2 and winners will be chosen at random.
In case of a broken link and to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway, visit the website for a complete list of participants:
http://lovekissedbookbargains.com/join-the-happy-new-year-hop-here/ Win a Kindle or Amazon Gift Cards!
Good luck and I hope everyone has a Happy New Year weekend!
Facebook giveaways are in NO way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Information collected is NOT collected by Facebook. In signing up for this promotion, participants release and indemnify Facebook from all liability.
As soon as I typed the four words of my title, I knew my post was probably going in a different direction than most of the others in the Writer Wednesdays group.
You see, if you’re a musical theatre aficionado like I am,
the title probably brought to mind the song from the Tony-winning production of “Matilda.”
Well, it did for this theatre buff, anyway. 😀
If you’re not familiar with song and you wanna hear a catchy tune, let me oblige you: “When I Grow Up”
I challenge you not to find yourself humming this later today.
If so, drop me a comment below or shoot me a tweet via @prisoliveras to let me know.
The lyrics offer a cute look at how kids often (mistakenly) think life will be easier when they’re adults. ‘Cuz, you know, when you’re grown up you’ll get to do fun things like “eat sweets every day, on the way to work”, “go to bed late every night” or “spend all day just lying in the sun” and not burn ‘cause you’ll “be all grown up.”
Even better, as the song says, you’ll “be smart enough to answer all the questions that you need to know the answers to.” And you’ll be “strong enough to carry all the heavy things you have to haul around with you.” Even better, you’ll be “brave enough to fight the creatures, that you have to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown up.”
If only life and our adult decisions were that simple.
Figuring out what we want to be when we grow up can often be pretty mind boggling. But like the wise man he was, Dr. Seuss put a positive spin on the idea in one of the childhood books my daughters loved:
Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should be a Vet!
Here are two of my favorite, often-remembered pages:
“Want to be a ticket taker? Want to be a pizza maker?”
How about a wrestler… a writer… or a waiter?”
The rhyming and rhythmic list of jobs Dr. Seuss offers—some silly, some more practical— is a reminder to kids that they can be whatever they want to be, whatever they dream to be.
But the thing is, I think the book offers an important message for all of us no matter what age we are. Because it’s never too late try something different. To stretch our wings. To seek a path we’ve thought about, but never pursued.
Because life doesn’t have to be set in stone.
Like Matilda says at the end of “When I Grow Up” and in another song titled “Naughty“: “Just because I find myself in this story, it doesn’t mean that everything is written for me.”
I see both songs as a call to action.
A reminder that we’re never too old or too young or too little to try a new adventure.
Like one of the musical’s tag lines says: To change the world it takes a little genius.
And a little gumption, too! 😀
So, whether life has thrown you a curve and you need to re-evaluate, or if you’re trucking along just fine but wanna try adding something new in your life. It’s never too late to go for it.
What’s something you’d like to try or do “when you grow up”—I’d love to hear some of your ideas!
And don’t forget to check out what the other Writer Wednesday bloggers are sharing about “When They Grow Up”!
Romantic Suspense author: Carol Post
Paranormal Romance author: Kay Hudson
Contemporary Romance author: Tamra Baumann
YA romance author: TL Sumner
Yes, that’s right, the Writer Wednesday gang is doing it up Valentine’s Day style this year and we’re here to help you out with some romantic date ideas.
This month I’m subscribing to the “a picture is worth a thousand words” idea. Thinking that a pic will get the point across faster. And with the clock ticking ever closer to V-Day on Sunday, you might need to get crackin’!
And of course you’ll want to check out the other Writer Wednesday author sites to see what they’ve cooked up for you.
Today, you’ll get a little smorgasbord of ideas, since there’s a smorgasbord of dates that I’d find romantic. 🙂
Of course, there’s the age old– sunset beach locale.
In my book, you can never go wrong with this place.
Whether it’s a blanket or a lounger with some snacks and a bottle of wine to share
Or if you take it a little further with chairs, a table and a meal
Or you go all out at a fancy restaurant with a killer ocean view
it’s a great way to WOW a girl who loves the sound of ocean waves lapping the shore, the smell of salt and sea in the air, and the relaxing sensation of her toes in the sand!
If she’s a dance lover, like me, maybe a night out at a club for a little salsa, merengue or bachata?
Maybe a movie night– in or out. I’m always up for a blanket, a picnic and great flick on a big screen in the park.
Or how about Shakespeare in the Park? ~~Sigh~~
For this English-major, book-lovin’ girl, the pic below is definitely
the start of romantic evening if I’ve ever seen one.
But if you know, or if you’ve checked out my website, you’ll know that one of my favorite ways to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon is sitting in the bleacher seats at Wrigley Field, cheering on my beloved Cubbies.
The warm sun shining on my face, a cool drink in one hand, the crack of the bat when a Cubbie gets a hit…
and a special someone at my side cheering with me .
But you know what?
After a busy week with a long To Do list, a quiet walk in the park just might do the trick.
A stop along the way, holding hands as we relax side by side on a bench.
No specific destination, no particular time to be somewhere other than right where we are, together.
My best advice if you’re trying to come up with a romantic date idea for someone special is to take a few moments to think about that person. What she (or he) likes to do, hasn’t had time to do, or what brings a smile to her/his face.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a grand gesture– well, at least not for me. 🙂
I’d love to hear what your idea of a romantic date might be. Hope you have some time to share!
Looking for more romantic date ideas? Check out my Writer Wednesday sisters and see what they have in mind:
Contemporary romance : Tamra Baumann and Shelly Alexander
Paranormal romance : Kay Hudson
Romantic suspense: Sharon Wray
Novels with romantic elements: Jean Willett
Faith-based & Sweet: KD Fleming
Historical romance: Wendy LaCapra