Tag Archives: Books

Timeless Message and Gifts Within

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“The horse is an archetypal symbol which will always find ways to stir up deep and moving ancestral memories in every human being.” ~ Paul Mellon

In a time when it seems like many in our culture want to do away with nativity scenes and other signs of the Christmas season, author JL Hardesty has found an extraordinary way to tell the story of the holiday that means so much to so many people. Her book, The Lost Legend of the First Christmas, appropriate for middle school to adult readers, uses a beautiful creature that God created, the horse, along with memorable characters, as messengers of lessons to human beings to tell the tale. The cadence and rhythm of the writing is effective in telling a story in a voice that will long be remembered.

If it is important to you that your loved ones know the true meaning of the holiday, The Lost Legend of the First Christmas is an ideal gift that shares insights of Christianity – having faith and hope in our hearts, and God’s promise to people everywhere.

Come to know the important relationship of the horse to people by reading JL Hardesty’s book.  Horse enthusiasts will love all of JL Hardesty’s publications.The author has spent her entire life in the company of horses, loving them and ceaselessly learning about them. Through her writing, Hardesty shares her knowledge of and adoration for these noble creatures with passion and clarity.

This timeless story is available through Amazon.  http://amzn.to/1cYyYO8. What a great read The Lost Legend of the First Christmas will make as a gift to children who love horses. Put one under the Christmas tree this year for the entire family to enjoy together.

Maggie with Jo Hardesty Lauters Book

Photo: Maggie, a member of the University of Vermont (UVM) equestrian team and student of equine medicine says “Every young equestrian should read The Lost Legend of the First Christmas. She wants to recommend it to her friends.”

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Preparing for the Stump

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“Speaking from the heart can be the strongest move of all.” ~ Rick Hanson, PhD 

How many of us stay within our comfort zones just because it is easier? I can’t exempt myself from that. There have been many, many times in my life when I have taken the easy way out.

Most people say “public speaking is outside of their comfort zone because it is terrifying and they avoid it all costs.” In fact when I talk with potential clients about their book marketing plans that is the first thing authors mention that they WILL NOT DO.  “If you think I am going to get up in front of a crowd and talk about my publication,” they say, “just forget it.”

speaking from the heartIn September, I decided that I was going to step outside my comfort zone and tackle my own discomfort with public speaking. I enrolled in a class. I have not shied away from speaking to groups completely. In fact, over the past five years I have done more public speaking than any other time in my life.

Guess what? It feels good to move ahead, rather than staying stuck because of self-imposed limitations. Am I cured of glossophobia – the fear of public speaking? I think so because I know I CAN DO IT! In fact I am proud to say for my most important speech of the semester I even impressed myself! What was my message? Something I have strong opinions about. I spoke from the heart about “Helicopter Parenting.”

I have made a further challenge with myself. I will seek every opportunity I can to get up in front of a crowd. So, don’t be surprised to see me out on the stump, especially when my book has been published!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.

Tearing up over Books

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Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” – Bill Cosby

I have found out over the past few years that writing a book about a character who cracks you up with laughter and who has played a powerful role in your life can be just as fulfilling as reading a funny book.

Today, I’m in such a happy mood – feeling very chipper. All as a result of reading a few books that have had me in stitches lately.

Ok, I’ll admit it – you couldn’t classify either book as fine literature. You’d be hard pressed to compare the books to the top classics of all time. That would be akin to trying to compare comic books with the Bible.

But to my way of thinking, both books are a panacea for lifting the spirits. Publisher’s Weekly says Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits  “is a hilarious read, perhaps best enjoyed while eating Krispy Kremes with a few girlfriends.” I concur with PW vehemently.

belle-weather I love the author’s humor. The Chicago Sun-Times says Rivenbark “Dishes out what Southern women really think and say when they’re not performing that soft-syllable grits-and-grace routine.”

Belle Weather is food for the soul. It has all necessary ingredients to cheer the spirits even though there is not a whole lot of meat in it to stew over. The thing you might learn is that it has been too long since you’ve read a book that’s made you laugh so hard you’ve got tears running down your face. Don’t you love reading books for pure pleasure?

Another book that has captured me hook, line and sinker  was Rebecca Wells’ New York Times Bestseller called Little Altars Everywhere. I adored it and as I read it, parts were as if I was experiencing a case of deja vu.

Little Altars

You’ll learn more about the value of humor in one’s life when my book is published in the spring.

Do return on tomorrow for more thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Same Image, Different Feelings

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We suffer primarily not from our own vices of weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place.” ~ Daniel J Boorstin

Isn’t it strange how one photo shown to two different people illicit different feelings?

gym uniformsDo you remember these physical education class uniforms from the late nineteen-sixties? Mine was yellow and skirted. When I see this picture the first thing that comes to mind is a time in my life when I felt I didn’t measure up. These feelings come from what I thought this uniform made me feel like when I put it on as an adolescent girl. As an adult, I know differently – we can take charge of our own emotions and cultivate positive feelings within ourselves.

If you showed this gym uniform from the same era to my husband the first thing that would come to his mind would be buoyant feelings of a time in his life with “stardom and awards.”

Isn’t it strange how people traveling down the road of life at the same time can have two very different experiences? That is what makes reading personal narratives so interesting! Sometimes memoirs are fascinating because we can so closely relate to the characters or the story and other times we do not relate at all, but we find it intriguing to see life through a different heart. Yet somehow through books and stories we often connect with others on some level.

Coming this spring will be a new publication, a personal narrative, authored by me, the blog mistress of All Things Fulfilling.  This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday: The Book Thief

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How many a man has dated a new era in his life from reading a book?” ~Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

book thiefI find it hard to imagine not having a wealth of books at my dispose – what with bookstores, libraries, internet ordering and now instantaneous delivery of digital publications. But, in Germany during the World War II era (1930’s) this scenario was reality. In fact, the best of books were burned. And if you were a poor young girl, getting your hands on books to read was even more difficult.

This is the premise of the story in the film “The Book Thief.” Despite the fact that the film adaptation of Markus Zusak ‘s novel of the same name has been getting mixed reviews, it sounds like a fulfilling cinema production to me.  I am putting this movie on my “MOVIES TO SEE”  list. It is beginning to make its debut in select theatres this month.

If you wish to read a longer summary about the film “The Book Thief,” directed by Brian Percival and starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and Sophie Nelisse. Click for info & ordering on the Book Thieft
Happy Film Friday, everyone. Keep your eyes open for listings for this movie coming to your local theatre.

See you back here on All Things Fulfilling on Monday. We will be featuring a book that is a great Christmas present for teen readers. This blog is brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Dialogue Adds Dimension

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“Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from…”  ~ Rita Mae Brown

Happy Thoughtful Thursday!

Last Wednesday evening I went to a book event for three local writers at our independent bookstore here in town called Off the Beaten Path. Of course, fellow Steamboat Writers Group authors and supporters were in attendance. One of the members, Larry,  asked me “how my book was coming?” He mentioned now that I am finished reading my book to the group, he misses hearing the voice of one of my characters.  What a lovely and thoughtful compliment! Those words alone, to me, meant that I was successful in incorporating into my writing an authentic voice of my main and stellar character.

two people talkingYou see, when I started writing the manuscript it had no dialogue. The writers group encouraged me to reach deeper and include my memories of conversations with family members. They were so “right on” in suggesting that I go back and insert dialogue because it added another dimension to the story that was not there previously. The extra time it took was well worth the effort. The story is so much richer for it because through dialogue the culture, historical era and a sense of place shines through in my narrative.

Thank you, Larry from  the Steamboat Writers Group. That is why I came and read the entire manuscript aloud. That was the kind of feedback I was looking for! And Larry’s words reminded me how important it is for writers to encourage others who are going through the process.

See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com, the place where independent thoughts, words and views are all part of the business.

New Found Treasures

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“Treasure your relationships, not your possessions.” ~ Anthony J D’Angelo

Peeps writing to Meems in armyFamily photos are some of the greatest treasures we could ever own. Last summer, my parents gave an unexpected gift to our family by revealing some never before seen photos they had gotten out of storage. The image that really stole my heart more than any other is this image of my father writing a letter to my mother (as he did almost daily) when he was in the army. On the crude wooden desk, made with 2” X 4”s was a framed picture of the love of his life, my mother, looking right at him as he wrote the letter.

My parents were childhood friends beginning at 10 or 11 years of age. They grew up one street apart from one another. That childhood friendship developed into a love relationship that has lasted, in a marriage, for 65 years. But what transpired throughout the course of their lives and some of the things they coped with as very young adults and newly-married is part of the treasure in my own personal narrative that will be published in spring 2014.

As I look at this image of my parents, it fulfills me to know that from the union of my father (who was an only child) and my mother (who had one brother), our family has become very large. Each person added by birth or marriage is like newly found treasure – each contributing to the whole with individual interests and passions that make for beautiful gatherings. The conversations when we are all together range from custom home building and architecture, to fitness, food and fashion design, to homeopathics and neonatal nursing, to boats, marine logistics and shipping, to writing, publishing and filmmaking. (How is that for a run on sentence?) And lest I forget – we now have a student of equine medicine in training! Diverse and widespread interests all in one family. But what binds us all together, besides the caring, is the love of books and reading, first nurtured by my parents.

If you are wondering how to instill a love of reading in your children, here is an article with 11 great tips.http://bit.ly/19RMGTO

And all these years later, despite every life challenge and obstacle, my parents are still each other’s best friends. Isn’t that an ultimate love story?

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling.

Spirited Young Children

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Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher

joyfulchildI love the spirit and innocence of young children. Few have reason to doubt the world until they reach emotional maturity, which according to Katherine Lee in this article, http://abt.cm/Hk0mge, is somewhere around  the age of nine.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, as an adult, to have a child’s spirit and have the ability to let your joy shine through from the depths of your soul not caring about what others think of your most delightful thoughts and actions.

I love the book we shared yesterday on All Things Fulfilling, by Trevor Boehm, because I think there is wisdom in the words he shares with respect to living in the world feeling personally fulfilled. If you didn’t read yesterday’s blog, scroll down to it.

On Monday, we will be sharing some tips for people who feel they are not living up to their God given talents, and wish they could be doing something else in their lives or careers. Please join us!

This blog brought to you by http://www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .

E-Books: A Vital Option

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“The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present and not the past.” ~ Brian Koslow

Shopping-CartIf you are ready to publish your manuscript, there are many choices to consider. Offering an electronic version of a book has become a necessity if you are an author who wants to reap the benefits in the digital marketplace. More often than not, potential book buyers want to know if a title “is available as an e-book?”

According to a recent article in Publishers Weekly Magazine, sales in e-books have dipped a little from when the Kindle and the Nook were initially rolled out. However,  e-book sales have remained strong, jumping a total of “4,456% since 2008.” That is a big deal and e-books have become a “billion dollar industry” according to the article. Here is a link so you can see all the e-book selling statistics from 2008 – 2012. http://bit.ly/Hc3JVq. We won’t see the 2013 book sales results for a few more months.

In my opinion, there will be more technological developments coming that will blow away any remaining doubts that e-books are just a passing trend. Especially as digital publishing becomes integrated into more classrooms and library catalogs.

Authors don’t miss out on a stream of income by failing to offer an e-book version of your title. And remember “if you are selling over the internet, you must be marketing over the internet” because that is where your potential book buyers hang out!

Speaking of hang-outs, thanks for frequenting this website. Do return tomorrow to www.AllThingsFulfilling.com tomorrow, the blog of www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Quick Delivery, Read it & Enjoy!

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sustainability_landing

On Friday, I read an interesting article in USA Today about business and entrepreneurship. The article described how the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Ohaninan, was fueled by rejection. “True failure,” it was pointed out in the article ” is not to persevere and learn from setbacks.”

The article also mentioned how the Millennial generation has grown up in an environment so different than what older Americans have experienced before. There is no longer a predetermined path for the American dream, thus in today’s world “there aren’t a lot of conventions to be conventional about.”

This statement made me think about publishing and how it is almost unrecognizable from where it was back in the late 1990s, when I began my company. At that time, only a few brave souls with spirit dared “buck the system” and publish independently. Now, we have moved into a whole different publishing model, where the independents have gained substantial market share which includes e-books (digital publishing).  Whether we can predict whether a time will come when books will only be available in digital form, it is too early to tell.

sprout greenThere are those who say they will never read an e-book, but my  question to doubters is “What is wrong with progress? Is that not what brought about the printing press?” And, I will always maintain my position that “a good read, is a good read, no matter how it is delivered. E-books are just one more way you can say you’ve read it and enjoyed it!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com. See you tomorrow on All Things Fulfilling.