Greetings!

Hello, I haven't forgotten about you all. I've just been taking some time off to recover from a few medical issues. I wanted to check in, however, to let you know that I am working diligently to put together the book, Reaching Higher Ground! I've collected a number of stories from women around the country and am finally ready to start putting everything together. I'm hoping to be finished with it by the end of the summer.

Additionally, I've made some changes to the blog! Updates were long overdue!

As always, if you have suggestions for interviews or other content you would like to see here, please e-mail me! I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time...

Reaching Higher Ground-Call for Submissions

If you are a woman and you have a story to tell, please send your submissions to me for the book, Reaching Higher Ground: Women's Stories of Struggle and Triumph. The book will include vignettes of women who have had a variety of experiences and found ways to overcome adversity. I'll also be including facts, resources and valuable information on how to deal with each type of circumstance. I'm looking for stories of about 2500 words or less detailing your experiences in the areas of:

Dating/Relationships
Marriage/Family
Career
Spirituality
Women's Health
Education
Divorce
Abuse

The deadline for submissions is May 30, 2008. There are no royalties available, however, participants will receive a free copy of the book when it is completed. You may submit anonymously or you can include a brief bio with your submission. Please e-mail them to me at lonestoryteller@yahoo.com.

I appreciate your participation!

More than just a hatrack...

I wear lots of hats in a given week. For example, at the beginning of this week, I was trying to organize a women's group meeting. Mid-week, I was teaching 6th graders and at the end of the week, I was out promoting my mystery series. In between, I worked my regular hours at the local library and also found time to be a wife and mother.

It's alot to juggle and sometimes I'm overwhelmed. What gets me through is looking back at why I do each of these things. I'm a woman, which automatically means that I'm destined to spend much of my time worrying about or thinking about others.

For me, a big part of being a woman is looking for ways to help others, especially women, reach their full potential. The women's group is a project that I hold dear and I feel like time spent on getting it going is time well spent. Teaching gives me an opportunity to work with kids. This is not only something I enjoy, but something that I feel can help make a difference. Although I'm not with the students on a regular basis, I feel that I can make an impression on the kids I teach simply by being someone who listens and offers assistance when needed.

As far as writing goes, I love to write and am often plagued by having too many ideas that I can never get down on paper. Writing has finally become that "thing" that I do. The thing I'm comfortable with. The thing I would do if there was only one thing in the world I could choose. It has opened the door to new friendships, a new form of self-expression and a solid definition of who I am. And I believe it allows me to be a better woman, a better wife and a better mother. On this website, you'll see a graphic that says, "Find out who you are and do it on purpose." I believe this is one of the keys to happiness.

What kinds of things make you happy? What can you make time for in your life that will help you feel more like you? Feel free to share your thoughts here. Remember, the more we share, the better we serve one another. We can learn through the experiences of one another if we are willing to share our stories!

Have a great week!

Our first blog post!

Over the years, I've been struggling with what it means to be a woman in today's society. Are we truly expected to be everything to everyone or is this some crazy notion that we fall back on when we feel overwhelmed? In my own journey, I have found that there are really five big components to a woman's life. These are all encompassed in what I call the Five S's. And no, success isn't one of them. That's what comes after we have mastered the other five.

All five components have to do with self and how we work towards building the different facets of our lives into something we can manage, be proud of, and feel secure in. I'm providing a brief outline of these Five S's below and I'll be posting on each one of them individually throughout the year.

I will also be linking to other websites that can be of assistance to readers. I encourage you to send in any links which have been helpful to you so that I can add them to this website. If you are a woman and you wish to share your story about how you have perservered or overcome challenges, I urge you to send your story here so that others can benefit from the wisdom of your experiences. The more we share in our personal triumphs, the more we all benefit.

Thanks for stopping by!