

Thanks to everyone who supported me on the journey.
Shalom aleichem,

Pat Garcia
Thanks to everyone who supported me on the journey.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 30, JANUARY 31, 2023
I’m going to miss this Challenge. It challenged me.
Within me, it has removed reservations that I had pushed deep within the dark corners of my soul. After the first week, I thought I was going to buckle under. The possibility of facing weaknesses and being drowned in recriminations brought up good old Vincent Lombardi, who sits at my imaginary round table as one of my advisors.
He said two simple statements. “Adversity is the first path to truth. Prosperity is a great teacher: adversity is greater.” For me, the adversity was the distress of having to change.
I like quotes from people who talk from experience. Lombardi built a winning football team, and they were the very first to win the Super Bowl.
So, I moved into the second week prepared to face myself.
Joy rose as I read the blogs from the rest of the participants. With some of their postings, I laughed, and with others, I was amazed, and then there were some posts where tears flowed and others that brought me into deep contrition, contemplation, and repentance. The articles were all that good and inspiring.
If you have read my postings during the 30-Day Challenge, you know I had doubts, frustration, and regrets. Yet through all of what I felt, I am delighted to have stuck with it. Vince was right. Facing my adversity is more remarkable than never having done it at all.
Would I do it again? YES! Undoubtedly. Not this year, but whenever I see it offered again.
Does this mean I am going to blog every week to prepare myself? NO! However, I have decided to blog on my author’s website once every two months to release some new SNIPPETS. 🙂
Therefore, on this last day of the Challenge, I leave you with another quote by Vince: I do my best to walk with this quote every waking day of my life.
“When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no fear. In fact, we may even be reckless insofar as our part in the production is concerned.
This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action.
The rest is in the hands of God–––and this is the same God who has won all His battles up to now.” (By Vincent Lombardi)
My list of new and open items for this week includes the following:
Have a lovely Tuesday, everyone!
Peace!
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 29, JANUARY 30,2023
Good Evening,
Yes, it is evening here, and I have just ended my sabbath day. I enjoyed the rest.
I’m in my office now. Even with the change in my Sabbath day and time, I start slowly getting in gear to work. As I’ve said before,I don’t like hectic. I never have.
I kick off my work week after envisioning how I want my week to run. I don’t order what I plan to do, but I write down what I want to do in no particular order.
Today has been a pretty cool day for me. I meditated, had breakfast, and read up until dinner time. After dinner, I read again.
Reading is medicine for my soul. I am finishing up a book entitled Soulful Spirituality by David G. Benner, a Christian Canadian Psychologist. I have almost every one of his books, and they have enriched my life.
My list of new and open items for this week includes the following:
Have a blessed Monday, everyone.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 28, JANUARY 29, 2023
Good Morning,
I am ready for this Challenge to end. It has demanded more of my time than I expected. My characters are asking me if I ever will return. Especially Na-Doo, the main female character in my upcoming short story that is not yet released, keeps accusing me of forgetting her. When I told her I didn’t realize the burden the Challenge would have on her story, she advised me to think before I leap the next time, and she tapped her toes on the floor.
She is patiently waiting for the last story that will go out on Tuesday. To keep her happy, I applaud her patience every day and thank her for being so kind to me.
I am laughing. If you think that my characters are my muse, then you’re wrong. My characters are facets of me and would feel insulted if I thought of them as muses.
It’s Sunday, and my Sabbath starts at 6 pm. Typically, at this time of the morning, I am in church. However, I changed my Sabbath’s beginning and end so that I could continue participating in the Challenge and have 24 hours of rest, which I wholeheartedly admit I need.
Since I was up late last night attending a writing seminar on Using Character Emotion to Wow Reader by Becca Puglisi on Zoom, I’m dragging today. But I still have a few more things I want to accomplish before I call it quits at 5:45 pm.
My list of open items includes the following:
Have a blessed Sunday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 27, JANUARY 28, 2023, HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE?
This morning, after my contemplation, I read Nonnie Jules’ blog posting for Day 26. After reading her poem, I went to the blog posting of Shirley Harris-Slaughter and read her Day 26 posting.
Shirley’s article is entitled How Do You Say Goodbye?
Her question, along with Nonnie’s poem, threw me into contemplativeness again.
John Donne and his Meditation 17 rose within me. Especially the line that says, “any man’s death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind and therefore never send to know for whom the bell toll; it tolls for thee.”
We are all a part of humanity, whether we accept that or not. No one can guarantee they will make it through the day or wake up the next morning. Yet, we treat life as something we dictate, which is sad.
How do I say goodbye is the question that Shirley asked.
I don’t have an answer to that question. Living on another continent, far away from my family and extended family, I do everything within my power to love them in the now with phone calls, text messages, video calls, and visits when I am in the USA.
I tell and show them that I love them every chance I get. Who knows if I will have the opportunity to say or show that tomorrow?
I want to know that whenever one of them leaves this world, if they go before me, and step into eternity, I will have given them the most precious gift I possess, which is to love.
Knowing I have loved them doesn’t take away the sadness or the pain, but it comforts me.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”*
(New International Version 2011, Zondevan, The Gospel According To John John 15:9-13)
(NONNIE JULES’ POSTING is linked to this posting, and Shirley’s article is linked. You are welcome to read both postings. The links will take you directly to their blog articles.)
My list of open items includes the following:
Have a lovely Saturday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 26, JANUARY 27, 2023
Good Morning,
Before my morning block of time could end(usually, it ends at 11:30 a.m.), but since I am optimizing my schedule, I changed it to 11:00 a.m. I got in my beetle and was on the road by 10 a.m. I am smiling because I went to one of my favorite bakeries in our village. They are all my favorites, but each bakery has delicious tarts different from the others.
As I lay in bed looking out of my bedroom window, which is a sky window, I thought having pretzels and pastry for breakfast would be a scrumptious idea. It only took me about fifteen minutes. The pastries smelled so good. I would be big as a house if I went there every day, so I have a hard limit of twice a week to visit them.
Baking is still a work of art here. Fresh bread tastes heavenly. The cakes and pastries are not sweet and are excellently made. You can’t compare buying a cake from a real baker to a store-bought cake from Kroger. There is a difference, or maybe I have just fallen in love with the European Style of life. So, my breakfast was yummy, and I am still smiling.
Since I’ve been in my office, I’ve taken care of an invoice and conducted a telephone call with the people installing new communication cables in our village that will increase internet speed.
At one p.m. my time, I have a Zoom meeting. People on the East Coast conduct the forum, so I am very thankful for their consideration of me so that they get up early for our meetings.
After my forum, I will work on my excerpt for my developmental coach and then bring wood in from where it is sheltered into the house for the fireplace.
It is Friday, and I will enjoy a hot cup of gluhwein while I read a book or look at a movie that fascinates me and engages my mind.
My list of open items includes the following:
I wish all of you a lovely Friday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 25, JANUARY 26, 2023 CAUGHT ON THE BLINDSIDE
Any writer that writes to improve the human condition and bring people into relationships that respect the otherness of others will get caught on their blindside. It happens not just once but many times, and you will always be surprised or in a state of shock because it throws you outside of your perimeters. Confronted with a new situation, you must redefine your boundaries, change or not redefine them, and stunt your growth. Choosing the latter can make you sick or even become deadly.
So it was on the morning of February 24, 2022. I went downstairs with a heavy heart. After almost seventy-seven years of peace, there was war in Europe.
Disastrous news kept coming. People were fleeing. Children dying, Women and young females raped, and older people mishandled.
Caught on my blindside, I didn’t know that such barbarian behavior existed, especially in Western Culture, but it does. And I had to learn how to deal with it emotionally.
I now knew what it felt like to wake up while an airplane flew over your house and to be thankful that your home was still standing and no one was running to a bomb shelter.
I could point out other situations, but today that is not my purpose. I want to remind us that we should never take advantage of the ability to write. As writers, we are the eyes of the world regardless of whether we write poetry, fiction, or non-fiction. We are the world’s conscience, and what we say or don’t say will affect the coming generations.
So here’s my open agenda. I will write that letter as soon as I put up my post. Therefore, I have taken it off the list.
Have a lovely Thursday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 24, JANUARY 25, 2023
Good Morning,
Today, I am working on finishing the revision of my first novel. I am very thankful I have a publisher who is patient with me. I am a hybrid author and am grateful to have found people from both spectrums of the independent/traditional publishing world who care about me. They listen to what I say, and at the same time, I listen to what they are saying. It is a two-sided coin.
It is not always easy getting me to see the tiny fragments that make up a story that might need to be clarified or come too soon for the reader. But I move further when they leave me alone to see it myself. I am smiling right now because usually, when they get to the point of living with my decision, my eyes open, and I see what they mean. This is why my editors are crucial for my writing, and I take writing classes, attend writing conferences, and meet up with other writers wherever possible.
I have said once or twice during this Challenge that no man is an island. I believe that wholeheartedly. This phrase comes from one of my favorite readings by John Donne. Most people think it is a poem, but it is a Meditation, contemplative words (here I go again with contemplation) that Donne wrote at an appropriate time in his life that fits exceptionally well in our lifetime.
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.”* (taken from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions Together with Death’s Duel by John Donne and is recorded as he originally wrote it)
I ended yesterday before my fireplace with a tasty cup of Sanddorn Tea. I wanted to show you how beautifully my fireplace burned as I daydreamed before it.
My list for this week includes the following:
Have a lovely Wednesday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 23, JANUARY 24, 2023
Tuesdays are sometimes the most challenging days for me to get through. I express my thanks for waking up, and I clean myself up. By the time I get downstairs, I am looking forward to going into my office. But internally, I am contemplating. The things I cannot see have absorbed me, and I would like to sit and let my inner world have its way.
Depending on what is on my plate, I usually take the time to sit still and let the images form and the bits and pieces of word sentences have their way. I use contemplation not only to understand my purpose and place in this world but also to understand others.
Thus, I am slowly moving into my day because I have been contemplating. There are things to do. I have a Zoom meeting in an hour and a half and many other things that I need to plug into so that my February is more relaxed than my January.
My list for this week includes the following:
Have a lovely Tuesday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Day 22, January 23, 2023
Good Evening,
I have a still, joyful stream running through me tonight. I’m doing some things differently, and it has been a challenge. However, I love to see what I can do, or better said, see how I can overcome the limitations I sometimes place on myself.
I’ve learned that before I blame others for what I cannot do, I should try to do it. If I fail, I need to examine why I couldn’t do it, or I will never advance the way I want.
That means I can only do the things I have been gifted to do. I can’t do everything. I know I have limits. For example, I know I can’t be a medical doctor because I don’t have that gift. There are so many other things that I can’t do, and I am okay with that. I’m not in the world to copy someone else. I’m here to discover the original Pat I was born to be.
So my day was a day of learning new things that I won’t discuss here. They are my secrets. But it was a day of reaching out to others and intensively listening. If there is anything I enjoy better than writing, it is listening. I can sit and listen and observe for hours.
My list for this week includes the following:
Have a lovely Monday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 21, JANUARY 22, 2023, Wrap-Up for the Week
Good Morning,
We have just entered Day 21 of the Blogging Challenge. Each day from now on will bring us close to the finishing line.
Today, I will start my Sabbath Day at 6 p.m. I have learned that I needed to rearrange my Sabbath by competing in the Challenge. I get more out of it now, and that makes me happy. I wouldn’t have recognized that there was a better way if I hadn’t participated in the Blogging Challenge.
I am checking out all of my routines. Sometimes they can be killers of new possibilities that are better ways of doing things.
I have decided to keep my agenda planning calendar. I thought about changing to something else. But I saw that what I already have fulfills two essential functions: I write my lists in my agenda app; the days and appointments I have booked go straight to my calendar.
Finally, I will close the office at 6 p.m. and sit back to a movie and a glass (maybe two glasses) of dry Italian red wine.
Congratulations to all who are participating in the Challenge. We’ve made it to Day 21. YEAH! We Are Champions! at least, in this Blogging Challenge.
My List for the starting week:
Have a lovely Sunday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 2O, JANUARY 21, 2023, DO IT AFRAID
I discovered some time ago that people who change history are not fearless. They are fearful, but they go ahead and move in the direction of their dreams anyway.
They give me the courage to walk the truths I have discovered and do it afraid.
That is why I admire artists like Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Henri Matisse. Or writers like Charles Dickens, Charlotte and Emily Bronte, Georgette Heyers, Phillis Wheatley, Sarah E, Farro, and Lorraine Hansberry, who made her mark by becoming the first African American to have a play performed on broadway.
Many of these artists have made an imprint on my life; some sit around my invisible mentor’s table. Some received very little recognition, and some died impoverished.
I am still determining where I will end up, but I will keep moving forward until time as we know it is no more.
So, that’s my takeaway for today. If you have a dream deep down inside you, a desire that you think will benefit others and yourself, and you fear what others will think, let it bother you if you want, but don’t stop being what you were destined to be. You’ll only see change once you learn to do it, afraid.
My list for the week
Have a lovely Saturday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 19, JANUARY 20, 2023
Living your life fully doesn’t mean being busy. There are many busy people, but if you look at their faces, they are miserable. Their eyes aren’t glowing. Happiness has eluded them. If you get the chance, look into their eyes, that is, if they will let you.
Busyness disrupts the soul and the spirituality of any person. It breaks the contact with the heart, and we disconnect from our core selves. That’s my belief.
So as I started out with the A DAY IN MY LIFE…SUBTITLE: SNIPPETS OF ME CHALLENGE, I wanted to measure my soulful spirituality to see if I was just being busy to be busy or if I was still on my journey, seeking to evolve into all that I am supposed to be on my journey.
I’m not going to tell you what I have found out, but I will say that I like who I am and who I am becoming.
Being and Becoming are separate processes that continually grow until you are dead. When you have totally become, you are no longer here.
Life is a journey that leads you to be fully alive (I’ve used the word ‘alive’ here to better define ‘Being’); fully becoming and what holds these two concepts together is LOVE. You can’t choose to be or to become as a single element without the other. If you’re all about being, your egocentricity stands out, and you walk over people. Living only a becoming life makes you otherworldly; your head is in the clouds, and you’re ignoring people.
Only through living a fully alive, fully becoming life do we find our significance and are thereby prepared in our hearts to reach out to others.
Jan Masuhr on Guitar, Pat Garcia, Soloist
Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place, if you can.
Take a little time out your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who’s lost the way
Or would I be talking to a stone
If I asked you
To share a problem that’s not your own
We can change things if we start giving
Why don’t you
Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place
If you can.
If you see an old friend on the street
And he’s down
Remember, his shoes could fit your feet
Try a little kindness, and you’ll see
It’s something that comes
Very naturally.
We can change things if we start giving
Why don’t you
Reach out and touch
Somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place
If you can.
*Lyrics are taken from Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson; Initially sung by Diana Ross.
Now, the way I’ve said this might not be grammatically correct, but it’s my belief, and it springs from my heart.
My List is getting smaller.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 18, JANUARY 19, 2023
This morning, I woke up to rain mixed with snow. However, it stopped. As I came off my first break, I looked out the window in my office; the sun was peeking through, and tiny snowflakes were coming down from the sky. I hope it doesn’t stay.
I have been catching up on my comments. I don’t like being behind, but my accounting for the writing group I belong to had to be done. I have about three or four more blogs to comment on, so if you have yet to see a comment from me, you will. I have been taking each person and commenting on their outstanding blog posts before I move on to comment on another writer’s blog.
After my zoom board meeting, I will do my best to finish the others.
So far, I have enjoyed reading all of the posts. Whenever I go to a new blog, I am reminded of how different we are.
Thanks to all of you who have visited my blog posts so far. I appreciate it greatly.
In closing, my Knitting Group at the Post Office was joyful. My ladies were very comical yesterday. I’ve not laughed so hard in a long time.
My list for this week is below.
Have a lovely Thursday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 17, JANUARY 18, 2023
Good Afternoon,
I finished my yearly treasury reports for 2022 and am relieved and happy today. Our board meeting is tomorrow via Zoom. I usually have them complete and sent out by the first week of the month, but adjusting to the Challenge has caused me to slow down and readjust to the pressure, and some of my typical responsibilities are behind.
I’m not a person who has nothing to do. I have already made people I want to work with this year aware of my new plans for 2023. I take my time and succeed most of the time.
For example, in this year’s second half, I plan to go back on stage and do five or seven concerts with my band. For a woman like me, five or seven gigs are a lot.
We will start rehearsals sometime in June and then take the autumn months to be on the road on the weekends. I look forward to it. When I sing, I connect with my audience; these are the times that I am pleased that I am fluent in German.
My audiences are a mix of all cultures, and because they live here, they speak German. If I want to connect with them, I must communicate in their language. That’s one of the things I learned from the German Professor who was so strict with me. I have seen too many Americans fail to connect in Europe because they refused to learn the language of the country where they live.
I am blessed to be able to travel to Italy, France, and the french speaking parts of Belgium and communicate, even though my French and Italian could be better.
I will take a break in a few minutes and will close now.
I have an hour of knitting today with my little old ladies. One of them has already texted me on WhatsApp and asked if I would come. I quickly arranged my calendar for today, so I could be with them for an hour. I so look forward to being there.
The open items from my list for this week to include new items are below.
Have a lovely Wednesday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 16, JANUARY 17, 2023, Housecleaning and Writing
As a writer, I measure my writing time like sand flowing through an hourglass. The phrase, like sand flowing through an hourglass, comes from the soap opera Days Of Our Lives, which premiered on television on November 8, 1965. I watched that show religiously until…, but that’s another story.
Let’s get back to housecleaning. I used to feel guilty because my house was not spic and span, with everything in order and windows so clean that you could see into your neighbor’s living room.
Then, a few years ago, I took an intensive writing class similar to this Challenge. The instructor came into our online course the day before it started and left a suggestion report that she said was essential that we read before we got started. In that three-page report, she advised us that if we were planning on sticking with her class until the ending date, we would have to decide if we would be actual writers or live in a spic and span house and not give all our attention to writing. She went on and then told us how she managed housecleaning and writing. Her central premise was that you’re not superwoman, and you’re not supposed to be that, so figure out your budget and find someone you trust to help you keep your house clean once a week or once every two weeks. It’s up to you.
I would have never thought about hiring someone to keep my house clean because my pride demanded that I do everything. I quickly realized that I had a problem with pride, which stemmed from my overrated view of myself. Once I dealt with that hideous woman hiding behind the superwoman cloak and got help, guilt concerning my house became a thing of the past.
Since then, I’ve had someone who comes in twice a month and cleans. The only exception was during COVID. I’m now looking at an agency that can fulfill my need for help twice a month since the trustworthy lady I had, stopped working. If that agency meets my conditions, I’ll be smiling.
My list to complete this week:
Have a lovely Tuesday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 15, JANUARY 16, 2023
I let myself slip slowly into Mondays. I didn’t think I could do that by participating in this Challenge. This morning, I discovered that I’m adjusting. Falling into the week by starting slow on Mondays is still there for me and I’m smiling.
I prefer to avoid being hectic or rushing, especially on Mondays. So, I’ve meditated, had breakfast, read the preface and first chapter of a new book, and taken a forty minutes nap before I came to my office. I admit that I avoid people who start their week with hectic and a million demands they must do immediately.
I’ve learned that avoiding such people prevents me from having headaches and stomach ulcers. Was I always this way? Definitely not! It took searching within myself as I read books that gave me the strength to change. That’s why I like good non-fiction books. They cause you to do a soul check on yourself.
My list for this week will grow. There are items that I still need to add. So, I’m starting with what I have.
Have a lovely Monday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 14, JANUARY 15, 2023
Today is January 15, the Year 2023, Time 17:55.
My day has been full of joy. I like my Sabbath Sunday because it gives me time to retrospect on who I am becoming. That has nothing to do with vanity but a desire to be authentic with me. If I refuse to face my vulnerabilities, I become a falsity and would tumble at first sight of a storm. Like the man who built his house on sand, when the rain came, his house collapsed, so is it by anyone who refuses to face their true selves.
Thus, I started my Sunday off with my church family, and afterward, I had coffee in our cafe and sat and listened to the people around me. I also made it a point to greet new people attending our church for the first time.
Today was special. One of my besties had a birthday last week, and I took her out to dinner after we left the church. We are both extremely busy women. She is a city councilwoman/tax consultant, and I am a writer. To say that we enjoyed our time together is an understatement. We took the time to be authentic with each other. Here are two pictures of us at the restaurant The East.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 13, JANUARY 14, 2023
I wouldn’t say I like cold weather. Neither does the liquid sunshine that regularly falls here in my part of the country please me, and let me not wake up in the winter and see beautiful dandruff covering my windows.
Dandruff, the snowflakes relaxing on window, vex me, especially. That was until I learned how to Alpine Ski in Austria. If someone had told me that I would have fallen in love with the sport after the first week of a ski trip, I would have said, “you’re crazy.”
I looked to see if I still had my photo with me in my yellow ski suit. Unfortunately, I don’t. My office flooded twice in one year a few years ago, and some of my pictures did not outlive the flood.
I stopped skiing after my husband, and some of our friends went skiing on a very high mountain, and Hans, my husband, returned with six broken ribs. They had wanted me to come with them and give the mountain a try. But I said no because I knew my skills were not advanced enough to go down those slopes. Like I said before in one of my posts, I’ve learned to choose my battles regardless of what kind of battles they may be.
People get insulted and speak words that will hurt you when you do that, but I stick to what I’ve said. Thus, I’m thankful I always have takeaways from my past mistakes.
After his accident, Hans didn’t want to ski anymore. I found that out the following year when planning our ski trip.
Still, I’m not too fond of snow, but I have a heart for those in Europe who look forward to skiing.
It has been a long morning for me. After my routine, I have already completed two new items I have put on my list.
Therefore, my list for today is as follows:
Have a lovely Saturday.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Day 12, January 13, 2023
Let’s go back and examine a pivotal point in my life.
After being academically expelled from my university, I discovered that my area’s African American community had counted on me to make a difference for their boys and girls. In other words, they were pointing at me, encouraging them to do what I was supposed to be doing.
My mom and dad were greatly disappointed, and I sank into a deep hole of desolation. I found out that skipping classes to play cards and not concentrating on what I knew I could do, brought unnecessary pain to others and myself. I got a job working for Gracewood State School and Hospital for the mentally ill. There, I slowly found my way back to God by doing things God’s way and not my own.
A year later, I was back at the university. In the very first quarter, after returning, I started making the Dean’s List, which is a recognition of those students who maintain an A average throughout the quarter. You might wonder what happened.
I discovered the speeches of the former coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vincent Lombardi, a Christian that lived what he preached on the field with his team and off the field with his family.
One of his quotes kicked me hard in my gut, and I changed it so that it would fit me, and I practically learned it by memory. Here is his quote that I altered to fit myself.
In order to succeed, I will need a singleness of purpose, a dedication, and I will have to convince all of the people I encounter that can help me along the way of my willingness to sacrifice.
With that quote buried in my heart, I was always on Dean’s list during my last two years of college. And I have lived to see some kids who know me make a difference in their lives.
I am still working on my list. The two most significant projects I plan to complete between today and Monday.
My Continuing List consists of the following:
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 11, JANUARY 12, 2023
My morning started with bangs! I woke up to rain. While dressing, I heard the waste disposal workers picking up the yellow bags we use to dispose of our plastic trash. They come once every two weeks and usually come around eight a.m. The fact that they arrived early had a consequence for me. I packed my bag the evening before but decided to wash my dishes before taking my yellow bag out to the sidewalk to be picked up. I decided to do it when I went downstairs in the early morning. Well, surprise! the workers came early, and now I have to store my plastic trash bag away and wait for the next pick-up in two weeks.
It was still very dark when I went downstairs, but I could see a tiny bit of light breaking through clouds. One of my high points is watching the daylight peek into full daybreak. I can feel the earth turning.
An hour later, I reached into my fridge for the butter that sat on one of my favorite glass dishes I keep in the refrigerator to use whenever I need to store something. Pang!!! It went as it fell to the floor. Broken glass and splitters everywhere. I said thank you that it didn’t fall on my feet, and I got my broom to sweep up the chaos.
I got my coffee, ate breakfast, and read three chapters of an audiobook I am reading. I read non-fiction when I have breakfast. It is incredible to me how writers of non-fiction catch my mind and bring me into their world. Like being in a classroom, I absorb what they are saying and learn much.
Now I’m sitting at my Mac, and I’m chuckling. I look forward to the rest of my day. Do you remember me mentioning that my hairdresser was ill and had to postpone my appointment? It was on my to-do list from the first week of the Challenge. Yesterday, I got a WhatsApp message that I could come today. So, where will I be in the afternoon? I will be spoiling myself, YEAH!
Congratulations to all of you participating in the Challenge, A DAY IN MY LIFE! We made the ten-day mark yesterday. HURRAH!!! I’m cheering for us all to make it to the finish line. Here’s my certificate. I know you received yours.
I’m going to follow Ms. Nonnie’s leading, the woman responsible for this Challenge, and close with one of my favorite quotes on my whiteboard, right next to my desk, by one of my mentors, Vincent Lombardi, who passed away some years ago.
THE DESIRE FOR THE REWARD OVERWHELMS THE HUMAN INSTINCT TO QUIT AND COMPROMISE, TO TAKE THE SAFE ROUTE.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 10, JANUARY 11, 2023,
It was raining when I woke up this morning. The clouds were in a cluster formation but were darker than they usually are.
After going through my morning routine, I came downstairs to make coffee.
Today is my knitting day. Yes, I have been learning how to knit for four years, and I do mean learning. I discovered a knitting group in the post office right in my village that consists of little old ladies that knit like professionals. I asked if a beginner who knew nothing about knitting could join them and learn, and they welcomed me. Since then, it has taken me over four years to learn how to knit beanies and two scarves. I also started on a pair of socks four years ago, but socks are way over my head. You knit socks with four needles, and I have my problems with two needles. So one-fourth of a knitted sock is still in my knitting basket.
What I like about these women is that they know I am a writer, and sometimes I can’t attend because of things that come up; yet, I’m a welcome part of the group and feel at home.
None of them speak English, so I had to learn how to knit in German. Sure, I make mistakes, but I have learned to take the stitches out and start back over. The ladies I knit with insist that I know how to knit correctly.
I had planned to start on a sweater this month. I have the material already, and you can believe me when I say the ladies’ eyes are sparkling because they look forward to passing on what they know to me. Unfortunately, I had to postpone it this morning until February.
They’re a highly talented group of ladies who knit, crochet, and make all kinds of puppets and curiosities that you have to buy in stores for a lot of money.
I have completed some items on my list, and removed them, and included my knitting group.
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 9, JANUARY 10,2023,
I do my best not to get involved in other peoples’ affairs. If I do, I find myself going down a dark rabbit hole that is mostly not good. That doesn’t mean that I close my eyes to the world, but I choose very carefully the battles I want to fight, even though I may feel justified to say something, especially when someone treats me unjustly. I have learned and am still learning how to talk it out with the Silent Guide that walks beside me.
Thus, by not saying anything, I have saved myself lots of energy that I can invest into people that give me much joy. I confess this was a hard lesson to learn.
Yesterday, I listed the things I want to accomplish this week. My list is ongoing. It isn’t written in stone because new things come up each day when I wake up and open myself to the still inner voice within me, like two of my besties’ birthdays and a lovely Sanddorn tea and a Holunder tea that I picked up before going to my office. Drinking a hot cup of one of those teas makes my day when I take a break. So my list has grown.
This week, I will do the following:
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
DAY 8, JANUARY 9, 2023
I woke up this morning to baby birds chirping outside my skylight window, and I sat on the side of my bed and listened to them. Smiling, I thanked God for the ability to hear such sounds early in the morning.
The first week of the year has never ended. Although, in my mind, I know it has. I’m missing my Sunday off.
My week is full, and I have already started making decisions that will determine my outcome at the end of the week. I learned this when I read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First by Stephen Covey, an author who wrote many planning books. I have read both books several times, and based on what I have read, I developed the organization of my life according to what I consider essential.
So I will look in my journal, assess what I didn’t do, and make a note, not about a new time to do it but a note about why I didn’t do it. That’s important for me. It could be that it was not the right time to do it or to say something because it would have come across as heartless. I make mistakes when I react to situations too quickly. I am not infallible. I thank God that I am not perfect or even semi-perfect. I am VULNERABLE because I want to relate to people and not be found self-righteous.
This week, I will do the following:
I wish all of you a good start in the week.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 7, JANUARY 8, 2023
Today is the Sabbath. However, I have learned from the Spirit that lives within me that I am the Lord of the Sabbath.
That the Sabbath doesn’t keep me from keeping my word or prohibit me from doing good is something I processed some time ago. But processes won at one point in life come back to be modified and strengthened at another level.
Thus, I am sitting at my computer typing out an article. The fact that I’d rather be in my home instead of downstairs in my office was quite evident by how I entered it. It was a struggle, a challenge to a rule I had established that had to be re-examined.
I searched for rigidity. Sure, I have routines that are precious to me, but (and here is the crux of the matter) I don’t want these routines to rule me. I am the Lord over them and not them over me.
My list for today is short:
Have a lovely Sunday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 6, JANUARY 7, 2023
It is 1:17 in the afternoon, and I’m satisfied with my morning. Groceries are in the house, water too, wood is in the wood carrier, and I even managed to get by the two pharmacies and pick up my vitamins.
This year I’m on a new level and must reestablish my routine. Some things and people may have to go. Not because I don’t like them but because I’ve taken a turn in the bend, and we are no longer walking on the same path.
Everything must change; nothing remains the same. That’s a song by Nina Simone, and it is one of my favorites.
When I finished my three-year contract with the United States Army, I took a European out and decided to stay in Europe, specifically Germany. I realized I learned only about the PX and the commissaries in the different locations in Germany where the Americans lived. I wanted to know more, so I decided to get a job here. I had a Bachelor’s degree with a major and a double minor and was completing my Master’s degree and thought I could get a job with the Americans. But that was not so. My status had changed; according to NATO (North American Treaty Organization), I was a tourist traveling in the country. After four months of hearing, “Yes, we would love to hire you, but…” I knew I had to decide: either learn German and get a job in the German economy or go back to America. I made the decision and decided to stay, and that is when doors started opening. German is a complex language, but I learned it thoroughly because of a German Professor that hung over my shoulders.
I used to think the man hated me. I had all kinds of excuses for him treating me as he did; the first one was that I was Black. We had to read two weekly newspapers, in German, of course. And each week, he would single me first. He always spoke to the class in German, and we had to answer him in German. He was also an ex-soldier in the German army, and I hated that man. I had five German courses, and he was my instructor in each class. It was him against me and me against him. I tried to drop out of my fifth German course because I saw him sitting at the instructor’s desk when I walked into the class on the first evening.
I told myself, “I’m not going through this a fifth time.” I waited until our evening class ended and told him I would be dropping his course. He said, “No, you’re not. I won’t approve it.” I remember shaking my head as I asked him why. He looked at me as if he were looking through me and told me, “Pat, you are a black American woman living in a country that will be hostile toward you. I have seen this happen to other females from other countries, and they are lost. That’s why they don’t go anywhere alone. They move around in groups. I am hard on you because I want to see you go anywhere you want to go and read everything, whether it’s government policies or whatever, so that you comprehend the system and move forward. I have nothing against you being a black woman. I’m proud to be able to help you. I want you to excel; to excel means comprehending the language of the country where you live.”
This man, whom I hated, I learned to love because of his strictness. He took me under his arms, and I learned to write, speak, and read German fluently, and I am thankful.
The rest of my day:
Have a lovely Saturday.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 5, JANUARY 6, 2023
Good Morning,
I ended my day well yesterday. I’m always happy when I can break a mold of rigidity that has secretly formed in my life and is unknowingly keeping me from who I am. Vulnerability is a trait I desire. It is not something you acquire only once because it consists of different processes. Once you open yourself to vulnerability, you have committed to change whenever you feel stagnation in your routine.
I smiled as I looked at my list of things to do this morning. I have two more important things to do, and I put them at the top of my list.
Happy Friday, everyone. Have a good one.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Day 4, January 5, 2023,
Good Morning,
One or two people (possibly more) have asked me questions. I noticed them on my blog but have yet to respond, but I will. I started the week running down the soccer field like a soccer player. It has been a long hard week because the first Wednesday of every month is my blogging cycle for my support group. We have about 140 bloggers that participate, and each member posts a blog article about how they’re doing in the writing world, and we encourage and help where we can. I have been in this group for over ten years. I started at number 179 or 180 on the list. Yesterday, I found out I’d moved up to number 49. The rules are simple. You have to post. If you miss two months of publishing an article, you’re deleted from the group, and the writers move up a step. I have only missed one month of posting in the group, and that was when my husband died. The group leader and the group itself overwhelmed me with love.
Thus, I am juggling a ball between the Challenge and maintaining my commitment to my support group. They depend on me to be there.
I awoke this morning, lay a few minutes longer enjoying my warm bed, and daydreamed. I love my bed. When I crawl between the downy feathered comforter, it doesn’t take me long to fall asleep.
While lying, my list floated across my mind, and I remembered that my grocery shopping and bakery still needed to be done, and I had only one egg in the house. That’s typical of me. If I am working, I don’t usually stop to go grocery shopping. Eating is the last thing on my mind. So it is common for me to have nothing in the house to eat. I cook enough three times a week to eat leftovers the next day after each day of cooking. On Sundays, my best friend and I usually go out to eat. So, I got up, washed up, went to REWE, and bought enough food for breakfast until I cross those two items off my list Saturday.
I’m going to end the article now. I need the time for other things. I visited about 12 or 15 support blogs yesterday, but I usually visit at least 25 blogs, and these people are expecting me.
And I want to visit the blogs of the writers from yesterday who participated in the Challenge.
My list of things to do today includes the following:
Have a lovely day,
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
DAY 3, JANUARY 4, 2023
My life flows like a river; that, I believe. I had the privilege of reading a book by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi entitled Flow when I attended university. This book has influenced my life ever since. He talks about discovering your flow and how time flies when you move in flow. I began using myself as a trial specimen to determine if his observations were accurate. I am happy to say that they are. I watch the river within me every day, searching for my flow.
I don’t make a year’s plan because I don’t follow them. A month’s plan takes me out of my flow, and believe me when I say there are a lot of events, people, groups, and things that try to distract me. I usually write down a series of things I plan to do during the week, where I can add stuff as I will and put a line through things I have accomplished.
What does this have to do with today?
Well, I had an appointment today with the hairdresser. My hair has been screaming that it needed a hair treatment. My hairdresser is a German woman whom I met four years ago. She was going through a difficult time when I met her. We were in a group in the church study we attended. I felt her desperation and couldn’t ignore it, so I reached out to her. A year later, I chose her to be my hairdresser because I want her to discover the same peace I have and how to protect it by being true to herself.
This morning, after I entered my office, I received a text that she had to postpone the appointment because she had the flu and didn’t want to pass it on to me. I wrote back immediately, letting her know it was no problem. I didn’t mention my hair, but I wrote a prayer for her in the text message and wrote that she should drink thyme tea and peppermint tea and eat tomato soup or chicken noodle soup.
Afterward, I didn’t regret not being able to go to her. Not because she was sick but because I saw clearly that my schedule had been arranged differently than what I had planned, and as I started moving in the way that had opened, I began moving in my flow, and time began to fly.
So today, one of the two groups I have been with for ten years or more has our blogging day. I enjoy this group because they are so different from me, and almost ninety-five percent of the participants are not Romance Novelists. I learned so much by visiting their blogs and leaving comments.
I plan to visit the blogs for the Challenge, leave comments wherever I can, and send out tweets too.
Answer my emails and text messages,
Check on my last story with my editor at 4Wills,
Get in touch with my developmental editor, and
Pick up some fruits.
Until tomorrow, take care.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Day 2, January 3, 2023
This morning, I awoke. Around 6:30 a.m. I looked at the sky and noticed it was getting brighter. It was no longer the same dark tone hanging over my village, and I said thank you. The days are getting longer second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour.
As it was getting closer to me moving more into my day, my telephone rang at 11:00. I hadn’t reached my cut-off time of 11:30 a.m. so I didn’t answer my phone. I suspected twenty minutes after my phone had rung that it was someone who knew my habits and knew that I would return her call.
I did. This person lost her best friend two weeks before Christmas and needed to talk. Over a year, she has lost her two besties. The first died in 2021; now, her second best friend has left her. I listened. It’s hard to cut someone off when they need something I can give. Even though I am protective of my time, I willingly give it when someone needs help.
This morning has been stressful. Since I have been in my office, I have lost my internet connection four times on my computer and three times upstairs while listening to my ebook during breakfast. In other words, interference is taking place. Most of the time, we get a note written on our screen that the internet connections are unstable. That our Communication Networks have not been stable since May of 2021 bothers me. It used to upset me so much more until I learned how to flow with it.
I’m learning to be more appreciative of all those computer and internet specialists that are walking on this earth.
By the way, the sun is shining here, and I mean brightly shining. It is soooo good to see the sun. We have had some freezing days in Germany. If someone had told me that I would learn to shower and get dressed in a cold bathroom, I would have said no way. But I’ve learned, and it has made me wiser about myself.
I have a lot to do today.
a. Prepare for two writing classes I am taking,
b. Begin a new short story that will complete one I have already written but have yet to be published,
c. Finish up my novel,
d. Answer emails and text messages,
e. Go to the bakery and
f. Write in my diary.
It will probably be 11 p.m. when I have finished, and then I will be ready to crawl into my bed and sleep. So, until tomorrow, I say thank you and good morning or good night in whatever part of the world you’re in.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
A DAY IN MY LIFE…
SNIPPETS OF ME By Pat Garcia,
2023 #RRBC 30-Day blogging Challenge
JANUARY 2, 2023
I don’t usually blog about my life. It’s too personal, so I’ve added a subtitle, Snippets of Me, to give you some idea of who I am. As I said on the first page of this website, I’m still discovering myself, and therefore find it presumptuous to talk about who I am when I am unsure.
My day usually starts at 5:30 in the morning. Normally, I’m awake at 5 a.m. and sometimes earlier when I receive parts of a story and start writing at 1 or 2 a.m.
However, sometimes I struggle with unexpected circumstances like crises in the world, and my mind gets bogged. Like a roadblock, these situations hinder me. I start getting up later and have to fight my way back to my routine.
I write and read every single day except Sundays. I have belonged to two organizations since 2012 and 2014, respectively, and I blog with one group once a month and with the other once every two months. That’s enough blogging for me.
For me, it is crucial to start my day off in quietness. I don’t run to WhatsApp, Messenger, or my emails. I answer my phone at 11:30 a.m. Out of respect, I look at my WordPress app to see if a visitor has left a comment on one of my blogs and approve it. But I draw the line after doing that.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
JANIE B WINS FIRST EVER MICRO READ CONTEST HELD BY RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB
Hello, Everyone,
This has been a tough year for me. Writers are often affected by what is going on around them. As a writer and an Expatriate living in Europe, the war in Ukraine affected me greatly. Then, the floods came in Ahrtal, and I was devastated by what happened to many Germans. It was heartbreaking.
Along with COVID, which had become a household word since 2020, I watched crisis after crisis, sometimes lamed my ability to get words on paper. Yet the creative spirit within me wanted to write, and I kept writing, regardless of the hour. So, I thank you for buying my books and reading what I write. Some of you have left reviews on Amazon and, since November 10th, on other online bookstores where JANIE B is profiled. Your support is much appreciated. Most of all, I praise God, who shows his faithfulness to me as a person He has called to be a writer/author. Without His Spirit, the things that have been accomplished in 2022 would not have happened
So, take care, and I wish all of you a safe crossover into 2023. I personally hope to see you there.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Author, Kathryn C. Treat was the very first MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR of RRBC, serving from December 2013, until September 2014. Kathryn valued good/great…
Congratulations to the #RRBC 2022 KCT International Literary Award Winners! @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @Tweets4RWISA #RWISA @NonnieJules
Still, looking for an engaging book for a friend or family member? Please drop into the 2022 RRBC BOOKS &BUDZ HOLIDAY POP-UP BOOKSHOP and check out some of the books for their authors.
Check out FIGS, VINES, and ROSES by Joy M. Lilley, or start reading the Carl Prescott series by Karl J. Morgan.
Or you would like a meaningful story that will teach young people to be careful with the people they trust. In that case, check out Yvette Calleiro and her book, Hype.
What about a book that lifts you or gives you a swift kick to keep going? Check out UNTITLED BY NONNIE JULES.
I hear someone saying they would like to read a good Memoir. Then you’re in the right place, Shirley Harris Slaughter’s new release JOYCE WINIFRED HARRIS BURKES: HOW I REMEMBER MY MAMA or Marian Beamen’s MENNONITE DAUGHTER.
And there are more, Lisa Kirazian, Maura Beth Brennen, Karen Black, John Podlaski, Linnea Tanner, Wanda Fisher, Bette A Stevens, Susanne Leist, Phil Stephens, Patty Perrin, Harriet Hodgson, Gregory Doering, Pamela Schloesser Canepa, and Pat Garcia.
There is a book at this excellent Holiday Pop-UP Bookshop for everyone, and the only thing you have to do is pull up your internet and drop in at 5th ANNUAL HOLIDAY POP-UP.
When you buy a book, remember to mention that you found out about this beautiful Holiday Pop-Up Bookshop on Pat Garcia’s blog posting. Even I might win a prize.
Have a great day, everyone!
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
GIVEAWAYS: (3) $10 Amazon gift cardsPlease leave Linda a comment below or anywhere along the tour, for your chance to win one of her awesome giveaways!
BOOK BLURB
What would you do if you were the daughter of a cult hero who boasted a past life full of exciting, colorful exploits?
Suppose the thing that made your mother a cult hero was also inside you.
Now, imagine spending your whole life trying to hide it—until you shared the heart stopping death of someone close to you.
Supposed that death brought you face to face with the gift of the neon houses.
New Chicago and its neighboring town, The Southland, are vastly different worlds in circa 2087, but Dr. Noel Kennedy is an expert at navigating both worlds. As the Deputy Chief of Schools in The Southland, Noel has perfected being a solid, middle-class citizen. Not even her husband, Fredrick Kennedy, truly understands what she is.
When Zarah Fisher, Noel’s young protégé, is murdered on a deserted street in The Southland, Noel knows the exact moment Zarah takes her last breath. Though miles away, Noel feels the girl’s terror, and hears her anguished screams inside her own head because of an inheritance that has left her with extraordinary gifts.
Can Noel find justice for Zarah without risking it all? Murder, mayhem, and suspense abound in this action-packed page-turner. More than a mystery, The Neon Houses thrills the reader with scenes of a futuristic 2087. Autoplanes, body planes, and flying buses are the norm. Robots and androids cook, clean, and serve the affluent, while dystopia lurks just around the corner.
How My Bad Guy Stole the Show
Beta-readers wanted more of my bad guy. These crazy people even suggested that my heroine fall for him in a sick triangle where he’d take her away from her husband. I had to explain romance formula rules. The heroine always, always remains faithful.
I couldn’t have him be more popular than my heroine’s beloved. So, I purposely made the bad guy unattractive. I gave him a large forehead that protruded well over his cosmetically changed, blue eyes—eyes that appeared almost neon against his dark skin color. Even his muscled physique was medically enhanced by body sculpting and not actually working out. Despite that, they loved him.
How did I make him so popular
Before the readers even met him, I had other characters talk about him, setting the stage with ominous anticipation of what he’d be. Characters described him as obnoxious, but not forthright. They neither sympathized nor admired him. He was a heartless, manipulative guy who always acted in his best interest.
I gave him conflicting character traits. He wasn’t honest, but he wasn’t dishonest. He wasn’t murderous, yet he’d kill when he had to or was provoked. He had reasons for who he was, which I buried in a scene that allowed the readers to glimpse his troubled childhood and reveal that childhood to the heroine.
I Had to Become a Bad Guy
Though I patterned my bad guy after actual criminals I’d read about or seen on television, that wasn’t enough. I really got inside his head. I wrote as if I had not been raised by decent parents who’d taught me better.
I asked myself, if I were a criminal, how would I do it? I let my mind go there and the process was interesting. It helped me create a bad guy who was multi-faceted, and I put him right out front because I understood what drove him.
When creating your own bad guy, make sure:
Excerpt: It was too late for Noel to do anything except fight, and the two men coming toward her were about to get stunned to hell. She knew from practice to wait until she saw the whites of their eyes, but as they approached, she recognized one of them. It was Warren Simpson, and he was smiling.
“Hey, Boss Lady,” he shouted and waved. “I just saved your tail. Now I need you to return the favor.”
Things were getting weird. Noel wanted to aim her stunner at Warren Simpson, but her cousin Charlize was in her head saying, It’s okay, Auntie Joy. He’s safe.
Okay, Charlize, she thought, use your new superpowers, because I’m a little worried.
Noel wasn’t getting out of her car, and she was also keeping her stunner right where it was—inside her pocket, with her finger on the trigger.
“You gonna make me stand out here in this stiff wind?” Warren asked.
He walked around to the passenger side and motioned for Noel to unlock the door. “You’re not scared I’m gonna hurt you, are you?” Warren said as he climbed in beside her.
“I’ve lived a pretty full life,” she said.
Warren laughed. “That’s why I like you, Boss Lady.”
Despite her fear, Noel rolled her eyes at him.
“Noel, Noel, Noel,” Warren said with a shake of his head. “We”—he pointed between the two of them—“are in some serious trouble.”
“What do you mean we?” Noel asked.
“Somebody wants to pin Earl Gibbs’s murder on me, and you put yourself in it when you brought him to my home.”
She could see why he thought she had a part in this, but he did too. “For all I know, you sent your nephew to me. Maybe you had him provoke Earl into declaring his candidacy too soon so you could find out his intentions and kill him,” she said.
They sat in silence for a minute.
Finally, he asked, “Why are you riding around like this is well-to-do Sheridan Road? Gang Territory is dangerous after hours. This isn’t your Reading Night at the Park with all your New Chicago cops to protect you.”
“My kids know me,” she said.
“In the daytime, but not at night. Go home, Noel. You don’t belong here. I’ll leave my guys on you until you’re safe. If anybody trails you tomorrow, I’ll take care of ’em and you won’t even know it.” He flashed a row of gleaming, square white teeth and rolled his genetically modified blue eyes. “Now relax and take your hand off your stunner.”
Noel smiled because she couldn’t think of anything to say.
Simpson chuckled as he opened the car door and climbed from her transpo. His coat flapped in the wind as he saluted her and sauntered away.
AUTHOR BIO
Linda Mims is a writer, a dreamer, and an educator, who hails from a quiet village just south of Chicago. Her stories are mainly about urban characters who are engaged in mystery and mysticism. Her hope is that while entertaining and informing, she’s also sending the message that humans aren’t that different and all each of us want is a better world.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the AUTHOR’S TOUR PAGE on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
Good Morning, Everyone,
I have taken the WEP Blog Post from their blog that announced my winning the August WEP and posted it here on my blog because I desire to spread the word about this excellent platform for unpublished or published authors.
Below is not only my winner’s post but also the announcement for the upcoming October Challenge.
I sincerely hope I will see you there.
#WEP August 2022 Challenge Moonlight Sonata #Winner Pat Garcia writes her #guestpost – Writing With WEP.
Hi everyone, Denise here!
Pat Garcia won our August Challenge Moonlight Sonata with her stunning #flashfiction, Power of Touch. Those of you who read this amazing story will agree that it was unbeatable.
Our judge Nick Wilford said, Nick said – “Achingly romantic and a testament to the healing power of music. As important to the soul as to the ears.”
Here is an excerpt from the ending:
Abruptly, she slowed the tempo, intentionally allowing herself to hold specific notes sustained, and closed her eyes to enjoy the timbre herself, and she felt Gianluca’s fingers walk across her waistline in beat with the piece as if he were playing the piano himself. She was happy he heard what she heard, albeit with his soul. Thankful that she’d taught him to treasure the power of hearing, not by listening but by perceiving it through touch, she smiled.
~~***~~
WRITING with the WEP
Writing with the WEP is one of my classic writing tools for strengthening my voice, helping me to profile my characters and define my settings. When I started writing with the WEP, I was a passable writer and far from being an author. Although my voice was feeble, I had vision, emotions, and voice. I read craft books, but craft books neglect to tell you that writing is a process, and you won’t get it overnight. Writing is a journey.
It took me walking into a multi-colored diverse world of writers who are excellent at what they write to discover that, and the WEP has become one of the most essential tools I need to grow in my writing. This is one of the reasons I do my best to get around to every story submitted. I learn from the excellence of the author’s Flash. They have already achieved something that I benefit from, whether it is a strong voice, magnificent settings, or outstanding characters. I study how they give their characters life, sink into their locations, and let their stories move me from a surface reading to an in-depth reading of their Flash. When I look back at some of the flashes I submitted in the beginning, I say, O ye… Pat, you have come a long way from your first Flash.
The WEP is competitive. The competition is stiff. However, if you never put yourself out there and compare yourself with some of the best authors/writers around the globe, you will never hone the techniques you have read in the craft books you have, and you’ll never become intimate with the depth of the voice that makes you stand out.
I believe I am one of a tiny minority of Romance writers who participate in the WEP. I don’t know. But what I do know is that my participation in this event has helped me develop characters and settings and strengthen my voice on my writer’s journey, and for that, I am thankful to be a part of this group.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Thank you, Pat Garcia. We are thankful to have you, too.
And a shout-out for Pat. You can buy Pat’s delightful award-winning short story, Turn the Light On HERE.
THE BLURB:
Meet Della Cartwright. A superstar at what she does professionally, but when the tall, mysterious, Italian stranger, Alessio Terracina, enters her world, she begins to question her judgment and everything about her.
A writer, singer, and musician, Pat Garcia, lives as an Expatriate on the European Continent. She is a voracious reader of literature from all genres and loves knitting, playing chess, playing her piano, and watching Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes films.
A multicultural writer, she writes stories that encapsulate Romance with a mainstream touch, a sense of suspense, and fantasy.
~~***~~
Thank you so much, Pat, for your heartfelt post, and congratulations once again for your winning flash!
Please tweet this post or share it to Facebook or your favorite social media site.
#WEPWINNER #Moonlight Sonata #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/09/wep-august-2022-challenge-moonlight.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #writingchallenge
#WEP Moonlight Sonata #WEPwinner #guestpost https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com/2022/09/wep-august-2022-challenge-moonlight.html @DeniseCCovey, @YolandaRenee, @LGKeltner, @OlgaGodim @jemifraser #amwriting #writingchallenge
~~***~~
Our next challenge will be here before we know it! We hope many of you will consider joining us for our OCTOBER Halloween Challenge: Thriller.
We remind you: This is the Fear fest Challenge in which we ramp up the spook factor, welcoming your creepiest compositions, your most haunting and haunted tales running the gamut of paranormal, speculative, crime, and horror genres. However, as always, there are no rigid rules. Feel free to write to any genre if those mentioned are not your thing.
And, STOP PRESS! In October, there will be Amazon Gift Cards for the winners.
Here is an early TWEET! Help us promote Creepy October!
Write…Edit…Publish — Online Writing Community: #WEP #October2022 #Thriller challenge. #Prizes for #three #winners. Get your creepy on! #1,000words or less! #flashfiction, #nonfiction #poetry #poetrycommunity Get #feedback from professionals and peers.(Include Thriller badge!)
Grab yourself a prize! See you in October!
Denise for …
Have a lovely weekend and be safe.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Today let me introduce you to an intriguing new release, KISS OF THE ASSASSIN, by author Joylene Nowell Butler.
KISS OF THE ASSASSIN
by Joylene Nowell Butler
◊ Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (March 23, 2022)
◊ Paperback: 424 pages
◊ ASIN: B09P7T1ZRS
◊Language: English
* File size: 1138 KB
* Text-to-Speech: Enabled
* Screen Reader: Supported
Marina Antonovna, a Soviet spy, and Mateo Arcusa, an American homicide lieutenant first meet in Cambodia during the Vietnam War as enemies. Fearful that the most powerful man in the Soviet Union, KGB Chairman Vladimir Kurenkov, has ordered her death, Marina risks everything to defect to the United States.
She promises Mateo that her days as an assassin are over. Vladimir is determined to do whatever it takes to bring her back and, by threatening Mateo’s life, forces Marina to break her promise.
Meet the Author: Joylene Nowell Butler
Joylene Butler lives with her husband in the tiny village of Cluculz Lake in central B.C… She is the author of three suspense novels and a contributor to one anthology.
For more on Joylene and her writing, visit her website and blog, as well as connect with her on Goodreads, Facebook,Twitter, and Amazon.
Joylene Nowell Butler on tour
Have a lovely day.
Shalom aleichem
Figs, Vines & Roses By Joy M Lilley
Hello Everyone,
Joy M Lilley is a faithful member of RRBC. She is also an engaging writer who doesn’t mind sharing what is on her heart. It is a pleasure to have her on my blog today.
Drop in and say hello.
Shalom aleichem
Chapter 4 Snippet:
Rose was a married woman who had given birth to eight children, of whom only six had survived; the other two had died soon after they were born. She tried to wear the trousers in the family, which was unusual, as the men were the ones to be obeyed. Hard as she tried, she was not successful in that endeavour, even though her husband stayed out of her way most of the time.
Rose would not be bullied. One day at work, a man came along to give her a hand, and made the mistake of insulting her size. ‘You’re built more like a man than a woman and that is the only reason you got this job in the first place,’ he taunted. She rose to her full height of five feet seven inches and knocked him clean off his feet. As he fell, his head hit the ground and he ended up with a six-inch gash across the back of it.
News of what had happened travelled fast through the factory, and no man ever crossed her again. Most of them were afraid of her after the events of that day and treated her with much respect.When Ralph heard of the incident, he called her into his office, asking what had gotten into her.
JOY M. LILLEY
My pen name is Joy M. Lilley (aka Joy Gerken). I am a writer and have been writing seriously since 2011 with seven books published to date. My previous career was as a trained nurse [R.G.N.] which I loved but it offered little time for me to write until my retirement.
I joined Rave Reviews Book Club (RRBC) almost 6 years ago and have been amazed by the friendship and support offered by all.
FIGS, VINES & ROSES was the first novel produced by me. I paid a considerable sum to have it edited at the time. This proved not to be adequate for a number of reasons. Several folks in RRBC commented about the need for further editing, and when that number reached three people, I felt it necessary to do something about it.
It was recently re-edited by 4WillsPublishing. Nonnie kindly offered to help me with the extra work at zero cost. It’s been re-released on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. If you took a stab at the first version, I would appreciate it if you would reach out to Amazon for the updated version and give it another go.
I promote my work via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I also pay for promotion. I am ever grateful for the amazing support given by the members of RRBC. I enjoy audio recording short stories on my advanced home equipment, and I now offer voice-over work through Fiverr.
SOCIAL MEDIA & PURCHASE LINKS:
Twitter: @JoyGerken: https://twitter.com/joygerken
FIGS, VINES & ROSES on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Figs-Vines-Roses-Family-Saga-ebook/dp/B09SWR3D7Z
Hello Everyone,
I first met Jan Sikes when she was a member of the RRBC. To say that she is a fantastic writer is an understatement. What I like about her stories is the intrigue which she breaks down into tiny pieces and feeds to her readers, bit by bit, as if they were pieces of chocolate.
So, welcome, Jan. It is a pleasure to have you here.
Shalom aleichem
Thank you, Pat, for inviting me to your blog site today to talk about my new book, JAGGED FEATHERS! I appreciate your support.
I love playing word games. I have played Words With Friends on my phone since 2014. Creating words out of random letters is fun and exciting to me. But there is another type of word game that’s often used by therapists as a way of getting to know their patients better and by people who simply want to know more about each other while keeping it fun and light.
So in my book, I set a scene where Vann and Nakina played this kind of word game to pass the time but also to learn more about each other.
EXCERPT:
Vann sipped the coffee he’d brought with him from the restaurant, and Nakina stared out the window lost in her thoughts, all the what-ifs, and whys.
She glanced at Vann and wondered if he was doing the same.
“How much longer do you think it will be?”
“No way to know. Once the wreckers get here, they’ll clear the roadway pretty quick.”
“I’m anxious to get there.”
“That makes two of us.” He faced her. “When I was a kid and took road trips with my parents, we’d play games to pass the time. Wanna play?”
She grinned. “Sure. What game?”
“I say a word, and you say whatever comes in your mind first, without thinking. Then you do the same.”
“Okay.”
“Loyal.”
“Champion.”
He laughed. “Your turn.”
“Peace.”
“Nature.”
“Very good,” she said.
They continued tossing words back and forth, and before long a police officer motioned for them and the long line of cars behind them to move into one narrow open lane.
Nakina breathed a sigh of relief. Now maybe there wouldn’t be any more delays. But the word game had served to give her a more intimate look into the man behind Vann Noble.
The unknown lay ahead. But one thing she knew with certainty. Vann would face it with her. She was not alone. That thought brought a blanket of comfort. Somehow, everything had to turn out okay. It just had to.
***Now, it’s your turn. Do you like to play word games? Have you ever played any of the games with your friends such as Cards Against Humanity? They can certainly give you insight into a person’s head. Do you play Words with Friends? Find me. Let’s play!
BOOK TRAILER
BLURB:
Vann Noble did his duty. He served his country and returned a shell of a man, wounded inside and out. With a missing limb and battling PTSD, he seeks healing in an isolated cabin outside a small Texas town with a stray dog that sees beyond his master’s scars. If only the white rune’s magic can bring a happily ever after to a man as broken as Vann.
On the run from hired killers and struggling to make sense of her unexplained deadly mission, Nakina Bird seeks refuge in Vann’s cabin. She has secrets. Secrets that can get them all killed.
A ticking clock and long odds of living or dying, create jarring risks.
Will these two not only survive, but find an unexpected love along the way? Or, will evil forces win and destroy them both?
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
WEBSITE: http://www.jansikes.com
BLOG: http://www.jansikesblog.com
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/jansikes3
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/jks0851/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7095856.Jan_Sikes
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-sikes
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansikes/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.amazon.com/Jan-Sikes/e/B00CS9K8DK
Universal Purchase Link
The Grandma Force is an informal, global, multi-cultural network of grandmothers working singly and together to better the lives of grandchildren.Are you a member of The Grandma Force?
GIVEAWAY: (2) $5 Amazon gift cards
Author Bio:
Harriet Hodgson has been making books since she was eight years old. In her 43-year career as a freelancer, she has written 44 books and thousands of print/internet articles. Major publishers, such as Warner Books, John Wiley & Sons, and Hazelden, have published her work. Harriet loves writing so much she writes in her sleep.
Social Media Links:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US eBook https://amzn.to/2X1dr4c
Amazon US Paperback https://amzn.to/2JPDIDm
Book Blurb:
Becoming the grandmother of twins changed Harriet Hodgson and altered her life course. According to Hodgson, we live in a fast-paced, complex time, a time when too many grandchildren are victims of bullying, Internet scams, and sexual abuse. Hodgson believes that grandmothers are needed today more than any other time in history.
“Grandmas can’t be passive,” she declares. “Every grandma has the power to protect and guide her grandchildren and needs to tap this power.”
This narrative weaves Hodgson’s personal story with research findings. It’s packed with ideas for helping grandchildren. Hodgson’s age, child development degree, life experience, teaching experience, witness to history, and extensive research converge to make this an inspiring read. Working individually and together, grandmas are changing the world.“The Grandma Force is about the power of love and the power of one,” Hodgson says. “One-by-one, grandmas are standing up for grandchildren and creating a hopeful future for them.”
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Good Morning Everyone,
I am privileged to be a part of the RAVE WRITERS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AUTHORS. I say privilege because that is exactly how I perceive this opportunity.
Some of the best Indie writers I know are a part of RWISA, and we have joined together to contribute to this anthology. What make us so different from others?
Our desire to create stories that touch hearts and challenge the perceptions of people who read what we have to say through the written word.
Watch RWISA Write has some magnificent stories within it. I thank you in advance for your purchase.
Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/WATCH-RWISA-WRITE-Anthology-2022-ebook/dp/B09R1MRBJ1/
For People in Germany, the Amazon link is: Amazon.de
Have a lovely week.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, please go to Amazon to buy the book.
Thank you and happy weekend.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
If you have ever heard of RWISA, then you know that they are exceptional writers; writers who care deeply about the quality of the work they share with the world, and writers who polish before they publish. That’s RWISA! RWISA writers have the artistic ability to convey information in a flowing and compelling manner that keeps readers engaged and wanting more and more.
In this anthology, you will find a variety of writings from poetry to flash fiction, authored by some of the best writers in the industry. You will bear witness to their talent and also their courage, as they open their hearts and share their most intimate thoughts via the written word.
There is something for everyone in this short collection, and we hope that each piece resonates with that part of your soul receptive to being blindly transported to a private island, where excellence in writing is the law of the sand.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Started out in two thousand and twenty-one with the same dream hovering over me,
A dream that has been gliding above me since I was three years of age.
The dream keeps me…
changing
reflecting
bending
walking
running
and sometimes
stopping,
as I wait at a red light that screams STOP!
Until it turns green again,
So that I may sail or fly to my next destination.
The dream digs out the uneven dark edges of
envy
hatred
jealousy
and pride,
Clothed in
disappointments
setbacks
misunderstandings
failures
defeats
and obstacles.
It removes poisonous arrows, I pointed at others, so that they don’t pivot and bounce back at me.
The dream replaces those poisonous arrows with
humility
kindness
grace
mercy
and love.
It reminds me that nothing grows overnight,
That life is a process,
That maturity comes only through being pressed,
And feeling the pains of growth, not denying them.
Didn’t know in the beginning that dreams deferred don’t die.
They hover in an irresolute state, fluttering over burners waiting to spring into life.
Had no idea that they rose according to my maturity in HIM.
Like beautiful yellow corn, covered in green husks on stalks,
dreams bloom one at a time – at the appointed time.
Never knew that taking one step would lead to another… and another… and another…
As I let the dream wrap me in the swaddling light of its presence.
Never knew that answers lay within my grasp,
That a person’s greatness is determined by their heart attitude,
That self-acceptance brings peace,
That recognition of who you are lies within the faith of knowing who HE is.
Therefore, as we move toward Christmas and afterward toward laying down the mantel of 2021 to put on the coat of 2022, I, Patricia Anne Pierce-garcia Schaack, say thank you. You have followed me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and my blogs, and sent me much encouragement, and I am eternally grateful for your support.
And to my family, which is colorful and multi-international with different languages, and spread-out all-over Europe, the UK, Canada, South Africa, and the United States of America, thanks for hanging in there and being patient with me. It’s meant a lot to me.
Merry Christmas to you all and have a safe crossover into 2022.
Take care, be safe, and I hope to see you next year.
Love y’all.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Translation: Wahrlich, ich bin dankbar – Ein Psalm der Dankbarkeit von Pat Garcia
Ich begann das Jahr 2021 mit demselben Traum, der über mir schwebte,
Einem Traum, der über mir schwebte, seit ich drei Jahre alt war.
Der Traum …
… verändert mich
… lässt mich nachdenken
… fordert mich heraus
… lässt mich gehen
… lässt mich laufen
und manchmal hält er mich auf,
während ich auf eine rote Ampel warte, die STOP schreit!
Bis sie wieder grün wird,
Damit ich zu meinem nächsten Ziel fliegen kann.
Der Traum bringt die unebenen dunklen Seiten von
Neid
Hass
Eifersucht
und Stolz hervor.
Eingekleidet in
Enttäuschungen
Rückschlägen
Missverständnissen
Misserfolgen
Niederlagen
und Hindernissen.
Der Traum entfernt giftige Pfeile, die ich auf andere gerichtet habe, bevor sie sich drehen und auf mich zurückprallen.
Der Traum ersetzt diese giftigen Pfeile durch
Demut
Freundlichkeit
Gnade
Barmherzigkeit
und Liebe.
Er erinnert mich daran, dass nichts über Nacht wächst,
dass das Leben ein Prozess ist,
dass man nur reift, wenn man unter Druck geformt wird
und die Schmerzen des Wachstums spürt, anstatt sie zu verleugnen.
Ich wusste anfangs nicht, dass aufgeschobene Träume nicht sterben.
Sie schweben im Ungewissen, sie köcheln auf kleiner Flamme und warten darauf, lebendig zu werden.
Ich hatte keine Ahnung, dass sie umso lebendiger werden, je reifer ich in IHM werde.
Wie schöner gelber Mais, bedeckt mit grünen Spelzen an den Stängeln,
blühen die Träume einer nach dem anderen – zur bestimmten Zeit.
Ich wusste nicht, dass ein Schritt zum nächsten führen würde… und zum nächsten… und zum nächsten…
Während ich zuließ, dass der Traum mich in das Licht Seiner Gegenwart einhüllte.
Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass Antworten in greifbarer Nähe liegen,
Dass die Größe eines Menschen von seiner Herzenshaltung bestimmt wird,
Dass Selbstakzeptanz Frieden bringt,
Dass man erkennt, wer man ist, wenn man weiß, wer ER ist.
Während wir uns also auf Weihnachten zubewegen und danach den Mantel des Jahres 2021 ablegen, um den Mantel des Jahres 2022 anzuziehen, sage ich, Patricia Anne Pierce-Garcia Schaack, danke. Ihr seid mir auf Facebook, Instagram, Twitter und in meinen Blogs gefolgt, habt mir viel Zuspruch gegeben und ich bin euch unendlich dankbar für eure Unterstützung.
Und meiner bunten multinationalen Familie, die viele Sprachen spricht und über ganz Europa, Großbritannien, Kanada, Südafrika und die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika verstreut ist, danke ich dafür, dass ihr durchgehalten habt und geduldig mit mir wart. Das hat mir sehr viel bedeutet.
Ich wünsche euch allen frohe Weihnachten und einen sicheren Jahreswechsel.
Passt auf euch auf, seid vorsichtig, und ich hoffe, wir sehen uns nächstes Jahr wieder.
Ich liebe euch alle.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Good Morning, Everyone,
Just thought I would share.
Monday morning of last Week, I was informed that TURN THE LIGHT ON has received the 2021 Kathryn C. Treat Award Contest.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Book Cover by Nonnie Jules, 4WILLS PUBLISHING
When TURN THE LIGHT ON first came out, I had no idea it would cause a stir in the literary world. I had worked on that short story for several years, seven to be exact, and I sent it off to be edited.
After the edited manuscript returned to me, I went about self-publishing it. This brings me to my second short story, A SHARED DREAM. I didn’t heed to one of my own principles. I didn’t send it off to be edited. If I had, I would have saved myself the heartache and not have had to backtrack by having the book edited and collaborating over what kind of book cover I desired.
It took one review from a reader, who I am very thankful to, to open my eyes to the fact that the cover did not coincide with the content. I am grateful for her honesty, and after I compared the book cover with the content and stepped outside of the realm of my little world, I saw exactly what she meant. It was then my desire to bring A SHARED DREAM, which has now been renamed to LET HIS BANNER OVER ME BE LOVE, up on the same level as TURN THE LIGHT ON.
If I can’t read my own work without flinching, there is a problem. I want to give the people who read my books a quality read with moments of enjoyment, although they might not always agree with the topics I’ve woven into a story.
Therefore, I announce today that LET HIS BANNER OVER ME BE LOVE, which was previously, A SHARED DREAM, is now newly edited and has a new book cover on AMAZON. It is a book I highly recommend reading.
The story is offered world-wide on all Amazon Outlets. I have supplied the USA link below.
Have a great day, everyone
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Good Morning Everyone,
I had an interview with Author Rox Burkey, the co-author of the Enigma Series.
Please join me by dropping by her blog and saying hello.
Wishing you all a great week.
Shalom aleichem
Pat Garcia
Hello, Everyone!
I am a proud member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and for the next 48 hours (11/15 through 11/17) there is a $25 discount on any membership tier when you join the club!
We aren’t just an organization where you add your name to our roster, and then you disappear. We are the club that supports our members in numerous ways! Here are just a few…
-We purchase, read, and review our fellow member books that are listed in the catalog.
-We promote our fellow members and their books on social media, just as hard as we promote ourselves.
-We promote our members with interviews via our RAVE WAVES Talk Radio Shows for RRBCmembers only. Books are always being purchased during those interviews!
-We keep our fellow members lifted and promoted even when they can’t promote themselves (in the event of personal emergencies, illness, etc.)
-We have a hard-working Tweet Support Team, promoting our members and their books daily.
-At RRBC, we believe that “each one should teach one,” therefore, we don’t compete against each other. We lift as we climb.
There are so many more awesome ways that being a member of RRBC has benefitted me and I would love to share them all with you. Have questions? Just ask me!
RRBC is fun place to belong! We’re not just about books. We’re also about making beneficial connections and lifelong friendships!
Today, Monday, 11/15 through Wednesday, 11/17 are our Recruitment Days and when you join, please list my name on your membership application as the person who referred you, as I’ll get a special prize! You can join here > RaveReviewsBookClub.wordpress.com/rrbc-join-renew
If you have specific questions regarding membership, please reach out to Paula, our Club Personal Asst! She’s awesome!
I hope to see you on the other side of membership soon and your books in the catalog!
Thank you for sharing this page to your social media platforms for me!
Have a great week and take care.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia