Monthly Archives: March 2011

10 minutes to update!

Posted on by

I have ten minutes to make a badly needed update! Sorry but the afternoon looks busy here, and it’s been MONDAY in all caps. Started out setting off the alarm because I forgot it was on and opened one of those “instant alarmed” doors. Then I took my eldest son to school only to find out it was a teacher workday I’d neglected to make note of. Sigh. THEN I make plans to pick up my daughter from preschool and have a “picnic” in the car with her and my son before her dance class only to have her decide she needs desperately to go to the potty when we’re parked outside the dance studio waiting for the teacher. I had to run her into the Italian restaurant next door to visit their potty, and a big thank you to the folks at Paula’s Pizza for being so understanding about a 3-year-old’s bladder.

So that’s why I now have five minutes left to update you on what I’m doing. Fortunately, it won’t take much more than that. Still hoping to have a lot of folks buy my book this month since all royalties go to Share Our Strength, dedicated to ending childhood hunger in your neighborhood, mine and the ones all around the United States. It’s a worthy cause, so consider buying my book. For tips on how to do it, check out the SECRETS OF THE LOTUS tab at the top of this page.

About two minutes left before my next kid pickup, so I’ll just say I’m having a great time reading all the latest releases from my friends. I demolished Ellen Meister’s THE OTHER LIFE and Kevin Wallis’s BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THINGS (more on this one later) and I’m loving CRYER’s CROSS by Lisa McMann with G.C. Smith’s WHITE LIGHTNING waiting in the wings. Gotta come up with a plan to get myself out of reading and back into writing, though! I’m working on it.

A Quest Realized

Posted on by

A few weeks ago I blogged about my quest for validation. I’ve thought a lot about validation since then. I don’t want it just in my writing. I want it in all aspects of my life. Whether I get it or not depends on a lot of factors, but I won’t stop aspiring to it.

With that in mind, one of my quests has started to bear fruit. Literally. Have a look:

Tomato Validation

You see, I started this tomato plant last fall. I grew it from a seed. I actually grew two, but one died. This one has grown and grown over the course of the past few months until it has taken over our back window and the view. While it provides a nice shade from the southern sun, we had begun to doubt it would ever produce any tomatoes. I kept watering it. When it did bloom this spring, we still doubted there would be any actual fruit. Still, I continued to water it. Once it produced a number of tiny green tomatoes, my husband doubted they would ever actually ripen. My doubts gone, I continued to water and waa-laa! The first one ripened yesterday.

I’ll take my victories (and my validation) where I can get them!

What the heck is a HONEOWP, anyway?

Posted on by

I’ve gotten this question in various forms recently, so I created a page to answer it. You can find it here: HONEOWP?? It’s also a page link at the top of this blog. I hope you’ll read it and maybe consider joining it!

I’m also adding the wonderful Elizabeth Massie’s Hand to Hand Vision blog to my HONEOWP roll call. Elizabeth didn’t start Hand to Hand Vision as part of my HONEOWP effort, but it’s such a wonderful example of what a writer or artist or anybody, really, can do to help others that I decided to include it. Hand to Hand Vision is an ongoing auction of donated artwork and other items dedicated to sharing with those in need. Elizabeth is an award-winning author of multiple horror novels and ghost stories. If you’re not acquainted with Elizabeth’s work, check out her blog: Elizabeth Massie. If you’d like more information about the Hand to Hand Vision, check out the blog here: Hand to Hand Vision.

Although I’ve been following the Hand to Hand Vision for a while now, I really got interested when Elizabeth posted a picture of something she called “Circle of Caring Bracelets”. Simple but lovely beaded bracelets, Elizabeth posted this explanation: “The bracelet is simple. There are yellow beads at the center of the circle. These represent the “life-light,” or the innate human value, of the person who is the target of the bullying. The other beads are multicolored and random. They are are mixture of glass, ceramic, plastic, and stone. These beads represent the caring people who are there to speak out and step up on behalf of the one who is bullied.”

I teared up because bullying is one of the things I dread finding in my children’s lives, whether they be the bullier or the bullied. I never experienced it as a child, but I have heard and read the same horror stories any parent has. It is a powerful evil we have to help our children combat, and I felt Elizabeth’s bracelets could be a wonderful way to do that. Elizabeth has already sent me documents on how to make the bracelets and I plan to approach other parents, teachers and administrators in my area to start a program using them. I’ll post more details about how I accomplish that later.

In the meantime, Elizabeth Massie, welcome to HONEOWPdom.

A day to breathe

Posted on by

Yesterday was my birthday. I began my fifth decade on this earth (that does not mean I’m 50 years young, look it up). When my husband asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted a day to spend exactly the way I wanted. And bless him, he gave me exactly that. He had the day off, so he got up and got the kids ready for school, then took me out for coffee. We walked around our little town (accompanied by our 3-year-old because I wanted to bring her), shopped a little (he bought me a lovely beaded necklace), and picked up sandwiches for lunch. (We took them home to eat because my daughter was tired by this time.) That afternoon, he helped me hang birdfeeders (two for songbirds, two for hummingbirds) and plant strawberries. Then he made me taco salad for dinner and we ate ice cream cake with the kids.

Who could ask for a better day? I’ll remember it every time I put on my necklace or look out at the birdfeeders or (hopefully) eat a strawberry from my plant. And with every memory I’ll take a moment to breathe and be thankful for what I have.

This is a great time for us to remember to breathe. All you have to do is look at the news to see why breathing every day is important. The tragedy in Japan jolted me from my complacency. The horror over there is something I cannot escape. And it’s a reminder that we are never guaranteed tomorrow. Whether you’re one or forty-one, tomorrow is something you can’t totally count on.

Take a moment today and breathe. Hug someone you love, smell a flower, watch a sunset, listen to the rain. And breathe.

Weekly Windup and Another New HONEOWP

Posted on by

Good Saturday, everybody! I’d love to draw your attention to yet another new HONEOWP, Amanda Von Hoffman, the wife of my other new HONEOWP Kirk Jones. Not only did Amanda blog about our HONEOWP effort here, Donating Royalties, she also plans to donate part of her royalties from the sale of her novel Behind Green Glass to The American Organ Transplant Association in April! Thank you, Amanda, and welcome to HONEOWPdom.

Second highlight of my week was finishing Ellen Meister’s superb book The Other Life. If you haven’t read this yet, do it! I laughed and cried and I thought the ending was superb. Without a doubt this was the best book I’ve read yet this year.

That said, I’m (finally) reading Kevin Wallis’s short story collection Beneath the Surface of Things, and I cannot put this book down. I’m only three stories in, but it’s awesomely chilling. My apologies to Kevin for taking so long to get to this one. I’ve had it on my Nook for months now but something always came up to keep me from getting into it. That won’t happen this time. I’m aching to pick it up right now! After I finish Beneath the Surface of Things, I have Lisa McMann’s Cryer’s Cross and G.C. Smith’s White Lightning to read, so I should have an active reading life over the next few weeks. Which is good since my writing is definitely at low tide at the moment.

I got some good news about an advertising opportunity for SECRETS OF THE LOTUS this week, too, and though I’m not going to go into any details at the moment, it shouldn’t be long before I can let you in on the, um, secret.

Finally, my friend A.J. Brown blogged about THEN moments this week. As a writer, I totally understand where he is coming from. I think a lot of my low and high tides as far as writing goes stem from THEN moments. It’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking post, and I encourage you to take a look: THEN Moments with A.J. Brown.

That’s about it for this week. Thanks for listening!

New HONEOWP Author! Meet Kirk Jones.

Posted on by

Yep. That’s right. The word is getting out. A new novelist has joined the ranks of the HONEOWPs. Kirk Jones, a friend of HONEOWP Steve Lowe (you may remember him from February), has made the pledge to donate his March royalties to the American Cancer Society. If you’d like to help Kirk out in his quest, visit his website bizarrojones for information about his book Uncle Sam’s Carnival of Copulating Inanimals (I told you he was a friend of Steve’s).

I’m thrilled to have someone else join my HONEOWP initiative. I know there are more Helpful Outstanding Novelists, Editors and Others in the Writing Profession out there. Email me at michellegflye@gmail.com if you’d like to see your name on my HONEOWP roll call.

February Royalty Report

Posted on by

Thanks to everyone who bought my book in February! Still haven’t made it over the minimum $25 donation, but you guys contributed to that, and hopefully some uncontacted tribe will benefit from my donation.

A little closer to home this month, don’t forget my HONEOWP charity is Share Our Strength, which is dedicated to fighting childhood hunger in the United States. There are a number of ways you can help out with this charity, so please explore their website (see my HONEOWP feature area to the left). However, I’ll also draw your attention to my participation in Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale. If you’d like to donate to my bake sale, you can do so on my page: MGF’s Great American Bake Sale Page.

Thanks again to those who are already supporting my HONEOWP effort, and remember you’re invited to help out, too. If you’re a writer, consider donating a portion of your royalties to a charity of your own choosing. If you do so because you’re inspired by my effort, please let me know. I’d like to know the word is getting out, and I can add your website to my HONEOWP roll call. If you’re a blogger and you like what I’m doing, blog about it! Put it on your Facebook page or Tweet about it. The more people willing to get involved in this effort, the more successful it will be.

My March HONEOWP Charity: Share Our Strength and Fight Childhood Hunger

Posted on by

While I wait to hear how much my February royalties will enable me to donate to Survival International, I wanted to fill you in on my March charity. I really, really like the way this charity is structured and I love who the beneficiaries of it are.

I first found out about Share Our Strength a couple of weeks ago when I read an article about childhood hunger. The article included interviews with teachers who described children too hungry to focus on their lessons, children who would just put their heads on their desks and cry because they didn’t have breakfast.

As PTO president for my son’s elementary school, I know all about the free and reduced price lunch programs that are offered to children. I also see a lot of kids who buy their lunches and don’t eat half of them. My own kids have always preferred to take lunch, mainly because they’re exceedingly picky and don’t usually like what’s offered by the cafeteria. In my cafeteria observations, I have noticed some clean plates at lunchtime, though. Are these likely the hungry kids? The ones who come to school without breakfast to fuel them for the day? Do we have children in my community who deal with hunger every day?

I have no way of knowing, but the thought that there are children anywhere who don’t have enough food breaks my heart. So I’ve chosen Share Our Strength as my March HONEOWP charity. If you have any interest at all in supporting this organization’s fight against childhood hunger, I encourage you to check out their website. They have multiple different ways to help, including hosting a bake sale, a national dine-out to end hunger (September 18-24, 2011) and free summer meals for children. And if you’re wondering where I’m sending my royalties from March to, check out this link: Share Our Strength March Royalty donation.

Edited to add: On a separate note, I made a commitment to Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale today. I have committed to raise $250 in 243 days. To keep tabs on how I’m doing, check out my website: MGF’s Great American Bake Sale. Keep in mind I’m not much of baker, so it’ll be interesting to see how this goes! By the way, any funds donated this way do not count as my HONEOWP royalty donations.