Tag Archives: quintessentially me

Quintessentially Me: Katherine Fleet

Guest Post, mermaids, ,

Hi everyone! I am Katherine Fleet, debut author of The Secret to Letting Go, releasing from Entangled Teen on Feb 1, 2016. For this guest post, I was asked to pick one thing in my house and talk about its history and what it means to me. There are so many things in my house that I love and have meaning to me, but I’ve decided to pick something a little quirky – my fridge magnets!

 

I’ve always loved to travel, but for many years, my husband and I weren’t in a position to get very far. Then we moved to the Caribbean eight years ago and found ourselves able to really travel. Since we’ve lived here, we’ve been to many parts of the US, as well as Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. When we started travelling, I knew I needed to collect something from each of our trips. Of course there are pictures, but I wanted something that I could see every day. So I picked fridge magnets!

 

Here is why they are “quintessentially me”:

 

  • I love to bake, so I see them everyday when I am in the kitchen.
  • I try to pick pretty designs, but in reality they are just a little bit tacky (yes, I bought the celebrity homes guide map when we were in Beverly Hills and drove around in a minivan full of kids to stop in front of the gates of all the star’s homes and gawk).
  • They’re small and economical to buy, so in other words, a very practical souvenir. This is very much me – a very practical person.
  • My husband and three children have started to bring them home to me from their travels. So, when I see them, I think of my family, which is the most important thing in the world to

katherine-fleetAuthor Bio:

Originally from Newfoundland, Katherine Fleet gave up the cold winters of Eastern Canada for the year round warmth of the Caribbean. The slower pace of island life has given her time to pursue a long-time goal—becoming an author. When she’s not writing, she spends her time baking, chauffeuring her three amazing, talented kids around, and having sun-filled adventures with her husband and wonderful friends in Curaçao. She is also a very thankful breast cancer survivor. In 2007, she joined RWA and has enjoyed the support and camaraderie of the YARWA and OIRWA writing communities. She’s participated in NaNoWriMo since 2012 and is an active supporter of the associated Young Writers Program. She is represented by super-agent Carrie Pestritto of Prospect Agency. The Secret to Letting Go is her debut novel. You can connect with her at www.KatherineFleet.com.

 

 

The Secret to Letting Go: TSTLG-cover

One summer can change everything…

Haunted with guilt after his girlfriend’s death, Daniel Hudson has no interest in committing to anyone. At the end of the summer, he’ll be leaving Florida for a new start in college. If only he could avoid the mysterious new girl in town, who seems every bit as naive and eccentric as she looks. Trouble is, she’s hard to ignore, with her beautiful piercing eyes, pitiful-looking dog, and unsettling tendency of finding trouble. Clover Scott lived her whole life off the grid and arrives on the Gulf coast in search of her grandparents. She never expected to nearly drown, or get caught in a hurricane, or fall in love with the boy who rescues her. Now, she has a chance to rewrite her life’s story, to finally fit in somewhere, but Daniel wants answers about her past. When the police start asking questions about the disappearance of her parents, she must make a choice: go to jail or confess her secrets—even if they might destroy her chance at a happily-ever-after.

Goodreads

 

Quintessentially Me: Stacy Wise

Guest Post, mermaids, ,

Friends, I am thrilled to welcome debut author Stacy Wise to the pond today. Her NA, BEYOND THE STARS, released on Feb. 8, 2016, and it sounds like so much fun!

Here is Stacy, to answer our question of the month:

What is something in my life that’s quintessentially me?

Gah! One thing? What on earth could it be?

I strolled though my house, pausing by shelves, lingering by the console table as though I was admiring relics at a museum. Could I be somewhere in the lovely ceramic turtle I bought in Hawaii? The one whose head broke off in an unfortunate accident with a ball and my youngest child? (I glued it back on. Looks great.) Perhaps it’s my shell collection? Or my children’s art table with the crayons organized by color? No…Maybe it’s the Legos that seem to magically appear underfoot when I’m barefoot? Hell no.

And then it hit me. It’s the piece of wall art I had to buy because it got me all choked up at the local Aaron Brothers Art Mart. I felt like Oprah having an A-ha! moment.

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Here’s what it says:

Be bold enough to use your voice

Brave enough to listen to your heart

And strong enough to live the life you’ve always imagined.

“What if I fall?”

Oh, but my darling…what if you fly?

Kind heart fierce mind brave spirit

–E.H.

E.H., I discovered, is Erin Hanson, a young Australian poet. The plaque hangs in my kitchen nook where I can read it every day. Because those words? They keep the fire lit in me. I hope they inspire you too.

Xo,
Stacy

BEYOND THE STARS 500x700BEYOND THE STARS: Most girls would kill for the opportunity to work for Jack McAlister, Hollywood’s hottest actor, but twenty-one-year-old Jessica Beckett is ready to kick him out of her red Ford Fiesta and never look back. She should be spending her junior year in France, eating pastries and sharpening her foreign language skills. Instead she’s reluctantly working as Jack’s personal assistant, thanks to her powerhouse talent agent aunt.

Jack is private, prickly, and downright condescending. Jessica pushes his buttons—she’s not the type of girl to swoon over celebrity heartthrobs, precisely why her aunt thought she’d be perfect for the job—and Jack pushes right back.

But as she begins to peel away his layers, Jessica is shocked to find she craves her boss’s easy smile and sexy blue eyes. The problem is, so does the entire female population. And what started out as the job from hell soon has Jess wondering if a guy like Jack could ever find love with a regular girl like her.

BIO:stacy small

Stacy Wise is the author of BEYOND THE STARS (Entangled Embrace, 2016).

She has a B.A. in Communications Studies from UCLA and a Masters in Teaching from Chapman University. She lives in California with her husband and four children.

 

When she’s not dreaming up stories, you can find her beating up the bag at a kickboxing gym, cheering for her kids at their numerous sporting events, or walking her dogs, Bailey and Rex.

Quintessentially Me: Alethea Kontis

Alethea Kontis,

Alethea MermaidHappy New Year, everyone! It’s so lovely to see you all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, with all of your hopes and dreams intact and goals still in sight.

Wanna know what I have in sight? A giant mess.

This Giant Mess is actually a step up. This time last year, Dad and I were rushing to install the floor in my bedroom. Dad thought it was because I wanted it done before my birthday (Jan 11)–in reality, I wanted it done before the mini-family reunion we were about to have for HIS birthday (Jan 8). We finished enough of the  floor to throw a mattress down and sleep a few people. Only one bathroom worked, but we made do. There was no kitchen, and the living room and garage were packed with boxes.

Needless to say, there wasn’t much done at my house besides sleeping that weekend.

This Halloween–after the last major overhaul of the master bathroom was completed–Dad and I finally finished the floor. My house instantly went from “Partially Rebuilt Renovation” to “Disgustingly Messy Home.”

The whole problem with level of anxiety is all the suddenly wanting to put everything away. It’s a lovely compulsion, except for that I DON’T KNOW WHERE EVERYTHING GOES YET. I literally have to make it up as I go along. And then if something isn’t quite right, I have to change it midstream. Or start all over.

People tell me, “Oh, don’t worry. It took me a year to really move into my house.” Well…I’ve had this place 18 months already. My subconscious is constantly trying to remind me that I’m woefully behind. I pour another cup of chamomile tea and try to ignore it.

I had one of those moments today, actually. I found myself sitting on the trunk of memories that’s taken up residence behind my couch–mostly because I don’t have another place in mind and mostly so the couch won’t slide all over the floor. Across from the trunk is my display case–solid dark wood with leaves carved into the top and a sliding glass door. I love that thing. I got it at Costco or Sam’s half a billion years ago for dirt cheap. Somehow it survived moving from TN to DC to FL without breaking into a million pieces, and for that I will be forever grateful to the universe.

I don’t remember exactly how I had it set up six years ago, but I think I’ve just about unpacked all the pieces at this point. There are six shelves in the case (if you count the bottom of the case as a shelf–I have stuff down there, so I do).

Three of the shelves are full of Fantasy and Fairy Tales. There are faeries and gnomes and wizards and elves and dragons and unicorns. Beauty and the Beast and their Castle. The porcelain roses that were given away at my baptism. Aladdin and Lady and the Tramp. I even have a small glass award from a school I visited…and the wisteria crown I wore for all eight episodes of Pass It Along when I was eight.

One shelf is all about Greece. Some of the little statues I collected when I went there with my family as a teen, and some were given to me by other friends and family. There’s an angel holding a shell with some pretty stones inside, and my grandmother’s infamous “That Will Never Do” engagement ring. There’s a shot glass with the flag on it and a komboloi inside. I have Apollo and Daphne, Nike, and my statue of Athena is surrounded by an army of little pewter owls of all shapes and sizes.

One shelf is all about comics. When I worked as the buyer for DC, my annual gift was usually some fabulous statue from their collection, like my Wonder Woman fighting the hydra. Of course, once the rep found out I was a Sandman fan, I received two Sandmans (Sandmen?) and a Death before I moved on to greener pastures.

The bottom shelf actually *is* about Death. The dark wood bottom of the display case is the perfect backdrop for my voodoo dolls and porcelain Mardi Gras masks from New Orleans, and my little stone skull.

So there I was…staring at my display case in admiration and distraction, and it occurred to me: The entirety of that case, top to bottom, is quintessentially me.

Alethea Kontis could easily be described as 3 parts Fairy Tale, 1 part Greek, 1 part Comics, and 1 part Death. A lot of fantasy, a little bit of horror, and everything in between. Magic, Myths, and Misery.

Which led me to suggest the writing prompt for the Mermaids this month! All of us–and a few special guests–will jump into our blog posts this year by talking about something in our lives that we can describe as “quintessentially us.”

So now I’m curious. What is something in YOUR life that is quintessentially YOU?

The Beast’s Castle is from the WDCC “Enchanted Places” line. And yes, roses really were given out at my christening. I am so Belle, it’s not even funny. ~Alethea