Success Is....

Back in April of 2005, my journal entry read:

A quote we found on a plaque in one of the shops in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee:

“Success is making a difference in the lives of others. Happiness is watching them grow because of it. Today, make the choice to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”

What a profound statement! What a wonderful reminder to keep our eyes on the true prize—heaven!

Success isn’t how much money we make. It isn’t being 100% debt-free (though I want to meet that goal!), and it isn’t the material things we own. Success is how we live our lives, how we impact and influence the lives around us, and it’s about being true to ourselves. Success is building strong relationships with our loved ones. Success is helping others in times of need. And success is putting our faith, hope, and trust in a living God.

Let each one of us embrace today, for we know not what tomorrow may bring. And as my husband kindly reminded me yesterday, “there’s a life waiting for you out there!”

The next time we're trying to decipher what success is, let's stop and ponder the true meaning of success, for us--the individuals...

Knots Landing, Season 2

I totally forgot to let you know about a new series that hit the stores on May 12. If you've never watched an episode of Knot's Landing, I encourage you to pick up season 1 and 2.

Knots Landing is a drama that ran in hour segments from 1979 to 1993. Five families, living in a Southern California cul-de-sac, in a fictitious community named Knots Landing become friends, confidantes, and business partners. The show centers around the personal lives of these families, but as the years progress, the storyline becomes more complicated and complex: couples get divorced, residents move in and out of the cul-de-sac, people die or move away, businesses grow, betrayals exist around every corner, and major plot twists develop.

Here's a clip from season two:


Here's my review of Season 1 and the review of Season 2

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

Two And A Half Men, Season 5

The Plot
A comedy that ran in half hour segments in 2007 with its first season hitting television in 2003. Two brothers move in together and help raise the younger brother’s son while trying to live the “single” life.



Starring
Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Angus T. Jones, Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Marin Hinkle, Melanie Lynskey, Jane Lynch, and more.

The Review
Two and a half Men, now in its fifth season, is about two brothers who grew up in a dysfunctional family—a family that, by all accounts, would have dissipated under normal circumstances. But thanks to Alan’s divorce and money-hungry ex wife, he’s forced to seek refuge in the home of his older brother, Charlie, and ultimately changes the family dynamics.

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Over the past five seasons, Charlie and Alan have taken dysfunctional to all new heights where, according to Alan, he and Jake turned Charlie’s cold, heartless house (where Charlie got drunk and had meaningless sex) into a home full of love and meaning. And I couldn’t agree more!

The character differences between Charlie and Alan remind me of the old sitcom, “The Odd Couple” with a modern-day twist and that’s what really brings the show to life. The comedic antics are always on cue and the supporting staff members really help to solidify the entire premise of the show. You’d think that after five years, the show would begin to lose its edge but it only gets better with each new episode.

In season five, Charlie begins to use his counseling sessions as more than sounding boards and actually looks for a way to mature as a man. Jake becomes a teenager and begins his rebellious years, adding a new dynamic to the sitcom. Alan remains Alan and the marriage between their mom and the new man in her life turns out to be one big farce—resulting in death.

Included in season five are several bonus features: 100th Episode, chronicles of the crossover between the writers of Two and a half Men and CSI (a first in t.v. history), and the CSI episode, written by the writers of Two and a half Men: Two and a half Deaths.

If you don’t mind comedic antics that result around sexual innuendos, then you’ll get a good laugh from the series. If, however, you find them crude, I’d advise you to stay away from the series. Truth-be-told, I hate sexual innuendos, especially if they’re really crude, and yet, I find myself laughing at many of the episodes and very rarely find myself cringing in horror.

To learn more about the characters in the series, stop by The Dabbling Mum to read an earlier review of the series. Click now

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

Rose House by Tina Ann Forkner

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com


Book
Rose House

Author
Tina Ann Forkner

The Review
Focus. Zoom. Pan. Click. Click. Click. Shift lens. Refocus. Click. One shot at a time, the author tells us what she sees through the lens of a camera and snaps photo after photo to introduce us to the beginning of this novel. It’s a novel (if you’ll pardon the pun) way to start a story and capture our interest. As a photographer, I personally loved how the author used this technique to show us so many different views of what was happening at the same time without revealing any more than she had to. She led us into the storyline bit by bit and enticed us to keep reading page after page.

Lillian Diamon’s life has been the tale of one trauma after another—from the death of her parents and two brothers in a house fire when she was just a child to the tragic deaths of her husband and her two young children four years ago. Only this time was very different. While Lillian and her sister Geena were there for each other as a support system when their other immediate family members died and grew closer together as a result of that tragedy, Geena wasn’t there for Lillian this time around. In fact, Lillian strongly suspects Geena had something to do with the death of her husband and children—especially since she disappeared immediately after the “accident” and she hasn’t seen her since.

Lillian is doing her best to heal from this tragedy and move forward with her life, but at the same time she is beginning to really understand that the life she thought she had with her husband before the “accident” did not really exist at all. Most of the life she thought she had was a lie—a facade—an illusion. What she thought was real wasn’t real at all. It was all an act, and she was just being played—by some of the people she loved the most.

Readers are introduced to Lillian when she travels to the rose cottage where she once poured out her grief after the tragedy and then discovers a piece of artwork that changes her life. What would you do if you came across a beautiful painting rendered by an anonymous artist that just happened to showcase a woman who looks exactly like you during an intensely personal moment? What if, in looking at that painting, you felt like someone had been watching you during such a moment in order to capture that image and you felt as though all your personal secrets and pain were laid bare for the world to see? Wouldn’t you want to know who had done the painting and where and why? Such is the dilemma in which Lillian finds herself as she tries to put the few remaining pieces of her life back together again in the aftermath of tragedy.

The Rose House is a novel rich with symbolism, suspense, mystery, discovery, and healing. It is also a story of love and renewal. I liked that the bulk of this story was about Lillian working through her grief and moving forward rather than dwelling on the tragedy she experienced. I also loved the unique approaches Ms. Forkner used in her writing and how she tied the rose symbolism together so well and utilized multiple elements to tie together a very satisfying ending.

I also especially loved the takeaway I garnered from this novel—that it is possible to love again and there is comfort in even our deepest sorrow when we know our loved ones are safe in the loving arms of Jesus. I highly recommend the Rose House!

Order Rose House Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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This post was sponsored by The Dabbling Mum.

For more articles like this, check out The Dabbling Mum eMagazine.

Scooby Doo Volume 2

In volume 2, The Mystery Inc. gang travels the world in their high tech van, they affectionately call the “Mystery Machine” solving mysteries. As usual, the fun and laughs come when Scooby and Shaggy pop on screen, but supporting cast members, Velma, Daphne, and Fred also play a huge part in the series. Daphne is a fashion conscious gal hung up on Fred; Velma is an intelligent young woman who is too smart for mystery solving, but finds the excitement in solving cases too good to pass up; and Fred is a good-looking young man who thrives on leading and is essentially, the glue that holds the gang together.

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The DVD features four episodes from the original series:

“Decoy for a Dognapper” – Scooby pretends to be a winning show dog in hopes of stopping the thieves from stealing any more show dogs.

“What the Hex is Going On” – The gang set out to find the person, or ghost, behind the disappearance of nearby people.

“Never Ape an Ape Man” – An ape is determined to prevent the show from going on.

“Foul Play In Funland” – A mysterious stranger causes havoc in funland.

Bonus – “ More Fondue For Scooby” – from the Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get A Clue series. In this episode, Scooby and Shaggy try to stop evil Dr. Phil from melting a glacier and putting an end to the Global Warming Conference in Switzerland.

Truth-be-told, the bonus features are lacking. I would have liked to view behind-the scenes footage, storyboard clips, and long lost interviews with the cast members, writers, and production crew over another cartoon from a later series.

And while I enjoyed the series very much, I have a big problem with the company only releasing four episodes per disc. The series has been around for decades and has already made its money back a dozen times over, there’s no reason to squeeze the pocket-books of the American public by releasing only a few episodes at a time.

That being said, die-hard fans of Scooby-Doo can't pass up this latest release!

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.

Dear Mom by Melody Carlson

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com

Book
Dear Mom

Author
Melody Carlson

The Review
It’s hard to believe that Melody Carlson is the mother of two grown boys, because she does an excellent job of getting into the mind of today’s teenage Christian girls—especially in her new book, Dear Mom! Either Carlson is very much in touch with her own inner teen or she’s had lots of opportunities for heart-to-hearts with teenage girls in recent years (or both), because she really hits the nail right on the head and provides uncanny insight mothers can embrace and cling to during the bumpy parts of the road to raising a teenage daughter in this volume!

Written in the form of a girl’s diary to her mother, Dear Mom is entertaining, witty, and wise. And it’s also good counsel to mothers—on how to best draw your teenager out of her shell, when is the best time to approach her to talk, how to avoid taking everything your teenage daughter says personally, why she often reacts the way she does, how confused and mixed up she really is, how and why she’s watching your every move, and much more. A teenage daughter is often a walking, talking, and sometimes sulking package of contradictions. One minute she acts like she hates you and the next she loves you beyond measure and wants your support more than anything in the world. At times she can be totally independent and act like you are little more than a huge embarrassment in her life and at others she can be a hurting, vulnerable little girl who just needs her mommy. And the thing is—all of these conflicting and often confusing behaviors are perfectly normal!

I strongly recommend all mothers of pre-teen and teen daughters get a copy of this book, read it at the first sign of the onset of puberty, and then keep it between their mattresses for re-reading when their daughter is driving them crazy with exasperation or when they are feeling wounded by a recent insult or round of verbal battery or the “I hate you’s” from their daughter. It can help Mom remember that a) she is the grown up and needs to deal with this in a calm, rational manner; b) this is all to be expected; c) she is her daughter’s greatest source of security even if her daughter will never admit to that aloud or even in the secret recesses of her troubled heart; d) her daughter still loves her; e) she isn’t being a bad parent even when she has to take a tough stance; and so much more. Particularly for the mother of a teenage girl who is taken by surprise by her daughter’s behavior and outbursts (perhaps having not been quite as rebellious a personality as her own flesh and blood), Dear Mom can provide much needed reassurances and comfort.

Mothers may or may not wish to share this volume with their daughters and need to make that decision on a case-by-case basis. Please note that a particularly rebellious teenager (or one who is just having a very bad day) could in all likelihood tell her mother this book is totally “full of it” and puncture her mother’s balloon of hope that her daughter is normal and will grow to be a normal, healthy young woman. Another daughter might reassure her mom that this book really does sum up all of her confusing feelings quite well and remind her mother to re-read it on the bad days. But you never can be sure of which reaction you’ll get—or if you will get
some other totally unexpected response—because, as the book so aptly points out, teenagers and their moods (and subsequently the way they treat their parents) varies so widely from day to day. Mood swings are not the exception for teenage girls; they are the norm. So . . . you might just want to keep this little gem to yourself and simply refer to it as needed.

Melody Carlson covers just about every topic pertinent to the life of a teenage girl in her book—from friends and self-image to privacy and confidence, from guys to bullies to secrets and sex, fears and faith, rules, discipline and lectures, and tons of other things in between that weave in and out of a teen girl’s thoughts and insecurities from about the age of 12 through 19 (or maybe even a little beyond that in some cases).

As the mother of a 16-year-old girl myself, I appreciated the wit and wisdom of Melody Carlson’s words and the reassurances she seeks to offer to the parents of today’s teenage girls. I’m a very well grounded mother, still very much in touch with my own internal rebellious teenager and the hell I probably put my own mother through back in the day, and I’m also very good friends with other mothers of teenage girls, all of which provides me with a lot of insight and reassurance when it comes to parenting a daughter through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Those are just a few of the reasons I can tell you Dear Mom is pretty much right on the money.

But you know, for the parent of a teen girl who does not have the benefit of these things to help get her through the rough patches, Dear Mom could very well be a life saver in a the sea of turmoil raising a teenage girl can create in a household. Maybe they should put copies of this book on the same shelf as the feminine products in stores where the mothers of teenage girls can easily find it!

Order Dear Mom Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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This post was sponsored by The Dabbling Mum.

For more articles like this, check out The Dabbling Mum eMagazine.

New Book Reviews For Christian Women

Dear Mom
It’s hard to believe that Melody Carlson is the mother of two grown boys, because she does an excellent job of getting into the mind of today’s teenage Christian girls—especially in her new book, Dear Mom!

Breathe
I love a good trilogy! The conclusion of Breathe was satisfying and wrapped up most of the conflicts introduced in this first novel, yet it left me wanting to learn even more about the St. Clair siblings and their future in Colorado—and with the promise of Sing and Claim to come (the next two novels in the trilogy), I look forward to the opportunity for two more good reads to satisfy my thirst for good Christian historical romance soon!

The Passion of Mary-Margaret
The Passion of Mary-Margaret is one of the most captivating and intriguing “story of a life” novels I’ve read in a long time. Orphaned as an infant and raised by her grandmother and a loving but slightly crazy aunt until they both died and she was left in the care of the sisters at the St. Mary’s Convent School for Girls on Locust Island in Maryland, Mary-Margaret Fischer feels called to fulfill the destiny her mother didn’t live to complete.

Sweetwater Gap
Sweetwater Gap is a love story, to be sure. It encompasses the love between family members and introduces romantic love possibilities between Josie and Grady, it deals with the pain of past loves gone wrong and learning to trust again, and it culminates in a lesson about God’s love for us, forgiveness, and moving forward despite the pains of a past we regret and would do over, if only we could.

This Side Of Heaven
Josh Warren is twenty-eight years old, single, and living alone in a low-income apartment complex. In constant pain from a severe back injury he sustained while working as a tow truck driver, an occupation his parents could never understand, accept, or embrace, now he is out of work, barely getting by, and fighting an addiction to the medication that just barely takes the edge off his excruciating pain.

Disclosure: The revieweer was given a sample to review. This is "her opinion" of the product. She was not paid to give a positive review.

Double Minds by Terri Blackstock

This is a guest post by Tina L. Scott (formerly Miller). Tina is a freelance photographer from Merrill, Wisconsin with a passion for writing. She can be reached at PhotographyByTina.com


Book
Double Minds

Author
Terri Blackstock

The Review
Twenty-six-year-old Parker James has dreamed of becoming a popular Christian performing artist for almost as long as she can remember—along with her best friend since age 12, Serene Stevens. To get her foot in the door and get some rare time in the recording studio, Parker has been working as a receptionist at Colgate Studios so she can record some of her own original songs in the hope and prayer of getting a recording contract. But so far her only audiences are small youth groups and church attendees, not exactly the masses Parker dreams of reaching for Christ. And even her boss isn’t willing to take a chance on her unique sound with a record deal.

Serene, on the other hand, has a fantastic voice that is garnering attention and capturing growing audiences with her Christian messages of love. Now Serene is on the verge of superstardom, having topped the Christian charts with a song Parker wrote and crossing over to hit number one on the secular Billboard charts and Parker is thrilled for her, hopeful that their dreams are all about to come true.

But when Parker’s brother, Officer Gibson James, interrupts a youth concert she’s giving with a text message that there’s been a murder at Colgate Studios—and she discovers the woman murdered was sitting in her chair at her desk and reporters initially think she is the victim—Parkers realizes she may soon become a household name in Nashville, but for all the wrong reasons! Soon she is in the midst of a murder investigation and an apparent murder plot. Was she supposed to be the murder victim? Is someone after her? Or was it just a random act of violence?

While most Christians would like to think the Christian music industry is vastly different from the secular world—filled with altruistic investors, honest business people, humble artists, and a dedication to ministry that surpasses a label’s desire for profitability, Parker and Serene are about to find out they’re not so different after all. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing according to Parker’s brothers and father, musicians themselves. Now Parker and Serene must each decide for themselves the boundaries they will set and whether “crossing over” means turning away from God’s will for their music and their lives.

Terri Blackstock weaves a compelling story of suspense set in the midst of the music industry in Nashville, Tennessee, and keeps readers on the edge of their seats wondering “whodunit” until the very end of her novel—a tribute to her talent as a writer—and then she wraps up all the loose ends in a very believable conclusion. At the same time, her entire novel is focused on faith and God—and some readers might find that an unlikely combination. But Blackstock pulls it off—and does a fine job of it.

Personally, I love reading suspense novels and thrillers that have real plots, so I thought Double Minds was a great read! And the messages of faith in the midst of real world tragedies, fear, uncertainty, desires for fame and recognition, and all of the other very human elements Blackstock weaves into her story are encouraging and inspiring. The lesson I took away from this story? God can use good Christians to do things for His glory—no matter what they do for a living or where they do it or who they work for. While many of us like to thing we need to do things that are conclusively and obviously “Christian”—such as writing Christian books or working for a Christian-based ministry—the world is our ministry, and we can reach people for Christ in the secular world, too. After all, that’s where people most need to learn about Jesus Christ through the words, actions, and love of good Christians. That’s where we find the people who don’t already know Him but desperately need to find Him.

Order Double Minds Today!

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of the book to review.

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This post was sponsored by The Dabbling Mum.

For more articles like this, check out The Dabbling Mum eMagazine.

Time To Write: No excuses. No distractions. No more blank pages.

There are some books that you can whisk through in a day, then there are those where you must stop, ponder the words on the pages, and reflect what’s been said. “Time To Write” is such a book—which surprised me since it’s t not some great work of literary fiction and it doesn’t offer never-heard-before advice. Jammed within 223 pages are over 100 tips from professional, successful writers who’ve discovered simple, yet effective, tips to finding time to write within the constraints of our over-packed lifestyles and over-stimulated brains. But don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t a book of quotes—far from it!

In 18 chapters, you’ll discover advice guaranteed to help you break the barriers that prevent you from following your dreams of becoming a freelance writer (or author) and help you move onto the next level in your career—to become the writer who successfully puts pen to paper and composes manuscripts for the selling. Advice like:

1. Understanding your “burning desire” to write—to get the thoughts into your head onto paper, even if nobody ever reads a single word.

2. The importance of a vivid imagination and how to develop one.

3. Why it’s important to write something every day—any where, any time, no matter what.

4. Why you must discover your own voice and make a point of writing in that voice.

5. Why you must “plan” time to write—even if it’s in five minute intervals.

6. Discovering time-wasters that you don’t even know exist.

7. How to avoid distractions that quickly steal your creative time.

8. How to discover your internal clock—the part of the day that your creativity is at its best.

9. How to create SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time limited goals that keep you focused and on track with your dreams.

10. Understanding why one writer’s idea of a 1,000 per day word count may not work for you and why you may, instead, be better at setting a per page limit.

11. How to create a realistic goal sheet for writing a 500 page book within a 12 month time period.

12. Why article writers and book writers have different goals, i.e. book authors write daily whereas article writers must query daily.

13. Why the life of a freelance writer or author can be very isolating and how to ward off isolation by socializing with others, working in a co-op office, and more.

14. How to come up with new ideas, like taking a problem or issue from today’s headlines and transporting it to another time period, or looking for inspiration in the little things like an overheard conversation, or the way certain music makes you feel.

15. How to tap into your subconscious, which is the “storehouse of memories, feelings, and knowledge.”

There are even a few worksheets in the book, like “Identifying Resistance Thoughts”, “Action-oriented Replacement Thoughts”, and “Themes”.
Over all the message of the book is clear: believe in what you, as a writer, have to say; believe what you have to say is important enough to be read; believe in yourself enough to allow your own voice to come through on paper—thus not trying to copy the style of another writer; and finally, believe that with practice comes skill and with skill comes possibilities you’ve never dreamed possible.

Order Time ToWrite today.
Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of this book to review.

The Street Smart Writer

Did you receive that much desired and coveted agent contract only to get burned? Did you sign a book contract you wish you’d never signed? Were you promised payment from a magazine who never came through?
Thanks to Glatzer’s book, The Street-Smart Writer, you don’t have to get scammed again. In The Street-Smart Writer, Glatzer, along with attorney Steven, gives you the inside scoop and tells you what to watch out for and what to demand before you sign that contract.
In 17 chapters, you’ll discover 15 tips guaranteed to help you make wise decisions when it comes to your writing career; secrets that appear to cut through the legalese and confusion to help you become a well-informed and educated writer. Tips like:

1. How to tell when an agent is pulling the wool over your eyes.

2. What agents are NOT supposed to charge you.

3. Why legit literary agents don’t need to advertise.

4. How to find the right agent for you.

5. Questions to ask prospective agents.

6. The good, bad, and the ugly of vanity presses.

7. What terms to watch out for in your book contract.

8. What terms to negotiate in your book contract.

9. Why you should never pay for a book review.

10. Why radio interviews are free.

11. Caveats over writing contests.

12. What the copyright law really says.

13. Working with online magazines and e-zines.

14. Handling plagiarism of your work.

15. How to pick the right workshop or e-course instructor.

But that’s not all you’ll learn!
You’ll also discover:

• How to remove your work from a site that plagiarized you,

• How to draft a contract when the publisher didn’t send you one, and

• How to write an invoice.
And if that isn’t enough, Glatzer and Steven also include a sample literary agent agreement, interview release, permissions agreement, contributor’s agreement, trade publishing agreement, and film option purchase agreement.
Are you ready to avoid writing scams that waste your time and money? If you’re serious about making a living as an author or freelance writer, you can’t go wrong with The Street-Smart Writer.

Disclosure: The reviewer received a complimentary copy of this book to review.