Hold On!

The other day Yolanda Adam’s song “Hold On” came on the radio. Interesting enough, I hadn’t heard it before (I’m more of a reader than a listener…of the radio that is), but I could really relate to the words: “No matter how hard it seems, never give up, always believe.”

I grew up in an entrepreneurial household, so thinking positive and setting goals were taught right along with believing in the Bible. Failing has never been an option, and that fact has served me well over the years.

So this week as I go back over my short-term goals, and do a little tweaking, I’ll have Ms. Adams’ song in the back of my mind – especially the part about “your dreams are meant for you to obtain and your labor is not in vain.”

What song, poem, comic strip, or inspirational message do you pull out when you’re re-evaluating your life or like me, tweaking your goals?

Advertisement

The Versatile Blogger

Okay, so before I tell you about another cool award that I’ve won, let me first say that today I’ve been invited to hang out at Delaney Diamonds blog today http://delaneydiamond.com/2012/05/14/special-guest-sharon-cooper/. This is REALLY cool, because I’m such a fan of hers – and she’s interviewing me! Stop by and check me out. Oh, AND make sure you leave a comment when you stop by for a chance to win a prize. First prize – $10 Amazon.com gift card and an e-copy of Something New, and second prize – an e-copy of Something New.  Double your chances by leaving a comment on my blog, as well as Delaney’s blog TODAY.

****

Okay, now for my award! A few days ago, Ms. Jordanna East over at http://journeyofjordannaeast.wordpress.com/ nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award (Yay!). I never thought of myself as a versatile blogger – but I’m thrilled that I’m seen as one! As part of the nomination, I have to share seven facts about myself and nominate fifteen other bloggers. Now mind you, I’m still fairly new at this blogging stuff, so I don’t know if I can come up with fifteen blogs that I’m familiar with and enjoy – but of course I’ll try. But first, a few facts about me:

Fact 1: I was third runner-up in the Ms. Patricia Stevens pageant – like a hundred years ago!

Fact 2: I was a sheet metal worker for ten years, which is definitely going to play into my new book series coming out in 2013 – Jenkins Family Series (Note: my short story, Best Woman for the Job is a prequel to this series).

Fact 3: My all time favorite store is the Container Store (I hear angels whenever I walk through the doors).

Fact 4: I’ve been married for almost ten years to the most amazing man.

Fact 5: My second novel, Blue Roses, is scheduled for release at the end of June (yay!). Stay tuned for more details in the near future.

Fact 6: I’m still looking forward to being in an anthology (romance) with two of my favorite authors – Beverly Jenkins and Brenda Jackson. I picture my story being dead-smack in the middle of theirs.

Fact 7: I dream of being a secondary character in one of Delaney Diamond’s romance novels. I picture myself as a starving romance writer who moonlights at a five-star hotel as a maid. And to take it a little farther, I see myself being called to the main character’s room (one of Delaney’s gorgeous alpha male characters), and being asked to have dinner with him since he hates eating alone. …it could happen. And since I’m happily married, I’d introduce him to my cool (single) sister.

Okay, so my nominees for the Versatile Blogger award are (in no particular order):

Claire Fadden http://claireflaire.wordpress.com/

Candace Shaw http://candaceshaw.net/

Delaney Diamond http://delaneydiamond.com/

Jamila Gomez http://www.jamilagomez.com/

Yawatta Hosby http://yawattahosby.wordpress.com/

M.J. Kane http://thiswriterslife-mjkane.blogspot.com/

Alicia McCalla http://www.aliciamccalla.com/

Chicki Brown http://sisterscribbler.blogspot.com/

I know that’s only eight…but that’s all I could come up with off the top of my head.

DON’T FORGET I wanna to see you over at Delaney Diamond’s blog TODAY! http://delaneydiamond.com/2012/05/14/special-guest-sharon-cooper/ – When you leave a comment on Delaney Diamonds blog AND my blog, you double your chances of winning! First prize – $10 gift card and an e-copy of Something New and second prize – an e-copy of Something New. Be sure to leave your comment before 7pm tonight (EST) and include your first name and last initial within the comment. The winners will be announced on my website tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, with instructions on how to claim prize(s). Sharon’s website: http://www.sharoncooper.net

Guilty Pleasures

Dark chocolate, romance novels, and weekly date nights with my hubby (although without the guilt) are the first guilty pleasures that come to mind. Oh, and did I mention chocolate? According to Wikipedia, a guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt. And as far as I’m concern, they are also the things that make life all the more enjoyable.

How boring would life be if you couldn’t go to a shoe store and try on every shoe that the store had in your size? Or for those who enjoy sneaking off and having sex in unusual places (I’m sure that’s someone’s guilty pleasure), how monotonous would it be if they had to limit this activity to the bedroom? Oh, and what about those closet junk food eaters? You can’t tell me that life would be worth living if they couldn’t curl up in the corner of the sofa with a pack of chocolate chip cookies!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine not indulging in some of my guilty pleasures on a regular bases! I recently allowed myself a four-day staycation and filled up on one of my all-time guilty pleasures – romance novels. I’m telling you, I probably read more books in those few days than most people read in a month! I am such a sucker for happy endings – hence my addiction to romance novels!

But how much is too much? Is there such a thing as over doing it with your guilty pleasure? And what are some of your guilty pleasures?