It Happened at the Beauty Salon

Mara climbed out of her car and blinked up at the powder blue sky. A gorgeous September day. She almost wished she didn’t have to go into the salon to get her hair done.

She shrugged; at least she enjoyed the company of the people there. The old fashioned, independent boutique had their regulars, and everyone knew each other. Even the door clanged with a bell when she entered.

“Hi, Mara.” Her stylist waved as she swept up her station. “I’ll be right with you.”

“No problem.” Mara stood near the checkout counter where a gray-haired woman was paying for services. She looked familiar from behind, and then when she spoke, Mara recognized her cousin. “Hello, Gloria. How are you?”

Gloria pivoted slowly, a scowl on her face, eyes squinted, and then she turned right back around toward the cashier without a word.

“Gloria? What’s the matter?” Deep down Mara knew. She didn’t mean to hurt her cousin’s feelings. She had apologized profusely, and Gloria said she accepted her apology. “You’re not going to talk to me anymore?”

With her back to Mara, Gloria spat, “No, I’m not.” She finished paying the cashier and stamped out the door.

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Last Day is Today

I’m putting up a quick blog post just to let everyone know not to miss this last day my short story memoir anthology, Home Avenue is free. To get it, click on the book cover or the above link. Anyone who has already downloaded and read it, I’d greatly appreciate a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Note: The above offer ended November 26th. The below sale ends November 28th. Both books ARE available on Amazon though.

Also, don’t miss the the special introductory offer price of .99 cents for my novel, Whit’s End. This special price lasts through Sunday. Reviews would be great for that one too.

I’m excited to learn what you all think of Ava and Meg’s simple yet complicated family lives. Simple, because these are real people living out every day lives, going to work, raising children, paying bills. Complicated, because their family relationships are all screwed up. Ava seems to be forever trying to fix things, while everyone else continues to live in their comfortable misery.

So, get them on special while you can. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Unreasonable

There comes a point in my novel, when the character, Ava Whitaker is at her Whit’s End. She struggles to get her husband’s family to understand her, including her husband. Ava thinks she is being pretty reasonable, and that they are the ones being unreasonable. But, if they all think it’s her, than maybe it is?

Second Edition

I finally did it!

My Celebrity Family

I’d love to say that I come from a perfect family, but I’m a realist. I know my family can be dysfunctional. This is not to say that I don’t love my family, or that we didn’t have some wonderful “Leave it to Beaver” times, because we had some of those moments, too. The key is, to accept all the moments, and I’m grateful for them. They are a part of this journey called, Life.

Now, onto the celebrity portion of this post. You see, some celebrities have actually taken a part in my family life.

Real Life Editing

It’s that time of year already.

Shopping, cold, snow, decorations, and lights. I like to take time out from it all and relax with the Christmas movies. Personally, I prefer the old standbys … It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. I also enjoy Polar Express.

My husband’s favorite, however, is this movie. Can you tell which one it is?

Missed the Mad Men Mania

While we temporarily stayed with my mom, the three of us decided to dive into Netflix. Since none of us had seen Mad Men, we started from the beginning.

Important side note: We’ve only watched the first two seasons, so please no spoilers in the comment section.

At first I was frustrated with the show and wondered how it attracted so many viewers. An important rule in writing, is that the main character needs to be likeable. Who would want to continue reading a book if they hated the main character?

For Better or For Worse

Recently, I got confused about my age. I had my birthday in the fall and thought I had turned twenty-nine, but it turns out that yesterday was my twenty-ninth wedding anniversary!

Look at these clueless children who married at the age of twelve. Okay, maybe they were a tiny bit older, I can’t remember for sure.

Can I be frank?

Ghosts of Christmas’ Past

Image from wikimedia commons

It’s been said that many people get depressed during the holidays. I, too, have been known to feel a bit of melancholy during this time of year. So, being the analytical person that I am, naturally I look deeper.

Chasing Confidence

One of the statues from the Ringling Art Museum. See Monday’s blog.