The Launch of Mizpah.com

A friend of this blog, Helena Lind, is getting ready to launch a new website for her company, MIZPAH® Jewels. Helena is a creative artist and professional who has taken a great deal of time and care in creating her line of jewels and gifts. The line is named after a word from the Holy Scriptures which is translated to mean "hopeful expectation" and to symbolize peace and wisdom.

The jewels are made in Britain and the European Union from solid, natural metals. The designs are detailed and have been created by artisans to meet Helena's high standards. There are pendants, charms, and other pieces as well. Truly, the project is a labor of love. In Helena's words, ""The mysterious word MIZPAH spoke to me since I was little. To me it was a magical spell of goodness, not knowing then that it would be exactly that for my life one far away day."

Keep up with the launch of this beautiful jewelry line by following Mizpah on Facebook.

Excerpt from Broken Shells by Elizabeth Curcio

In her book, Broken Shells: let adversity create beauty in you, Elizabeth Curcio presents a collection of photographs she took of broken shells that she found, published alongside inspirational words of wisdom, including quotes from Scripture.

The photos and text below are copyright Elizabeth Curcio, 2009.

As I was walking along the shore one day, I asked the Lord if I could find a pearl in a shell. Instead, He gave me words of wisdom and broken shells. --- When you are broken, a mosaic I can use. Your adversities are My universities. Think of your weaknesses as gifts.--- I love finding shells but I rarely find one that is not broken. So I started looking for broken shells and found many. Broken shells worn down by adversity, pounded by waves and weather; rounded edges and beautiful. Let adversity create beauty in you.

My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Cor. 12:9

No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearl, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. Job. 28:18

Broken Shells is available for purchase in paperback format on Amazon.

Meet Kathy M Walters, Poet

Kathy M. Walters is a gem to the literary profession. Though she holds a Master's degree in HR Management and a BA in Sociology, her title of passion is that of an author/poet. She has written her first book and creates/performs poetry as a window to her soul. To hear Kathy perform her work, visit her Lines & Lyrics site. Her book, From Pain to Praise, is available on Amazon.

1. Were you always interested in poetry growing up, and when did you start dedicating yourself to writing as an adult?

Yes, I have always been interested in poetry. As a small child, I can remember composing "rhymes" and songs. I loved words. I loved performing for family and friends. So, once I realized I could play with words and create my "masterpieces" when the ending of words sounded alike, I was ecstatic! I enjoyed being creative and loved what I was doing.

As an adult, my dedication evolved through my personal experiences and the experiences of others. I began writing for meaning and poignancy. I wanted to write what I "feel" from the depth of my soul.

Sometimes, it’s difficult to verbalize our thoughts. But I believe my gift is to articulate feelings into words. I want to bridge a connection. My dream is to powerfully arrange my words and writings so that the pages connect with the soul of another's feelings. And when one reads my work, they will say, "That's exactly how I feel!" or "How did she know that?" or "I experienced the same thing!"

2. How would you describe the relationship between your spirituality and your writing?

My writing and my spirituality go hand in hand. I write what I feel. I write what I want others to know and I write to share words of encouragement. I love to help others and let others know that they are not alone. We all experience hurt. We all experience pain. My pain may not be the same or as severe as yours, but it is still pain. The joy lies in knowing that we are in this together. And together we can strengthen each other.

3. What inspired you to release your work in audio format, and what was the process like in creating your debut CD?

I truly believe that God places people in our lives to make things happen or help steer us in the right direction. I was inspired by an author/publisher, Fay Alice Walker, to release my work in audio format.

I was attending a Georgia Peach Writer's book club meeting one Saturday. Each author was discussing their book and sharing excerpts. At the time, I didn't want to share information regarding my upcoming novel because I needed to tweak it a bit more. But, I always memorized my poetry and I loved to share. I recited a poem with the other writers and Fay immediately told me how much she enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised because I had no idea I would get the reaction she gave. She told me she could hear my poetry with music. She asked, "Do you know how many people would love to listen to smooth sounds and poetry as they travel, dine, walk in the park, or just want to relax?" I thought about it and immediately contacted a producer. My CD project started from there, and I thank God for sending Fay to help me to realize the possibilities!

4. Could you give us sort of a snapshot of the ideas, topics, and themes that readers will find in your book, From Pain to Praise?

First of all, let me define "snapshot." For me, a snapshot can tell an entire story or only part of a whole. One of my favorite snapshots is, "Everyone possesses a license for healing, harvesting, and redemption. That license never expires." The meaning behind that snapshot is that it is never too late to overcome, start a new or escape the things which held you bound.

From Pain to Praise is a collection of poetry, words of inspiration, and short stories. It is truly an inspiration. It's cathartic. It's real.

Have you ever felt like throwing in the towel? Has it ever seemed that past hurt has moved in, packed your bags, and is forcing you out of your own home? Where do you go and what do you do when you feel all hope is gone?

As Christians, we are faced with numerous circumstances, causing "internal injuries," leading to a life of pain and resulting in permanent scars. We live in a world that no longer seems to care. As soon as you've endured one storm, another tumultuous cloud is in the making. But we serve an awesome God, don't we? He has pills for your pain, promise for your prayers, and power for your praise!

From Pain to Praise is about life, love, and everything in between. It will make you smile. It will soothe your soul. And then... you will be filled with praise!

5. Do you find that your career in HR is completely separate from your writing, or do ideas for poems sometimes come to you during your workday?

While one may think my career in HR and my writing are separate, I must say they are intrinsically intertwined. No matter what I do in my career as a HR professional, I often receive ideas for my writing. People, places, things and situations inspire me. And I can't imagine how the two (career and writing) can be independent of one another. Many thoughts and ideas come to me during the workday, sometimes taking my mind off of work! And that can be a positive and productive distraction. LOL (But don't tell my boss!) :)

There is a lot more in store for my career as an author. The bigger picture is for me to enjoy life, learn, support other authors, grow, give back, share, and be the best individual that I can be!

Thanks, Kathy!

Introducing Inspire Me by Markku Tauriainen

Markku Tauriainen is a 50+ year-old enthusiastic Finnish author and entrepreneur who is also the founder of Taurisol S.L., a new holiday resort in Mijas, Spain. He enjoys running half and full marathons to keep his mind sharp, helping people in sales world-wide, trying to remain humble, and allowing himself to grow to his full potential as a human being.

The author of Inspire Me, Markku blogs regularly at http://markkutauriainen.com/. Be sure to check out his site to read several free excerpts from his book.

Inspire Me is available from Amazon and Lulu. Markku is known for writing with a fresh, easily comprehensible manner about the doctrines of selling and of life, based on his personal experiences of over 30 years as a self-made author and entrepreneur.

"To rise above the pack," says Markku, "we need to have a challenge--beyond dreams!" He is achieving his own dreams by seeing the plans for his Taurisol resort come to life.

More importantly, he hopes to inspire readers to fulfill their own dreams of success in sales, business, and self-actualization. His book offers a unique perspective based on his professional experiences and his personal zest for life, and he invites readers to visit his website to share their own ideas about success, leadership, and enthusiasm.

Meet Digger Cartwright, Author

Digger Cartwright is the author of several mystery stories, teleplays, and novels including The Versailles Conspiracy, a modern-day political thriller; Murder at the Ocean Forest, a traditional mystery novel set in the 1940s; The House of Dark Shadows, a psychological thriller; and The Maynwarings: A Game of Chance, a mystery set in the Old West. His latest book, Conversations on the Bench, is an inspirational/motivational novel and is scheduled for release in May 2013. His books are available in hardback, paperback, and e-book format through his website, www.DiggerCartwright.com, online booksellers, and bookstores.

Mr. Cartwright has contributed to a number of articles on a wide range of financial, strategic planning, and policy topics. He frequently contributes articles, commentaries, and editorials focusing on current economic and political topics for the private think tank, Thinking Outside the Boxe. He is also an enthusiastic supporter of local no-kill animal shelters and humane societies, the Wounded Warrior Project, and local Meals on Wheels programs. He enjoys golf, participating in charity golf tournaments, falconry, and attending WWE events. He divides his time between Washington, D.C., South Carolina, and Florida.

1. As an author of several mystery novels, what motivated you to shift gears with your latest project and write an inspirational book?

Actually, it wasn't my idea to write my latest book, Conversations on the Bench. I was asked if I would be interested in writing a book about Sebastian, the central figure of this novel. What really motivated me to undertake the project was Sebastian himself and the story he had to tell. I only met him in person at a symposium hosted by the think tank that he had been instrumental in establishing. Over the next couple days I got to know him and his colleague, and I realized that he had a very fascinating perspective on life that was really the result of his own unique set of life experiences. The more I learned from my few conversations with Sebastian at that symposium and the more I subsequently learned from Robbie, the founder of the think tank, the more motivated I got about writing this inspirational book. It was clear to me that Sebastian's story needed to be told. He had such a huge personality that you couldn't help but like the guy, and I think everyone did. Everyone that I talked to had something good to say about Sebastian or had some story to tell about him and how he had impacted their life. He was always very positive and encouraging, and he was always there for his friends. He was just a remarkable individual and the more I got to hear his story, the more inspired I was. And ultimately, this entire project, Sebastian's story, has really had a very big impact on my life, just as Sebastian himself had a big impact on the lives of people who knew him.

2. Could you tell us a little bit about the real life friendship that inspired Conversations on the Bench?

Robbie was a young college student when he met Sebastian in the mid-1990s. They met while both working at a hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Robbie was a full-time student studying finance, business, economics, etc. and worked full time. Sebastian had an educational background in economics and worked two jobs--tax investigator by day and hotel reservationist by night. They would spend hours talking about everything going on in their worlds and the world at large. And thus began a lifelong friendship. After Robbie graduated from college, Sebastian had some very poignant words of wisdom and anecdotes to share to help the young college grad get through some tough times. Robbie ended up starting his own successful business at about the same time that Sebastian was forced to retire due to health issues. That gave them the opportunity to spend a lot of time together, Sebastian mentoring Robbie and giving him encouragement, and Robbie integrating Sebastian in the business as much as possible.

They ended up starting a think tank, Thinking Outside the Boxe, to share their writings about any topic they could debate as well as their economic commentaries and research. As Sebastian's health declined, Robbie was there to offer support and encouragement, just as Sebastian had been there for him. These two guys had this great brotherly relationship. Robbie even referred to Sebastian on many occasions as the brother he never had. And I think Sebastian liked that and really thought of Robbie as his little brother. He was there for Robbie to give him advice on women, relationships, business, whatever, and all the advice came from Sebastian's own experiences. It's the type of friendship that very few people are lucky enough to find in this life. It's really just a heartwarming and truly inspirational friendship that I have recounted in Conversations on the Bench.

3. What are the unique challenges of writing nonfiction compared with writing fiction?

With fiction you can do just about anything. You can suspend reality, and the bigger the lie is, the more believable it is to some extent. With fiction, the writer is bound only by the bounds of his own imagination. It's like an artist with a blank canvas. You start with nothing and slowly but deliberately fill the canvas and bring the picture to life.

Nonfiction is a little more restrictive. Nonfiction is sort of like paint-by-number. You've got a pre-established set of lines and you just have to paint inside the lines. You might get away with changing up the colors a little bit, but you've got to stay in the lines. Nonfiction is reality. You're just re-telling what has already happened. Now, as an author you can take certain liberties and change up the scenery. Maybe you make it raining in a scene where it was a sunny day. Maybe the people involved don't remember where a certain conversation that is being recounted took place, so you have to create a scene where there was not one. With a work of fiction, you get to create the people and everything about them. With nonfiction, you have to get to know the people you're writing about and try to convey a factual representation of them as best you can.

With Conversations on the Bench, I was able to obtain the crux of the lessons and the conversations through interviews with one of the characters in the book. There may not have been a record of exactly when the conversation took place or who else may have been there or in what circumstance the conversation came up or exactly what was said in the conversation. So, as the author, going back to the artist example, I had a paint-by-number that had some missing lines. I had to create those missing lines, then fill in inside the lines with the right color and the right amount of that color. It was certainly a challenge for me going from fiction to a factually-based storyline. You've got to know the people you're writing about pretty well. It took me time and a lot of telephone conversations to get the story from Robbie and get to the point where I felt comfortable that I knew him and Sebastian.

4. How have you balanced your career in business with your interests in writing and publishing?

It's been difficult to balance the two. When I started writing, I did it as a hobby primarily. I did it because I just enjoyed it and wanted to tell some stories. It wasn't really a priority for me. When I could find time, I sat down and wrote a little bit. But the more I wrote, the more I wanted to write even more. I wasn't satisfied with having a book sitting incomplete, so I started to schedule more of my time for writing. I had to keep in mind that business was what made money. In the early days, writing only cost me money in terms of time, and writing at that point didn't have much financial return. As I wrote more, I started to dedicate a little more time each day to writing until I finished a particular project. That's really how I still do it. I don't write full time. I still have business to tend to, but I really try to manage my time well. There's always going to be sleepless nights when I'm working on a project or missed meetings or cancelled lunches, but I've come to accept that.

In the past few years, however, I've really started to focus more and more on writing as a business unto itself. I've chosen to go the independent, self-published route for a number of reasons that are neither here nor there, and that has really gotten me to examine and get deeply involved in the business aspect of being an independent, self-published author. I've really integrated the entire process from writing to marketing into my overall business structure and found some synergies there. I've adopted the perspective that as a writer I'm creating a product and it's my company's job to sell copies of my book. It's been a very entrepreneurial endeavor in writing a book and bringing it to market. That's one of the primary reasons that I'm working on setting up the National Federation of Self-Published Author Entrepreneurs as an outlet and resource for other self-published authors who are serious enough about writing to undertake it as an entrepreneurial business venture. If you're a writer who is serious about your work, you can turn your writing endeavors into a business. Just like any entrepreneurial venture, it's not necessarily easy, and it takes a lot of dedication and hard work. But if you dedicate yourself to it and have a passion for it, you can make self-publishing a successful enterprise.

5. What advice would you give to other authors who have ideas for writing an inspirational book but aren't sure how/where to start?

The first thing you have to do is identify someone or something, maybe an event in someone's life, that has been inspirational for you or others. It's really not hard to find something inspirational to write about. Unfortunately, most people aren't really looking for inspiration. Most people are too wrapped up in their daily lives to see the inspiration in the world around them. Maybe you write about someone who has overcome some great adversity in life. Maybe they fought and beat cancer or some other life-threatening or debilitating disease. Maybe they defied the odds of growing up in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood only to go on to great success. Probably the most likely source of inspiration is an older person who can share their life story. If you ever sit and listen to someone like my grandmother, it's fascinating to hear her recount her childhood, growing up during the Great Depression, World War II and the greatest generation, and so on. The world is full of inspirational people if we just take the time to listen to them, and I venture to say that if you just keep your eyes and ears open, you may find inspiration in the most unlikely of places. But don't just limit your search for inspiration to people. We're surrounded by a wonderful world of nature and animals of all kinds that can offer inspiration just from the sheer miracle of life and survival. Ultimately, as a writer, you have to be aware of the people and the world around you all the time.

Thanks, Digger!