Barnes and Noble Review

Someone told me they'd seen a review on the Barnes & Noble site, and it has taken me a long time to have a look.  This is an excellent summary of the book; wish I had written something this good as my "pitch" to publishers!  Whoever mceyes may be, I'm grateful for this.  

It's been a while since DOM was published, and life has taken various twists and turns since then.  Still, now and then someone will refer to parts of the book, telling me it made them feel less alone or validated their own life choices.  Knowing that is the most gratifying aspect of having written this book.  It doesn't have a limited shelf life,  I believe most readers who stumble on it in the years ahead will be able to relate it to most of it.  And the poems are timeless. 

Great thanks to all who have read Dancing on Mars and shared it.  May you always know the joys of being a reader.

***************

mceyes
Posted April 14, 2013

Dancing on Mars is one Southern woman¿s "Odyssey."
 

Dancing on Mars is one Southern woman’s "Odyssey." The story begins with a memoir of childhood, and a psychological investigation of her parents, their marriage and family life. As a child she saw the schism between her sensibility and her family’s constricted lives. She began to assume role of adult and was treated as such by her mother. By the time she was 18, she had no idea who she was. She sleepwalked away from college and into marriage. In her marriage she was unable to grow, becoming a servant to her husband and son. The first rumblings of self-awareness appeared when she began writing. After a second marriage to the same man, she escaped and began to fashion a life unique to herself.

Lucinda Shirley is a natural communicator. Her writing brings different levels of thought and information together and presents them in a clear way. There is a sense of connecting with the consciousness of others in her life, or in those cases where relationships end, a lack of that sense of intuitive connection. For someone who cares to understand and link with others, growing up in a home where these connections were guarded and masked was difficult. In her family, independent thinking and emotional expression were not encouraged and often suppressed. A keen observer, Shirley pulls away the mask to show the intricacies of growing up in a Southern family. She is as honest, though, about her own strengths and weaknesses as she is about those of her family. This perceptive ability to honestly evaluate her behavior and its consequences is one key to her finally breaking free.

Happy New Year!

(Thanks to Ganesha's Place/Facebook for this image.)

 

Long time since I've posted here.  Love, family, poetry and political activism have been top priorities in recent months.  I am working on what might become another "full length" book.  It's unfolding rather than "developing" on a schedule.  I'm not fond of self-imposed schedules and deadlines.  I know—it's good to set goals.  Sometimes even the idea of goal-setting cramps my style and sucks the joy right out of whatever I'm doing.  So, if I were more regimented, there might be a book by now.  But hat's my reality at this time.  I will keep you posted on any major happenings though.

Meanwhile, I'm grateful to all my reader-friends, and wish for you a very special year.  May you dance your dance right here on this planet!   

Wisdom of Johnny Depp

 

. . . and I second that, Mr. Depp.  Weird might just apply to most creative people.  At a certain point in life, it becomes a compliment! 

Free Audiobooks!

Dancing on Mars publisher, All Things That Matter Press, is giving away audio books!  Get details at the link below.  While you're at the site, check out all the titles offered by ATTM.  You'll find some compelling reads there.

  #Free #Audiobook promotion from #ATTMPress starts 10/1 at http://www.allthingsthatmatterpress.com/attmpresspromotions.htm

'Tis True

(from the Virginia Woolf page - Facebook)

With a Little Help from My Friends

Actually Dancing on Mars is the result of a lot of help from generous friends.  And the help hasn't ended, even now.  Only today my friend Sue Willis surprised me by posting a plug for the book and this blog on Facebook!  Thank you, Sue.


I've been thinking about power, personal power, and wondering what would happen if all of us were to use our personal power in some way to make the crazy world a better place.  A lot of people DO use their power for that purpose.  But some of us put our personal power away for one reason or another and then forget to reclaim it.   Others of us don't recognize that we have power, that we have choices.  Sometimes the choices we face are clearly good and not so good; sometimes they're bad or worse than bad. But there are choices, almost always. 

        (Image from changetheworldorg.com, posted on Facebook)


Today, September 4, 2013, there's a New Moon.  A good time for beginnings.  For fresh starts.  My "New Moon wish" is that all who have forgotten their power will claim and embrace it.  And use it wisely.

Paying Attention

(

(from Hippie Peace Freaks/Facebook)

It's all about paying attention, isn't it?  Being mindful in the unfolding moments of life.  Noticing the "little" things which usually turn out to be the "big" things.  This is one of the themes in a wanna-be book I'm working on now.  And this morning I'm remembering that we're all teachers and students for one another. 

Good Advice

(Image from Mary Costanza A Woman's Heart and Soul/Facebook)

Especially in tough times we need to be gentle with ourselves.  Need to give ourselves the kind of nurturing love we'd give a child who's hurting.  There's enough hardness in the world to wrangle with.  No need bringing any of it into our own self-judgment.  Agree?

 

Cherish yourself today and every day. 

Thank Heaven for Little Girls!

And especially for this brave, smart, fun, and funny girl—my Bliss Bringer.  Yep, her arm was badly broken.  There were two nights in the hospital and a surgery that took longer than anticipated.  Quite a break.  And quite a courageous kid, this eight-year-old granddaughter of mine.  She's a Leftie all the way around, so I can only imagine the challenges she and her parents are facing at the moment.   Amazing softball player, too. Luckily the season is over and still a couple of weeks until school.

Today she got the hard cast.  They added some glitter just in case people couldn't see it.
Hope she gets some good autographs.

Speaking of courageous girls, The Huffington Post page on Facebook posted this excellent food for thought.  I make it a point to edit myself when my first impulse is to tell a pretty girl she's beautiful.  Instead I ask questions about what she's reading or what sports she enjoys playing.  Here are some excellent suggestions along that line:

Review at Goodreads

Just discovered a review of Dancing on Mars, beautifully written by a woman named Mary Clark.  http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/582518519.

There's an opportunity to rate the book on the same page as the review, so if you've read it, I hope you'll rate it.

Thanks and keep dancing your own dance, wherever you are!

Generous Words

I intended to share this much earlier.   Sent by a young woman-friend who's an excellent writer and admirable community activist in Ohio.

What an amazing creation your work is! You are a beautiful writer, and your subject matter is so meaningful and timeless. Everything you have written in this book has been done with such kindness, such grace, such respect, and such honesty. I know many women of many ages who would love to read it. You are an amazing talent. Don't stop creating and sharing it with the world!    ~  MRD

Morning Musing

(Image on Facebook/via Pete Sercer)

This thought touches on a primary Dancing on Mars theme.   Authenticity is the key to being "comfortable in our own skin."  Getting to that point was sometimes as difficult as walking in those heels would be today!   

 

Sunday confession:  There are still times I care a little bit when someone doesn't like me.   But it's a lot easier to accept.

Speaking the Truth

(Image from Asheville Yoga/Facebook)

 

My "voice was shaking" as I wrote certain parts of Dancing on Mars.  It's especially challenging to tell hard truths sometimes when people I love—or have loved— are part of the story.  And I couldn't be sure how they would react to my sharing my story and their part in it with the world.  I weighed all the parts that made my "voice shake."  I did that by asking myself (1) Is it necessary for me to tell this part of my story?  (2) Am I speaking from my own perspective rather than guessing someone else's point of view here? and (3)   Am I being kind in my truth-telling?    If I could answer those questions in the affirmative, whatever was in question became part of the book.  

 

I hope you enjoy some excellent reading this summer.  And if you enjoyed Dancing on Mars, I hope you'll recommend it when friends ask for book suggestions.  It's a good one to take on vacation.  And it was recently released as an audio book (Amazon, Audible).   It's also available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon and Nook at Barnes and Nobel.  

Memorial Day 2013

On the brink of Memorial Day I'm thinking about my father's good fortune and the tragic fortunes of so many war heroes.

 

I tell this story in Dancing on Mars: Serving in the Navy during WW II, Papa was scheduled to ship out when an ear infection intervened. His eardrum burst, and his orders were cancelled. The ship departed San Diego on schedule and shortly afterwards came under attack; there were no survivors.

 

My father must have experienced some survivor guilt as many humans do; he definitely felt grief about his mates who were killed. And he was always grateful his own life had been spared.

 

I think of the men on that ship and of my hometown friends who fought in Vietnam and never came home. Every Memorial Day, I'm thankful for my father's long life—and I feel gratitude for all the courageous men and women who have lost their precious lives in the service of our Country.

Audio Book Released!

Now in audio!  Amazon/audible.  I learned about the release yesterday when All Things That Matter Press posted it on Facebook.  At one place on Amazon it correctly specifies that I'm the author and Frances Fulmer is narrating.  On the page that has been dedicated to print and kindle versions of the book, however, it says:  by Lucinda Shirley and Frances Fulmer.  As if we both wrote it.  That's the place where readers can see or write reviews, too.

I'm told that's the norm for by-line presentation with producer-created books.  It seems it wouldn't be a bad idea to change the norm so it's apparent who spent over a year writing the book and who is simply reading it aloud.  Of course I'm happy for readers to know the author is not the person reading the audio version.   I hope you enjoy the book, whatever version you choose! 

Helen Keller Blisters Book Burners

In "The Vault" at Slate you can find Helen Keller's "blistering letter to book-burning German students."  Keller's grit went far beyond the admirable courage it took simply to live an active life without sight or hearing.  Be reminded of who she was as a woman in this fascinating piece. 
 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2013/05/16/helen_keller_her_scathing_letter_to_german_students_planning_to_burn_her.html

Ready, set, write!

 It's a wonderful thing to tell and share our stories.  I enjoy encouraging and supporting people who want to write a life legacy as a gift to loved ones and friends.  That's what my Writing Coach hat is for. 

(Image from Facebook via life-redefined)

Good Question!

From Charles Schulz Museum via Facebook.

Letting Go Again and Again

Image Source:  Becoming Minimalist Facebook page.

  This image and the words could be a wonderful object meditation, couldn't it?

New Review - by a Man

So, fellas, Dancing on Mars isn't for women only!   Two guys who read it said it helped them understand women better.  In a message to me rather than reviews.   Incentive enough to give it a read? 

An Excellent Read for Woman or Man, March 24, 2013

By 

George Cappelmann -Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dancing on Mars (Paperback)

Lucinda Shirley has turned her spiritual and psychological journey into a real adventure for the reader. It is a page turner about the efforts and courage involved in leading a real and complete life. Dancing on Mars is funny and intelligent. It has a light touch but is also profound which is quite an accomplishment for any writer. I especially liked the greek chorus of very good poems. Smoke and Mirrors and The Unknowing amoung others come to mind as being exquisite.