Real You: A moving experience

We all have certain talents - and certain, shall we say, challenges. Well, I'll readily admit one of my biggest deficits is organization - or lack thereof! So, the fact we've moved as a family four times since the fall of 2009 is remarkable. Remarkable that we've stuck together and remarkable that I can find anything, anywhere. And, why am I writing about this you ask? We're moving AGAIN! So with the impending, looming process I thought I'd take a moment to share the top five things I've learned during my last four years of a very moving experience:

Lesson 1: You cannot control anything. You can plan, make checklists, plan some more - but when the big day comes, it arrives with all the mistakes, broken dishes and chipped treasures that are part of being human.

Lesson 2: Moving is a great time for reflection. I have so loved seeing my kids' artwork, finding favorite notecards and re-reading letters from my grandmothers and great aunts. But, I also learned you can get bogged down in memories and somewhat stuck in the past, especially if you are a sentimental soul. My new found trick: put special treasures in a tub and promise yourself to give yourself time to delve into them again later. And keep that date.

Lesson 3: Let it go. Downsize before you move. I'm not kidding. If you force yourself to giveaway and let go of stuff and junk ahead of time - you know those boxes of stuff that hasn't been open for years. Trust me. You'll just keep it in boxes again and move it again.

Lesson 4: Take photos. Really. Of your place now, every room, the way we were. It's important. You'll love to look back on it later. Your former space and place.

Lesson 5: Every move has brought us closer together and helped us all focus on what is truly important. Your family. If that's happy, solid and good - you can go anywhere together. Everything else is added blessing.

If you're moving anytime soon - I hope these lessons bring you comfort and hope!

99 authors, 99 books, 99 cents! Plus, a $500 prize! Today only!

These prices are available on Amazon only.

I'm so happy ALL THE DIFFERENCE is included in this fun selection of books. Happy shopping and don't miss your chance to win some of the $990 worth of prizes!

For a listing of books offered

and to enter to win, click here!!

Naughty or Nice Holiday Giveaway! Winner Announced!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! And to celebrate, we've asked two of our favorite leading ladies - Kelly from HERE, HOME, HOPE - and Ellen from ALL THE DIFFERENCE - to select prizes they'd love to receive. Ellen, representing the devious women of Grandville, selected some Naughty gifts - Arsenic perfume, a Black Swan Ornament, a Journal to write about her secret lives, a Swarm of Bees candle and more. Kelly, representing the happier women of Grandville, selected an assortment of Nice presents for you including Rosewater perfume, a handblown White swan ornament, a journal to record your good deeds, a pure white soy candle and more. To enter, leave a comment or enter via Rafflecopter here or on my Facebook Author Page!

UPDATE:

WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Emerald Barnes is the winner of the Naughty & Nice Giveaway! Thank you to all of you who entered! More exciting giveaways and events are coming - as soon as tomorrow! And may all of you enjoy the most wonderful time of the year! xoxo

                                                           

Real You: So much to be thankful for, especially you!

It's that time of year, when we all reflect on our blessings. As an author, finally putting my passion into action and having the career of my dreams, I am sure of one thing - your support makes all the difference. With each book or short story, I've been thrilled by the response from long-time friends, and new friends alike. I'm so grateful my novels have resonated with you, and that you are looking forward to the next. Who could ask for anything more? But there is more. Always. My family. A week ago, my daughter's college house burned down. She lived there with 8 other girls, and thankfully, none of them were home when the fire started. It moved quickly and the damage was enormous. She lost everything - possessions, clothes, computer, photos - but she is safe. And really, that's what matters as we all know.

Her close-call was a reminder to me, and a lot of folks who saw her story, to check your smoke detectors and hug your kids; to let go of stuff, but to hold onto memories in your heart; and finally, to be so thankful for everyday we have and everyone in it. It can all be over in a moment.

I am so thankful for you. Have the happiest of Thanksgivings.

Real You: Are you pinning yet?

I have to admit - I'm hooked on Pinterest. I bet, if you try it, you will be, too. It's such a fun way to visualize your dreams, share quotes, favorite things, and still connect. What Pinterest offers is a a lot of smiles, and a huge opportunity to spend/waste more time online, if you look at it that way.What it also offers is a business opportunity. For your personal brand. For your product or service, whether it's books or cupcakes, consulting or jewelry. For each of my books, I've pinned story clues, character profiles, and more. For my upcoming release, ALL THE DIFFERENCE, I've had fun pinning Ellen's good luck sea beans and Francis' favorite product, Squeaky Clean Soap. The possibilities are endless, and I smile as I bring my characters to life visually.

Think about it and then, if you haven't, start exploring Pinterest.

I bet you'll be hooked, too! And hopefully, you'll want to read ALL THE DIFFERENCE, too! Happy pinning!

Real You: Authors, writing and the power of community!

The writing life can be very lonely. Especially for a first-time novelist who is naviagating a new industry of bookstores, bloggers, online sites, events all the while trying to pursue a dream. The dream? Quite simply: having a book in the hands (or on the screen) of a reader who it's perfect for. The reader who will love the story, be swept up by it, smile/laugh/cry/cheer. That's the ultimate goal and the biggest thrill. There are a lot of steps between my words and those hands. Along the way, I've met an astounding number of supportive authors. From the women who grace the cover of HERE, HOME, HOPE, to the many writers I've been blessed to have blog about the book and me, to the other writers who are friends in social media. It truly has been the unforseen blessing of the entire process.

And now, I'm so excited to be part of an amazing author event featuring 36 authors who have come together to support the launch of Melissa Foster's COME BACK TO ME. For three days, all of us have agreed to drop the prices of our eBooks to 99 cents! Fun, right? So, here is your opportunity to meet some of my wonderful author friends, try out some books from authors you may not have discovered yet and smile at the notion of the power of community. Head to the Women's Literary Cafe for the full details: http://womensliterarycafe.com. Enjoy!

Real You: Lessons learned from a really bad cold

1. Instead of being in denial, go to doctor right away.2. Juice bar "get well" shot with cayenne pepper and the like hurts going down, so must be doing good? 3. When cough medicine bottle says 2 tsp - that is teaspoons not tablespoons. Oops. 4. Whatever you are writing after 2 tbsp of cough medicine seems better than it really is once medicine-fog clears. 5. It's great to have understanding dogs. They are bored, in need of a walk, but yet, still stick by me. 6. Remember, good health is a blessing. Repeat daily. 7. People do not want to talk on the telephone to someone who cannot speak without coughing. Those of us who cannot speak without coughing should stay off the telephone. 8. I would rather be sick when it's raining. 9. Thank goodness for antibiotics. 10. When a cold forces you to slow down, it's a sign. To count your blessings. To reflect. To reconnect. Sometimes, a cold is a gift, eh?

Real You: Time to shine your own light?

Sometimes, in the flurry of life, and especially in the business of books (yes, it is mostly a business, I'm afraid), the light, the vision, the creative spirit can be dimmed. Certainly, even extinguished for those bleak periods of time most commonly called "writer's block". For me - and a lot of folks I know - this writing life, full of rejections, and almosts, can be dimming. Trust me, I know of many other businesses where folks are having the light squeezed out of them, too. So what to do? Giving up is not a choice, certainly not when your livelihood and your dreams are dependent upon success.

It's time to shine your own light, whatever that means for you. Grab a cup of coffee with a friend who is one step ahead of you and find inspiration. Pick up the telephone and ask for help and advice. (I did this yesterday, and boy did it feel good! My light, once dimming, is back to almost full strength.) Whatever you do, don't give up. If you have something to say, a product to create, a world to change, then you owe it to yourself to re-energize. Read. Exercise. Laugh.

Do whatever it takes to start glowing again, and whatever you do, don't give up.

"Let me listen to me and not to them." ~ Gertrude Stein

Real You: Getting started, staying motivated

     So here I sit. My debut novel Here, Home, Hope has been in the world for four months. It's been going great - but in the marketing and book tour push I've been single-mindedly focused on, I've been neglecting my passion. Writing.      So I need to get started. Get back to it. Sure, since the publication of Real You Incorporated, I spend a lot of my time motivating others to pursue their passion and get going. I love working with entrepreneurs and I truly believe we need to be the country where everybody is starting something. That's the magic of our history. Anything is possible if you are a doer. You can never dream too big or set your sights too high. Not here. Not now.

     The hardest person to get to hear that advice? You guessed it - me. So, today I'm giving myself a big shove and I'm jumping into the story that's been following me around all summer, well, actually, for a long time. I'm starting.

     How about you? Is it time to get going? Happy sailing.

"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time." ~ Andre Gide

Real You: Expecting the unexpected

     One of the lessons I've learned during the three-plus months I've spent promoting HERE, HOME, HOPE is that you can never predict book events. Sometimes there is a great crowd, other times, it's crickets. Just me, a stack of my books and my trusty signing pen. Those events tend to feel the longest, but looking back, I may have made the best connections. I know I had the most laughs. And ultimately, I hope I've made friends for life. The smaller the crowd, the deeper the potential for connection. Yes, this is the bright side speaking but it's true.      As I wrote in Real You Incorporated, you always learn more from the hurdles, once you jump them. In Louisville, at the Anchorage Barnes & Noble, my signing was at 5:30 p.m. When I arrived, posters adorned the doors and walls promoting an event that night, but not mine. It was for the author who was arriving at 7:30. I was the warm-up act, I suppose, but that's alright - at least I had my foot in the door! In East Sandwich, MA,  where I had a designated "drop in" (a meet and greet to beg for the store to consider carrying the book) the store owner stood above me on the stairs and - in front of several customers - said no, she wouldn't consider carrying my book. I was exhausted, and it was the final stop of the tour so I was glad I didn't burst into tears in front of her as I scurried out the door! I'd survived the snark attack.   

     Oh, and speaking of attacks and expecting the unexpected in life, I did enjoy some beach time in Nantucket during the tour. As we set up our umbrella and chairs, pulled out our books, I smiled and scanned the horizon. Next thing I know, close to the beach, a fin appeared. This fin was big, and it was darting - almost as if a person was swimming underwater pretending to be a shark. But this wasn't pretend. As the shark leaped out of the water and attacked the seal it was stalking, we watched speechless. The life guards cleared the water, and at first, told us it was a dolphin.

     I'm a big fan of Shark Week. I know my sharks and this was no dolphin. 

     When the head lifeguard arrived, he told us they thought it was a sand shark. I'm not sure, but that night, during Shark Week, the show was about the resurgence of Great Whites near Chatham, in Cape Cod, due to the repopulation of seals - their favorite food.  We saw a lot of seals in the waters around Nantucket, just saying.  

     The point? Book tours are a reflection of life. There are the highs - so many great experiences, fun interactions with readers and book store staff - and some lows, complete with snarks, too. But probably the best part of being on a book tour is having the opportunity to talk about my love of reading and writing with others who share that same passion.

     This summer has been an amazing gift - one that I'll remember forever. More on the unusual next post!

Real You: Chronicles of the travelling Wedding Plant

An added benefit of my recent almost two-week long Here, Home, Hope Book Tour was a stop back "home", in Columbus, Ohio. During a book signing at Loot, a great shop in happening Short North retail and cultural district, I was reunited with my Wedding Plant. One of my best friends, Kathy, had been watching over my precious spider plant for the two years since we'd moved to California. As she wiped a tear and handed over the 22-year-old spider plant, which was flourishing under her care, she said, "It's the last piece of you I have here. I'm really attached to her." (Kathy is on the right with my other friend Molly.)

It's easy to grow attached the The Wedding Plant, as countless folks have during the book tour. Here is its story: The wedding plant originated as a tiny spider plant that was part of my green and white wedding bouquet 21 years ago. My mother, an avid gardener with a bright green thumb, plucked the unsuspecting spider from my bouquet just before I tossed it per custom to all the single ladies.

Mom returned home that night, planted the little spider, and helped it grow for the next five years. I had no idea she'd even thought to do this. On our 5th Wedding Anniversary, she presented the plant to my husband and I.

Through the ensuing years - including four babies, two cats, three dogs, many jobs, snowstorms, two different houses, two birds, and all that life will throw your way - the wedding plant has flourished. Sure, some years it looked a little pale. Other years, it had offshoots galore, growing and thriving with gusto.

But most importantly, it survived. And with its survival, it became more than just a plant, it has become symbolic of the struggles and joys of a long-term relationship, of the need for its care and feeding, of the need to nurture and cherish it.

And that's why everywhere I went during this leg of the Here, Home, Hope Book Tour - from Columbus, to Cincinnati, to Louisville, to Nashville and Memphis, to Eureka Springs and Oklahoma City and Albuquerque - the Wedding Plant came with me. Literally, creating a whole new set of rules for travelling in the summer with the Wedding Plant.

Did you know it's hot out there? When travelling with a wedding plant it's essential to gas up only at stations with shade. For a lunch break lasting longer than 10 minutes, the wedding plant must come inside. When stacking the luggage cart for the night's stop, it is critical the wedding plant is nestled securely amongst the luggage. And during the drive, the wedding plant needs light and air and a protected spot in the back seat.

Seriously, it was almost as intense as travelling with an infant. (Almost.) In Nashville, the Wedding Plant enjoyed a view of the Parthenon, while in Eureka Springs she had her own coffee table. During a stop in Memphis my husband had a lunch meeting, so the Wedding Plant had to come inside Boscos, too. The friendly hostess took care of it while we ate. When temperatures rose to 109 degrees outside, but we wanted to see the Oklahoma City National Memorial, we took turns at the site so someone could stay inside the car, air conditioning running, with the Wedding Plant.

The plant may have saved us from a speeding ticket outside of Tulsa, as the Sheriff enjoyed the story and let us off with a warning. She survived the ghosts of The Crescent Hotel and the blistering heat of the Painted Desert truck stop. Most of all, she is now where she belongs. At home, and hopefully happily growing and thriving for another 25 years.

Real You: Book Parties!

     Don't you just love a party? I do. And I have had a blast this past month at launch parties for HERE, HOME, HOPE at friends' homes and at amazing small businesses across the country. If you're interested in hosting a party - and having me there - please let me know! We have a Book Party Kit and more to help make your event a fun, memorable summer soiree! Please contact me - kaira AT kairarouda.com for more information or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter.      Coming up this month are stops in Dallas (June 8 and 9), Los Angeles (June 10-13), Scottsdale (June 14 and 15) - followed closely by Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and then a huge swing through the Northeast: Portland, Boston, Cape Cod, Nantucket and more. I would love to join you, your friends, your book club and more for a party. I'll also be making appearances at book stores across the country all summer and I'd love to see you there. Book tour here.   

I wrote about how much fun the parties have been, and how it's been a great excuse to reconnect with friends for Girlfriendology, and my friend Debba Haupert. See you in Cincinnati, Debba!!

Real You: The 5 components of reinvention

     Both of my books have been about the process of reinvention. In REAL YOU INCORPORATED, I walk women entrepreneurs through and 8-step process to put their passions into action and redefine their personal brands to create a unique business brand. Meanwhile, in HERE, HOME, HOPE, Kelly Johnson - the protagonist - is restless, not unhappy but not in touch with her passions. She devises a midlife makeover plan with the help of a Things to Change list.      Which leads me to the five common components of reinvention - whether you're changing your life, or just a piece of it. You need:

1. Resilience. Stick to it. Go for it. Overcome the hurdles.

2. Flexibility. Go with the flow. Open up to change. Do one thing everyday that scares you.

3. Creativity. Find your passions. Ignite them. Creativity is intelligence having fun.

4. Put the Real You in your life. Be self focused for a change. If you aren't happy, no one you love is happy.

5. Purpose. Have a higher calling. Give back. Lift someone else up and you lift yourself.

Here, Home, Hope ForeWord Review!

     I have to say, of all the anxiety inducing steps of the publishing process, one of the most stressful is waiting for reviews - whether it's from "anonymous" or a literary review. So it took me awhile to get the courage to read the review of HERE, HOME, HOPE from ForeWord - but when I did I was dancing!      Click on the link for the full review, but here is my favorite part: "Inspirational and engaging, Rouda will touch readers who can relate to the frustration of being sidelined on the field of life, never allowed to play and always needed behind the bleachers, until finally experiencing the joy of participation."

     Yes! Live, don't wait until tomorrow. (Also part of the review!)

Real You: HERE, HOME, HOPE is in stock! Yikes!

Just discovered that both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have HERE, HOME, HOPE in stock, as of today. I'm a bit surprised, only because I thought - in my naive writerly way - that the publication date of May 1st was when the stock would appear. Au contraire, corrrected the distribution manager at my publisher. Only the biggest of books have an exact delivery date - otherwise it varies. And if you're a little guy like me, I think you're supposed to be happy it's there!

So I am! Yay!! It's there. Check it out, please!

HERE, HOME, HOPE Giveaway on Goodreads starts today!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Here, Home, Hope

by Kaira Rouda

Giveaway ends April 30, 2011.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Real You: To thoughts, dreams and contests

 Here's a thought. It's February. Sure, it's cold, blustery and snowy in much of the country and the economic news still isn't great, but the thought is this: Things will get better and you aren't alone. As you know, many people in many different industries are facing career challenges. Some days it's hard to be resilient, but you must. Why? Because you're getting stronger. Better. There is no exact answer as to how that will happen, not for your industry and not for you as an individual. But it will. If you believe it.      Have you been taking time to invest in you and your dreams? Are you ready when the market improves and opportunities arise? Do you have a clear vision of your future? Have you solidified and embraced your passions, surrounded yourself with the right people and are you following your instincts?

      Knowing what you want goes a long way toward feeling in control of your life, and your future.

     I'm following my passion for writing and my first novel HERE, HOME, HOPE comes out May 1st! Like the real estate industry, the publishing industry is going through a major upheaval and the road for a debut novelist not being published by a big New York publishers is - and this is an understatement - daunting. But writing fiction - and seeing it actually published and in the world as a book has been my dream since 4th grade. And now, I'm going for it.

      If you'd like to help spread the word - and have a chance to win an Advance Reader Copy of my book and a Dogeared Karma Necklace - just head to Facebook and "Like" my Kaira Rouda Books page. Your support means a lot!

     You have mine, too. Make sure you are creating a business and a life that is a reflection of you, your goals, your dreams, your essence. Then, when the challenges come - and they will - you can return to that essence and know it was worth it. And it will be. Because you chose it. It's your dream.

Real You: New look, new website, same me

It's sort of like when you get your haircut - a big cut. It's still you under there, but it's you, well, different. That's the new KairaRouda.com! I've been working with amazing, talented people to bring together the best of what my sites have to offer, while also highlighting another path my career is taking. (And no worries - I'm still all about women entrepreneurs and you'll find all of the Real You Incorporated content at RealYouIncorporated.com.) Did I tell you I have a debut novel coming out in May! Ok, maybe you've heard that from me just a couple of times recently, but it's all so exciting and new for me. And it's so fun to share with you.

To that end, one of the best parts - I think - of my new site is the chance to read the first chapter of Here, Home, Hope! Click through to the books tab and you'll find it there. Until May, that first chapter will have to do it. But, I really hope you enjoy getting to know Kelly a little bit - and I hope you'll keep coming back for more. And, as always, let me know what you think!