We are giving away three copies of Family Bucket Lists today!

The first time Lara Krupicka mentioned the idea of family bucket lists, I was charmed by the idea. But Lara showed me how family bucket lists are more than just a fun idea. She demonstrated and continues to demonstrate how working on family bucket lists is a powerful tools for empowering families.

When is the last time that you found one fairly simple technique that could improve the quality of life for your entire clan? It may sound like a tall order, but Lara can show you how to integrate family bucket list living into the life you are already living, and your whole family will be the richer for it.

Introducing Lara Krupicka

Lara Krupicka is a one of those people who, as a child, dreamed of being a writer when she grew up. Fast-forward several decades through business school, a short marketing career, and the birth of three kids and finally she is living her dream job as a journalist and speaker. She wrote Family Bucket Lists to encourage others to seize everyday opportunities to life out their life dreams. Lara’s writing has been published in over 75 publications across the United States and Canada and online on nationally known sites such as mops.org and kyria.com. She and her husband, Mike, live with their three daughters in the suburbs of Chicago.

Learn about Family Bucket Lists, Bring More Fun, Adventure and Camaraderie Into Every Day May 2013

Do you have a list of “someday” things – a list of what you’d like to do or see, famous people you’d like to meet, roles you’d like to fill? A bucket list of goals for your lifetime?

What if you combined that “someday” list with today’s list of things “to do”? If you’re thinking it sounds too expensive or would take too much time, think again. When you allow your bucket list to converge with everyday life, you’ll find a whole host of benefits unfold in your life. And when you bring your family along… well, let’s just say your life will never be the same.

Family Bucket Lists gives families a chance to:
•    dream together of what they want to do before the children are grown
•    set off on adventures, big and small, together and individually
•    enliven weekends and vacations with plans that match what they want most from life
•    discover new things about one another as each person unearths and shares their dreams and aspiration
•    find simple ways to incorporate life goals into everyday living
•    make the most of the years they have together

Why not invite more adventure into your family’s life? Purchase your copy of Family Bucket Lists for immediate download – available starting May 13th (and with your purchase you’ll receive a free printable download of family bucket list brainstorming questions).

I asked Lara three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self-expression is definitely an important part of my life. I see self-expression, particularly through telling stories, as a way of connecting to other people. I began telling stories when I was a child during long walks alone, to and from school. I thought at the time that writing meant only short stories or novels. But I’ve come to see that being a storyteller isn’t limited to those types of self-expression. No matter what I write, I’m telling a story and I’m inviting the reader to find themselves in the story – whether it’s a lesson I’ve learned from life expressed through an essay, or guidance on how to live a better story through an article of tips and advice. Self-expression through writing is a life dream and now that I’m living it every day, I can’t imagine life any other way.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

In my work, self-expression means writing and speaking. I like that activities I do for myself – reading, synthesizing, and processing the meaning of events in my life – can benefit other people. But those aren’t the only ways I express myself. I’m also an avid sewer and crafter and I find those wordless acts of self-expression to be a perfect complement to my work life. Naturally I gravitate toward crafting gifts for other people because I think what’s most satisfying to me about self-expression is sharing the results with others.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

There is often a very practical bent to the writing I do. Readers come away with something new to try in their life or their family, or they identify with and find encouragement from what I say. It’s fun to hear from friends how they have put to use something they learned from what I’ve written. I would like to think that my self-expression as a writer is making the world of moms and families a better place. Also I’m often able to incorporate lessons from my life into my writing – so my family benefits from me being able to process on the page (hopefully without exposing them too much). Plus, I think it’s good for my girls to see their mom engaged in work that she enjoys. They get to see up close the rewards of having a career that matches your heart’s desires. And that being a mom and having a career don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

Go ahead, dream big. Share some of your personal bucket list with us. Name five things you dream of doing some day, that you would like to make come true.

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

I am very pleased to announce the launch of my next new e-book, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, Inspiration For Moms.

This e-book has been a long time coming. I started writing on this topic in 2000, before I was even a mom myself, and I have been writing about it steadily ever since.

Making time for you is crucial for every mom trying to navigate the complex and constantly evolving role of mother. And because no two moms are exactly alike, The Art Of Making Time For Yourself presents multiple approaches to find time for you.

This e-book fulfills a longtime dream of mine to collect all the tips and advice about how to make time for yourself that I have shared in magazines and online over the past thirteen years and offer it all in a condensed, affordable e-book collection.

This e-book makes a great gift for a mom-to-be or a new mom, for a mom who is choosing to stay home with her kids, or for a mom who is trying to juggle work and home life, for a WAHM, and even for a veteran mom with kids in school or leaving the nest.

Moms who read this book will gain:

• Multiple approaches to finding time no matter much time you have
• Enduring, encouraging advice about the benefits of taking better care of yourself
• A questionnaire to help you re-connect with your values and self-expression
• A clear understanding of the meanings of self-love and deservingness
• Less admiration for self-martyrdom and more admiration for self-care
• The opportunity to create a custom plan for making more you-time
• A complete list of multimedia resources to inspire self-care
• Over one hundred custom gift ideas for moms

Written expressly for moms, this e-book collection is written in short, inspirational selections.

Readers who follow the advice in this e-book will find themselves reclaiming their personal power as individuals and creating more happiness and satisfaction in their day-to-day lives without neglecting their responsibilities as a parent.

So what are you waiting for? Purchase your copy of The Art Of Making Time For Yourself now and you will receive the Beta-version of the PDF on launch day and each PDF update thereafter.

Thanks for telling all your mom friends about The Art Of Making Time For Yourself.

We will have one lucky winner for all five books today.

I’m very happy to welcome Yona McDonough as our Mother’s Day author. The author of over two dozen books, including children’s books, novels and collections of essays. Yona has written several children’s books in collaboration with her mother, wherein she wrote the stories and her mother illustrated the covers. One of those collaborations  is included in our giveaway today. Please help me welcome, Yona!

Introducing Yona McDonough

Yona Zeldis McDonough was born in Chadera, Israel and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  She holds degrees from Vassar College and Columbia University, and is the author of four novels and twenty-two books for children, several of which are collaborations with her mother, painter Malcah Zeldis.  She is also the editor of two essay collections and her articles, fiction and essays have appeared in many literary and national magazines. She now lives in Brooklyn–again!–with her husband, their two children and two small, yappy dogs.

Learn about A Wedding In Great Neck, New American Library, 2012

The Silverstein family is coming together in Great Neck, Long Island, for the nuptials of the youngest daughter. Always considered the favorite—and the object of much envy and resentment—Angelica has planned a fairy tale wedding to her fiancé, a former fighter pilot. But there are storm clouds on the horizon.

Gretchen, Angelica’s sister, is dealing with a failed marriage and her moody teenage daughter Justine. One brother is a callous businessman while the other is struggling with his search for love and a career. Her mother is in a battle of wills with the wedding planner, while her father, a recovering alcoholic, struggles to confront his ex-wife’s lavish new life in the Long Island manor of her dreams. And her grandmother Lenore has decided it’s high time to take charge and set her grandchildren on their proper paths.

Then an impulsive act by Justine puts the entire wedding at risk and brings the simmering family tensions to the boiling point. Before vows are exchanged, this day will change more than one life forever…

Learn about The Doll Shop Downstairs Viking, 2009

Nine year old Anna and her sisters like helping out in their parents’ doll repair shop, because once their chores are done, the fun can begin. The girls are allowed to play carefully with the dolls until they’re fixed and ready to be returned to their owners. But when World War I begins, and an embargo on German-made goods threatens to put the shop out of business, it’s up to Anna to come up with an idea to save the day.

Learn about The Cats In The Doll Shop Viking, 2011

When Anna sees a family of stray cats behind her parents’ doll shop, she knows she must rescue them. But her papa’s rules are strict: No pets allowed. Meanwhile, Anna’s cousin Tania is coming from Russia to stay with Anna’s family. Anna can’t wait for her to arrive and become her new best friend. But when Tania moves in, she’s shy and nervous, and Anna’s sisters don’t seem to like Tania at all. Luckily, Anna finds a creative way to use her love of dolls and cats to bring everyone together.

Learn about All The Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe Reader by Touchstone 2002

No star in any genre has affected the world as deeply or has lasted as long without fading as Marilyn Monroe. This thought-provoking and wide-ranging collection of essays examines the undiminished incandescence of Marilyn Monroe — the impact she has had on our culture, the evolution of her legend since her death, and what she tells us now about our lives and times — and includes previously unpublished work from some of America’s best writers, such as: Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Elliot Dark, Albert Mobilo, Marge Piercy, Lore Segal, Lisa Shea, and many more.

From her troubled family beginnings to the infamous $13 million auction held at Christie’s in New York City, All the Available Light paints an unforgettable portrait of Marilyn as you’ve never seen her before.

This extremely rare cover photo was taken c. 1954, on the set of The Seven Year Itch.

Learn about Eve And Her Sister: Women Of The Old Testament illustrated by the author’s mother, Malcah Zeldis, by Greenwillow 1994

Here are 14 women of the Bible–wives, mothers, and daughters, but also prophets and judges, warriors and queens–whose names and deeds echo through history. Sarah, Rachel, Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and others are brought vividly to life in this collection of simply-told Bible vignettes. Full color.

I asked Yona three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self expression is vitally important to me and has been so to me all my life but I don’t think of that as so unusual or different. I believe everyone has the yearning for self-expression; it seems to be hard-wired into the species.  What’s different is the forms that self expression can take. And here’s something I find interesting: when my writing is going well and I am “in the zone,” so to speak, I don’t feel like I am expressing my “self” at all. Instead, I hear a character urgently whispering her (or his) story into my ear.  In these moments, I feel like am a conduit rather than a creator, and a vessel for some larger force outside the confines of self.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

I express myself in many ways–through my words, my actions and evens seemingly small things, like what I wear or how I decorate my home.  But I chiefly express myself through my writing. Writing enables me to organize my thoughts, make sense of my experience and gives coherence to my life.  When I write, I experience a supreme sense of order in the world both within and without–the act of putting the words on paper (or screen) makes everything fall into place.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

I hope that the impact is a positive one. I know that on a personal level, writing is essential to my equilibrium. Even if everything else is going well, if I am not actively engaged in one project or another (and since I write across genres, I tend to have a few things going at a time), I experience a kind of quiet, internal despair. Writing banishes all that. As for the impact on others, it is harder to say. I would like to think my words have made a difference and certainly I have received enough enthusiastic feedback to suggest this is the case. In the largest sense, I feel that by writing, I am contributing my small drops to the vast and inexhaustible river that is literature.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

We think that “mothering” is a simple word. I think we all assume that we understand the shared meaning of the word. But mothering is a diverse concept, and all people define it uniquely, often colored by the way they were themselves mothered or not mothered. What does mothering mean to you? How do you mother others? How do you mother yourself?

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

Many moons ago, I was giving a presentation at Village Books in Bellingham, Washington for my first book, Writer Mama. Afterwards a woman came up to apologize for chasing her toddler daughter around while I was speaking. I thanked her for coming and for bringing her daughter. That woman was Jen Karuza Schile.

Many moons later, when I came back up to Bellingham to speak and teach at the Chuckanut Writer’s Conference last year, she hosted a lovely gathering of writer mamas for me at her home. Jen now has three children and continues to be a writer mama extraordinaire, as well as one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Please give it up for Jen Karuza Schile!

Introducing Jen Karuza Schile

A multi-generation commercial fishing family member and mother of three young children, Jen Karuza Schile blogs regularly about life inside a commercial fishing family.  She is the author of Captain of Her Crew: The Commercial Fishing Mom’s Guide to Navigating Life at Home.

Jen has published over 100 articles in National Fisherman magazine and was published in Pacific Fishing. Her personal essays have been published in the anthologies A Matter of Choice: 25 People Who Transformed Their Lives, Steady as She Goes: Women’s Adventures at Sea, and P.S. What I Didn’t Say: Unsent Letters to Our Female Friends.

Jen facilitated a writing circle and contributed to the newsletter for the Story Circle Network, a national organization of women writers. She received an honorable mention in the memoir category of the Writer’s Digest Writing Competition.

Jen is a founding administrator of the Facebook group Commercial Fishing Families & Friends and is a featured blogger on the National Fisherman magazine website. She spoke on a panel about commercial fishing families at Pacific Marine Expo in November 2012. She has also contributed to the website Happy Homefront, a website for geographically challenged families, and to AlaskaJobFinder.com. Learn more about Jen.

Learn about Captain of Her Crew: The Commercial Fishing Mom’s Guide to Navigating Life at Home

As a commercial fishing wife, girlfriend, or mother, do you feel like you spend your life waiting and worrying from one fishing season to the next? Are you frustrated when, just as you get a routine established after your partner heads to sea, it is time for him to come home—and for you to switch gears once again? Do you simultaneously enjoy and grapple with the commercial fishing lifestyle? You aren’t alone.

Inside Captain of Her Crew: The Commercial Fishing Mom’s Guide to Navigating Life at Home, you’ll find advice that will enable you to take the helm and successfully steer your way through the specific challenges facing the commercial fishing wife and mother at home. Readers of this thoughtful guide will grow in admiration and compassion for their spouses, families, and—equally importantly—themselves.

I asked Jen three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Self-expression, as it pertains to my blog, my professional writing, my platform, and my life, is both a joy and a challenge. I question myself all the time: How can I best convey my thoughts and feelings? Will they be misunderstood? Am I being honest, or am I sugarcoating to make things look better than they really are? Do I feel safe expressing my experience, my opinions, and myself? To whom am I expressing my thoughts and feelings? Who will read this? Have I expressed too much? Have I expressed too little? In spite of all of the questions, self-expression is an incredibly vital and satisfying part of my life today. No question.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

Self-expression means feeling safe enough to be honest about my life experiences and share them with my readers, whether those experiences are considered “good” or “bad.” Every inch of my being believes that it is our responsibility as human beings to share what we have lived through and learned from. Whether our path has been filled with joy or pain, or some of both, it is our obligation to share what we have taken away from the journey.

In my life, I have often relied upon the experience and wisdom of others to make me feel less alone and to find common ground. Therefore, I feel that I must also contribute to this process through my blog, my e-book, my professional writing, and even things as simple as Facebook posts.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

I started my blog seven years ago because I wanted to specifically address the issues and lifestyle of the commercial fishing family and build a similar online community. Prior to launching my blog, there was next to nothing in the public realm focusing specifically on life inside the commercial fishing family. We had commercial fishing TV shows, books about tragedies and narrow escapes, and a few memoirs, but nothing focused specifically upon the modern-day commercial fishing family.

The response and affirmation from readers throughout the years has been incredible. I have a varied audience that ranges from commercial fishing insiders, to family and personal friends, to those who do not know or even care about the commercial fishing industry. The latter group connects with me through my writing on topics like “seasonally singe motherhood,” the loss of pets, childhood hearing loss, anxiety, school, and marriage.

I do this because I love to write and connect with others. Writing about one’s life is not always easy, and it can create a certain amount of fear. However, this is what I’ve been called to do since I was a small child. If my words and stories can make one person feel less alone and uncertain, it is all worth it.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

Identity is a huge issue for writers to explore. It’s also a never-ending journey, because we are all constantly changing and growing, as we are all meant to do. Make me a list that answers this question: who are you? What list of words describes you?

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.

Today I’m hosting two talented and hard-working writers from one of my favorite places, the Midwest. Thanks for helping me welcome Sharon Short and Amy Sue Nathan!

Introducing Sharon Short

Sharon Short is the author of the novel My One Square Inch of Alaska (Penguin Plume, 2013) in which a pair of siblings escape the strictures of the 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime. Opening chapters of this novel earned Sharon a 2012 Ohio Arts Council individual artist’s grant and a 2011 Montgomery County (Ohio) Arts & Cultural District Literary Artist Fellowship.

Sharon is the Literary Life columnist for the Dayton Daily News, directs the renowned Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and is an adjunct instructor of creative writing and composition at Antioch University Midwest.

Sharon’s book Sanity Check: A Collection of Columns includes 100 reader-favorites of her weekly humor and lifestyle column that ran in the Dayton Daily News from 2002-2012. Sharon has also published two mystery series (Josie Toadfern and Patricia Delaney) as well as short stories and essays. She holds a B.A. in English from Wright State University and an M.A. in English from Bowling Green State University. She lives in Ohio with her husband and is the mother of two adult daughters.

Learn about My One Square Inch of Alaska Penguin Plume, January 2013

A pair of siblings escape—along with a Siberian Husky—the strictures of their 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime.

Talented high-school senior Donna Lane yearns to leave her Midwestern home in pursuit of a career in design, but she feels obligated to stay and care for her helpless father and her younger brother, Will. In fragile health and obsessed with the television show Sergeant Striker and the Alaskan Wild, Will’s dearest companion is a mute Siberian Husky named Trusty.

The arrival of two outsiders inspires Donna to consider her dreams anew. Then Will falls sick, and Donna packs up their yellow convertible—with Will, Trusty, and a road atlas—and sets off for the Alaskan Territory. A portrait of a singular American moment, My One Square Inch of Alaska is a moving tale of exploration and love—human and canine—that dares to believe the impossible.

I asked Sharon three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Yes, definitely! Having a voice and sharing an opinion or a point of view is the only way to honestly interact with other people, to get to truly know them and to let them know oneself.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

My point of view mostly comes to life through my characters and novels. In ‘real’ life, I appreciate discourse with others, including listening to others’ differing points of view, but always honestly (and hopefully respectfully) sharing my point of view. I also am a big believer in giving (and accepting) encouragement, and try to give plenty of that to my family, friends, colleagues, and students in conversations, written notes, or messages through all the means available to us today.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

Well, I like to think an encouraging note or word brightens the day of my family, friends, colleagues, readers and students. I think in this ‘high-tech, low touch’ world, just hearing (or reading) ‘thank you!’ or ‘I’m rooting for you!’ can mean so much. I try to see everyone through the view of grace, as in we all mess up, we all need encouragement, we all need forgiveness, love and kindness, and I hope this view comes through in my fiction as well as in my every day communications.

Introducing Amy Sue Nathan

Amy Sue Nathan lives and writes near Chicago where she hosts the popular blog, Women’s Fiction Writers. She has published articles in Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune and New York TimesOnline among many others. Amy is the proud mom of a son and a daughter in college, and a willing servant to two rambunctious rescued dogs.

Learn about The Glass Wives, A Novel St. Martin’s Griffin, May 14, 2013

When a tragic car accident ends the life of Richard Glass, it also upends the lives of Evie and Nicole, and their children. There’s no love lost between the widow and the ex. In fact, Evie sees a silver lining in all this heartache—the chance to rid herself of Nicole once and for all. But Evie wasn’t counting on her children’s bond with their baby half-brother, and she wasn’t counting on Nicole’s desperate need to hang on to the threads of family, no matter how frayed.

Strapped for cash, Evie cautiously agrees to share living expenses—and her home—with Nicole and the baby. But when Evie suspects that Nicole is determined to rearrange more than her kitchen, Evie must decide who she can trust. More than that, she must ask: what makes a family?

I asked Amy three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:

1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?

Absolutely. But to me, self-expression is more than simply writing fiction or a blog post or an essay or an article. It can be rearranging the furniture in the living room, which I did about a year ago, after about thirteen years of everything being in exactly the same place. I didn’t redecorate—everything is the same, just in different spots. The sofa’s on an angle, the chairs are no longer symmetrically placed in front of the window, I swapped the lamps.  Doing this reminded me that what we have isn’t necessarily what’s old or boring, predictable or staid, it’s all in how we look at it.

2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?

To me it’s more a function of being myself and not obsessing over what others think. Not that I ignore opinions, but in everyday life, with most situations, it’s my opinion that matters most in my personal decision-making. And being true to myself is a function of self-expression. The clothes I wear, the food I eat, the people I spend time with—those choices express how I feel about myself and about others.

3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?

I’d like to think the writing part of my self-expression package impacts others more than the choices I make about a scarf, necklace or where to place a photo on a mantel.  In my writing I aim, once again, to figure things out for myself, not to teach a lesson or set down a mandate. But if I’ve learned one thing through all the writing and publishing I’ve done in the past seven years, it’s that there are more things that make us all similar than different.  So when my writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, strikes a chord with another person, it’s just another bit of proof that that’s true. And that’s always a good thing.

And Now, Your Turn…

You remember how this works right?

Please read the complete rules at least once!

I ask you a question.

You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.

Please just respond once, even if you make a typo.

Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).

What is the most beautiful place on earth to you and why? How does this place make you feel? How has it earned a special place in your heart?

Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.

Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!

And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.

View the complete list of authors and books.

View the giveaway Pinterest board.