Love, Laughter, and Life

This week I had the good fortune to visit Anna Bing Arnold Children’s Center at Cal State L.A., where creative ideas are thriving. Curriculum Coordinator Alexandra Walsh and Director Patricia Ulloa have decades of combined experience and a particularly innovative staff. Like Dominic, who facilitated this brilliant collaborative puzzle piece painting with three- and four-year-olds, which immediately caught my eye. Isn’t it brilliant?

Dominic explained how this experimental project began by cutting 12 x 18” Real Watercolor Paper into puzzle shapes, then prompting children to select a shape and paint it using Colorations® Simply Washable Fluorescent Tempera. The puzzle pieces were placed in a basket in the art area for use at any time. The intense color you see here resulted from distinct 3 variables:  (1) using fluorescent paint,  (2) mounting each puzzle piece painting onto black construction paper, then trimming a close border, and (3) by…

It’s time to take a step back. I notice a lot of people looking at wanting to know how to increase the number of people that follow them on a blog or on Twitter or some other social media outlet. Is that why you first created a blog? Or first chose THAT name for your Twitter Handle? Did you choose @psychochix666 hoping it would attract people to you? Your blog is called myrandomthoughtsaboutstuff. Very enthralling and makes me want to head right on over.

Ronovan Writes is not exactly a “come and meet me” blog title. It’s just what I do. But we all get caught up for a time in the numbers for a moment as people start following us and we see our numbers get close to a certain cool looking number. Then we go nuts.

For a time we begin writing anything we think will draw people…

 1. Reach 49.

2. Forgive. Doesn’t matter if they deserve it, you do.

3. Some people will be negative and hate, so what, what’s that got to do with you?

4. Learn your parents, family, and friends’ stories.

5. Ignore people who tell you to try surfing or skydiving or extreme sports if you don’t want to do it, they’re not going to spend the time in hospital or rehab.

6. Help someone who needs help and don’t tell a single soul you did it.

7. Learn to compromise.

8. Conquer a fear. Doesn’t have to be a big one.

9. Take the time to write that email, make that call, write a letter, visit, send a card, it may not matter, but what if it does?

10. Ask for help. Accept it gratefully.

11. Smile. Laugh. Often. Quit thinking about why. Smile. Laugh.
12. Cry. Into someone’s…

So, as an author, one of your greatest tools is your media kit.

At least that is what I have been told. A media kit is a marketing tool used to sell not only your book(s) but yourself – as an author. Remember – You are not gearing your media kit to readers, your media kit is designed to attract potential agents, publishers, book retailers and interviewers (bloggers, radio, magazine, newspaper, etc.). I have read many – MANY – articles about what an author should include in a media kit. Everything from author head-shots with bios to full-length copies of your printed books. I have weeded through all the information I have found and have settled on the following list of items I plan to include in my media kit.

….Drum Roll Please….

Nope… wait a second. I’d like an opinion first. I had thought about doing two media kids…

Doesn’t age have any advantages? I still don’t sleep well. Stars glistening, moon beaming, I think of bills, appointments, problems… I make lists, read, try to write (curse your inevitable betrayal writer’s block), and tried to simultaneously organize and turn off my thoughts.

It gives too much time for reflection. I ponder if my life would be easier if I had a hero. He can’t be just any hero; the term so loosely used nowadays. He’s gotta be strong…he’s gotta be sure… and he’s gotta be larger than life….my exhausted brain sighed, you’re just tossing and turning, with that Bonnie Tylersong in your head. I think of heroes as I slip into the arms of the sandman.

As a teen, I was a soap opera junkie. I couldn’t get enough of the endless tangled story lines, because like sands through the hourglass, so was that phase of my life.

As 13 Going on 30 is one of my favorite Rom-Com’s of all time, I decided I couldn’t resist a play-off post when my thirtieth birthday arrived today.

I usually think my birthday is neat because it’s tax day, the day Abe Lincoln was shot, and the ice-ing on the cake…day the Titanic hit the iceberg. This year, I think it’s neat (or rather, absolutely dreadful) that I am turning 30. I had my proper freak-out last week and this week, despite the pounding migraine from all this crazy weather, I decided I’m going to rock it.

So here we go. Here is the list of my lessons to me by me. Feel free to add your own life lessons / morals in the comments. I LOVE hearing new lessons and inspiration!

1. It’s going to be okay.
2. No really, it is. It really, truly, honestly is going to be okay.
3. You can’t change…