Sage Woman Chronicles

3, 2, 1, Launch

After seven years, it’s finally happening! In a way it’s hard to believe that The Space Between Time will launch Memorial Day weekend. The book should be available at all ebook retailers by May 30 or 31. it takes Smashwords awhile to format the book for the different e-reader formats.

My husband and I have decided to do what we call a soft launch by publishing the ebook first. In two or three weeks we’ll launch the print-on-demand book, which we hope to make available in both hard and paperback.

It’s been a long, at times frustrating journey, but one that has convinced me that the writing life is for me. I’m already working on the sequel novel tentatively titled Time’s Echo.

Below find the book description, written by my good friend Debrah Strait. It’s much better than the one I wrote. Also endorsements from Debrah and another friend, Dorothy Sander, their books and contact information are also listed. I’m so grateful to both these women for their comments on, and support of my work.

Book description:
Life is not going well for Jenna Holden. Her live-in-fiancé walks out. Instead of the promotion she’s expecting at her book editor job, she’s fired. Her estranged mother is in a terrible accident that may kill her. And Jenna must return to the small town where she grew up to recoup. With all that’s happened she sees no future for herself.

But then, in her mother’s attic, Jenna finds journals written by a long-dead ancestress. They transport her to another time and place, giving her access to the thoughts and feelings of another woman, also alone in the world, who is facing similar trials of heartache and loss. Reading them somehow gives Jenna an escape from her own pain and sorrow, yet offers a doorway to resilience, healing and the joy of a supportive love. Jenna need only find the self-knowledge and courage to step through, into that space between time.

Dorothy Sander endorsement
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden cosmically blends the lives of two women, generations apart, and takes her readers on a compelling journey into the heart, mind and soul of every woman. The Space Between Time is a clever, page turning book. Worlds apart, each woman wrestles with the familial and cultural claims on their lives and the vagaries of life itself. Determined to follow their hearts, no matter where they take them, their severest tests birth their greatest strengths. Separately, yet together, they grow in wisdom and understanding and find their way home to their hearts. A great read.

Dorothy Sander, Author of Finding Hope, Quotes & Inspiration for the Midlife Woman, and founder of AgingAbundantly.com. She can also be found at Dorothy Sander about.me/dsander and Aging Abundantly on Twitter.

Debrah Strait endorsement
This intriguing story of two women, living in two different time periods, caught me early on and never let go. There are accurate historical details, challenges of loss and heartache, mysteries to solve, and love to find for both women, in a well-paced and satisfying read. It is a book to be savored and re-read.

Debrah Strait can be contacted at debrahstrait.com . All her books are listed there, along with samples and first chapters. Her e-mail address is listed on the first page::(debrahstrait@yahoo.com)

The Sweet Trade — pirate adventure yarn

The Dragon’s Gold – comic fairy tale

Flash of the Pen – 22 pieces of flash fiction, plus two haiku.

By July, book #4 will be launched. Title: Notes From Bisbee; Twenty years on the Border with killer bees, rattlesnakes, and folks in need of attention. It’s a collections of her Christmas newsletters sent out every year since 1996, a memoir of sorts.

You can find Lucinda at: Facebook writer’s page, Goodreads Author Dashboard, Twitter, and She Writes.

And if you want to join my email list for updates on all my creative projects, click here.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

The Magic is Within You

Red Shadow Sky Magic Wand Sunset Cloud Girl

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” ~ Jane Austen, from Mansfield Park

“The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” ~ Gloria Steinem

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” ~ Albert Einstein

“The main thing to do is relax and let your talent do the work.” ~ Charles Barkley

“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” ~ Hillary Clinton

“I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.” ~ J. K. Rowling

Recently my Facebook feed has been inundated with ads for apps that help writers come up with plots, market their books, create great characters, create a best seller, or yada, yada, yada. I’m sorry, but I don’t think an algorithm can create a better book, or article than the one that comes from a human being’s imagination, experience, and heart. The magic is within the artist to follow unlikely trails that lead to a piece of artwork that touches others. We all have the magic inside of us.

I’ve always had, at least since I became self-aware, an internal advisor that I called my “Little Voice”. This voice is different than my inner critic, which I also had and sometimes they would battle for my attention. But as I grew, I learned that if I followed my little voice, things would turn out well. If I followed my inner critic, I’d find myself in the middle of a disaster.

I’m convinced that we all have an inner guide. It’s just that we don’t learn how to use our intuition from our parents, in school, at church, or other organizations. Well, I did, but then I have unusual parents and a rather unusual church. But eventually I had to leave my church because I found that my spiritual journey was going in one direction while the church was going in another. My little voice told me I could leave and live or stay and die. I chose to leave, and I’ve never been sorry I did. I would not be here writing this blog post, or about to publish my first novel if I had not listened to my little voice.

It’s sad that we’re taught to conform instead of listen to our intuition and follow our own sacred path. It’s been that way for millennia, except now there are a growing number of schools around the world that are teaching their students to meditate, to examine and express their feelings in constructive ways so they can find their inner guidance system. Actually, many adults are incorporating meditation into their daily routines as well and I say woo hoo for that!

My point in writing all of the above is to say that we all have a genius for something creative inside us. We all have a little voice and following it can not only make our lives happier, but just think of the impact what we create may have on others. If we all share the talents we have, the ripple effect will be enormous. You don’t have to take classes to begin, unless your little voice guides to take them.

I trust my intuition to put the books, or courses, or people in my path that will help me in some way. Just this past week or so, as I’ve been waiting for my husband to create the cover art for my book, I came across an article that helped me improve my novel. Then I was gathering maps to include in my book and I discovered that I had made mistake on the wagon trail route my main character in the past was to take. Fortunately those adjustments didn’t take long, but I must say, I’m extremely grateful to have been able to improve my manuscript before publication.

So, in a week or two my husband and I will do a soft launch of The Space Between Time. We’ve decided to publish the ebook first, then the print on demand books a week or two later. I hope to have the cover art for you to see next week and news of the launch dates. This may not be what many marketing experts say to do, but it feels right to me.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

If you would like to join my mailing list, click here.

Take a Breath

“He who puts out his hand to stop the wheel of history will have his fingers crushed.” ~ Lech Walesa

“It’s television’s version of taking a deep breath … a very long, very slow, deep breath. It’s called “Slow TV”, and it’s a smash-hit in Norway.” Seth Doane, CBS Sunday Morning

“Being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

Last Saturday I was working furiously on the latest revisions of my soon (I promise) to be published book, The Space Between Time, when nine deer wandered past my office window. My husband got photos and video of them eating our rosebush. As you can see he had to take them through the blinds of one of our windows. I hope you can see them. We just stood and watched for several minutes as they meandered through the yard eating. I felt more calm after watching them and decided that what I got done that day on my book would be enough.

Then on CBS Sunday Morning there was a segment about a popular show in Norway called “Slow TV”. It is such a contrast to the fast paced life we lead here in the U.S. And I ask myself, do we need to do everything at such a fast pace? Do we rush because we think if we don’t get there first there won’t be anything left for us? That’s pure nonsense. To paraphrase the T-shirt slogan I saw on Facebook, “Life is not a pie.” There is plenty of everything to go around for ALL of us. We don’t have to fight for the crumbs when there is something better waiting for us, if we’d just slow down and focus within.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but I feel a deep need to slow down. I want to appreciate every moment and let the stresses and strains of life take care of themselves. Part of that means reducing the amount of time I check into my social media feeds. If I let them, they can make me crazy with posts pointing out the problems in the world. I don’t want that kind of negative energy in my space. If I can do something about a situation, I will. If not, I trust that there will be people who can help.

So, lately, I’ve been taking deep breaths. I’ve committed to daily meditation, sending Reiki to family and friends and to listening, to nature, other people, and my inner voice. I’m taking some workshops that help me focus on my own spiritual growth and hopefully eventual enlightenment. One effect of this course of action, or non-action, as the case may be, is that I’m feeling happier. I can hear guidance that was downed out by all the noise I was paying attention to, and I can see a happier future for myself with lots of wonderful possibilities. I forgot to do this for a while. I’m glad I got back to just being.

My husband and I are watching Genius, a short series on NatGeo. It’s about Albert Einstein. Once I watched a biography about him, and they shared a story about his process. When he got stuck on the next step in something he was working on, he’d ride the street car and let his mind drift. I do this sometimes when I get stuck on my writing, let my mind drift.

When I was a teacher, I had to drive an hour to get to school. That was often the most productive time of my day, because as my mind was focused on the mundane task of watching the road, the back of my mind was working on a problem I had with a student, or with the play I was directing, or how to present a lesson. I loved day dreaming when I was younger. I think I’ll go back to doing it more often.

I encourage you to get off the merry-go-round that surrounds you for at least a few minutes a day, take a breath, and appreciate the great things in your life. That’s how even greater things come to us. Gratitude and appreciation allows that still small voice to open up worlds that we were not previously aware existed.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

The Gifts of Restlessness

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I’ll show you a failure.” ~ Thomas Edison

“No, it’s not dissatisfaction that inspires me to tinker with my songs, it’s just restlessness.” ~ Andrew Bird

“I believe that curiosity, wonder and passion are defining qualities of imaginative minds and great teachers; that restlessness and discontent are vital things; and that intense experience and suffering instruct us in ways that less intense emotions can never do. ~ Kay Redfield Jamison

I once heard a poet tell of her writing process. She’d be out gardening, or maybe doing housework when suddenly she could feel a poem galloping toward her. To capture the poem, she’d have to stop what she was doing and run to get pen and paper before the poem passed her by. Sometimes she wouldn’t get to the paper fast enough to catch the poem and it would gallop on never to return. At other times she would miss the beginning of the poem, so she’d have to catch the tail and drag it back. In those cases, she’d have to write the poem down backwards. I wish I could remember her name. I’d love to read her poems.

This story stuck with me because that’s how I know change is coming. I can feel it coming long before it arrives at my doorstep. A mild restlessness and dissatisfaction with the way things are going in my life are the first indications that big changes are on their way.

This feeling of restlessness applies to all aspects of my life, even writing. I can feel that there is something I’m supposed to write about, but sometimes the horse has stopped to snack on luscious grass and I feel frustrated that I have to wait until the horse is ready to continue the journey. No amount of coaxing works. I have to wait to be able to grasp the entire idea.

Or sometimes I feel restless, like now, because I’m waiting on others to do their part so I can publish my work. Then, just when I’m about to explode with frustration, something will happen and I’ll read an article with a writing tip that I can use to improve my work, and that sends me to do another round of revisions. That happened to me last week. So, while my husband is creating the cover art for The Space Between Time, I’m making minor changes to my manuscript.

The thing about restlessness is that it’s not random. When it sneaks in to my life, it’s telling me something important. It appears when I’ve gotten too comfortable and am about to stagnate, which is never a good thing for any of us. We’re meant to grow and evolve and we can’t do that if we cling to our routines and never venture to try anything new.

Maybe our trip to Portland intensified my current restless feelings. I mean for a couple of years, I’ve been examining my belief systems and attitudes, and working to open myself to new ways of thinking and being. Just these past few months, I’ve decided it’s time for some new experiences. But when we went back to a place we had lived for fifteen years, after being away for nearly twenty-one years, I saw how much the city had changed. I didn’t fit there any longer and that shook something loose in me. I think it shook something loose in Barry too because it feels like our horizons have been expanded.

I’m not quite sure how all these feelings will manifest yet, but I know that for the first time, my dreams for the future are far larger than I’ve ever dared hope for and I’m excited for what comes next.

By the way, I hope to reveal the cover art for my novel soon. The restlessness is fading. I don’t think I’ll have to wait long for the changes that have been germinating to appear.

If you’re feeling restless, take that as a sign that better things are on their way and look for new and exciting things to be presented to you.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.

Why I Won’t “Resist”

“This is one of the great metaphors of life: Move with the flow. Don’t fight the current. Resist nothing. Let life carry you, don’t try to carry it.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

“There are three words that convey the art of living, secret of all success and happiness: One with life.” ~ Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth.

“Life can take care of itself. … Most of us are so used to the idea that we need to control our lives. The notion that life can take care of itself from our awareness seems impossible but the infinite intelligence of consciousness has always been taking care of life.” ~ Deepak Chopra

“I find hope in the darkest of days and focus in the brightness. I do not judge the universe.” ~ Dalai Lama

This has been the longest three months of my life. But it’s been a great time of growth too.

When Trump was inaugurated and the roll-back of all the social services that protect the environment and help people began, I was ready to join the resistance movement. Yet, over the years I’ve learned that when I resist events in my life, I’m more miserable because my problems grow bigger. Resistance keeps me stuck in victimhood and focused on my problems rather than looking for a solution.

I was fortunate to learn this fairly early in my life. When I was in college I experienced a series of life shattering events. During this time, someone suggested I buy a journal, which I did. For the first month or two, or three, all I did was complain. But miraculously one day I wrote, “What am I supposed to be learning from all this?” And that’s when my life began to transform. That question moved my attention from my problems to possible solutions. It helped me begin to examine my attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that were contributing to my unhappiness.

Change happens whether we want it to or not. It’s like waves lapping up on the shore. We can’t stop them even if we wanted to. I’m not a surfer, but I imagine that to be good at that sport you have to learn to go with the flow. Once you’re up on that board riding that wave, you have to be sensitive to the flow of the water and make adjustments accordingly. It seems to me that if you misread the flow, or the new direction the wave is headed, you fall. But the beauty of surfing is that you can get up and ride the next wave, and possibly end up in a different place from where you began. I think it’s better to go with the flow rather than try to make the water go where we want it to. That never works. And besides, we’re not God. We can’t see the whole ocean. We can either trust the flow of life, or we can cause ourselves all kinds of pain fighting against the current.

For this reason, I trust life to take care of life. Whether we want it to or not progress happens, and right now I think old structures are getting washed away. We’ve fallen into the water and are trying desperately not to drown. We can relax, hold on to the board and let the wave take us safely to shore, or we can yell at the wave and fight to get back to where we fell. It’s our choice.

When I hear the word resistance, I think back to all the times in my life when I resisted growth, or the truth about myself. When I fought, I was miserable. When I allowed myself to feel my true emotions, they dissipated much faster, and I could see solutions that were hidden in plain sight while I was focusing on the problem.

Two weeks ago I joined Oprah and Deepak’s latest 21 day meditation series, “Hope in Uncertain Times.” As they have guided me through these powerful meditations, I have come to understand that the tide of human evolution has turned. Most of us have been shaken from our apathy. We’re finding purpose in standing up for the world we’d like to live in. We’re doing that in big and small ways. The phone calls, and demonstrations are peaceful, but powerful because we know what we want and we’re not giving up.

The contrast between those of who are going with the flow of change, and those who are fighting the current is very apparent. Some of our leaders want to turn back the clock, but that’s impossible. Therefore I have to trust that soon the wave will rush into shore and we’ll see ways to build better systems to replace the old.

Recently a Facebook friend of mine showed me a great way to contribute to the rebuilding process. She shared that her life has been very stressful for some time now. Yet, one day she passed a homeless man sitting on the sidewalk in the rain near her house. It seemed to her that his need was greater than hers, so she made a sandwich and took it too him. She wrote that she was learning to “Give what you can when you can.” Giving that man a sandwich helped her feel better about herself and her situation. I found that inspiring. When she helped that man, her focus changed from her problems to a small solution for someone else. I think I’ll follow her lead, because when more of us do what we can, when we can, we create a larger and larger flow of change. And change, like water, cuts through the hardest substance given enough time.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend. To join my mailing list, click here.