Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown graduated from UNC Greensboro with a multitude of degrees – majors in Elementary Education and Psychology and minors in Math and Sociology – she just couldn’t settle on one thing! While homeschooling her four children, she began her writing career by focusing on small businesses, writing articles, blog posts, and website content. She published five nonfiction self-help books dealing with real estate and finance, receiving “First Runner Up” in the Eric Hoffman Book Awards for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, finalist in the USA Best Books Awards for How To Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorate, and Real Estate Staging Business and for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, and Honorable Mention in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for Private Mortgage Investing. In 2017, Teri began dabbling in fiction, a lifelong dream. Upon winning the First Annual Anita Bloom Ornoff Award for Inspirational Short Story for a piece about her grandfather, she began writing in earnest, and published Sunflowers Beneath the Snow in January 2022. Teri’s second novel, An Enemy Like Me, is launching in January 2023. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others – especially youth and women who are having trouble discovering their worth. Learn more at http://www.terimbrown.com.
“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” ~ Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist
PodMatch
This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Teri M. Brown, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower.
“The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: artists, inventors, storytellers – creative and holistic ‘right-brain’ thinkers.” ~ Daniel Pink, author
This post contains affiliate links.
This blog post is going to be a little bit different than my others. I’m going to share with you a chat I had with Teri M. Brown an author I interviewed early last year but whose Story-Power episode doesn’t air until this coming Wednesday, January 25. In that episode, we talked about her first book, Sunflowers Beneath the Snow but she was already working on her second book, An Enemy Like Me, which she is publishing on January 24th. Both of Teri’s books are about the joys and difficulties of family relationships, among the most important relationships in our lives. And how outer events, such as the fall of Communism and World War II affect those who live through them.
Teri and I chatted about this second book, her writing and promotional process which I published on my Patreon page. I’m publishing it here to help her promote both books. I have published several conversations with my podcast guests on Patreon, some are uncut versions of their Story-Power episode, some are new conversations. I hope you’ll go check them out.
I’ve begun to read the books written by my podcast guests and I’m so glad I am doing that because I’m learning some vital things about the emotional lives of human beings through the characters who appear in the books. Of course, my guest’s books are not the only ones I read. However, I have to say, I’m am enjoying them and am glad to promote them so others can enjoy them too.
I wish I could remember who said, “Emotions are energy in motion,” but it’s so true. Since I’m an empathetic, highly sensitive person, I want to see the characters in the stories grow. I’m happy to say Teri’s characters learn some very important lessons. They are uplifting and that’s why I’m promoting them here.
One more thing that I have gained from talking with so many authors, I’ve been inspired and am working on my second novel again. I hope to get the rough draft finished by summer. I may post snippets of it here for you to read.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Teri, and be sure to listen to the our first conversation which helped us begin our growing friendship.
Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.
Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower.
PodMatch
This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Teri M. Brown, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.
Lorrie D. Grant is a storyteller with a message. She is always looking for an adventure and always has a story to tell. Lorrie decided to capture a few of her life stories a few years ago, simply to save her lessons learned for her two daughters. This unexpectedly led to creating a blog, which then led to the writing of her first children’s book, “Why is there an Elephant in my Basement?” released in 2017. The following year she released her second book, “Little White Flies”, and her third book, “I am Beautiful Too”, was released in 2019. Lorrie has a background in Corporate Business Operations, but is most passionate about making a difference in the lives of others.
“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” ~ Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist
PodMatch
This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Lorrie Grant, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower.
“The purpose of the storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” ~ Brandon Sanderson, fantasy and science fiction writer
“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” ~ Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist
This post contains affiliate links.
Since I started my Story-Power podcast, I’ve been trying to come up with a “elevator speech” about why I’m so passionate about stories. My answer is this: Since I’m an emotional explorer, stories are one of the major tools I use to understand the nuances of my own emotions and those of others.
I use stories like some people use music, to find answers to questions about my emotional life, or to sooth myself when I’m frazzled.
Every Tuesday night, Barry likes to listen to and participate in an online tech vlog, which means he needs the bandwidth. I usually read, but this past Tuesday I was in the mood for a quiet Sam Elliott movie. I chose, Conagher (1991) based on the Louis L’Amour book. It’s a gentle western, which is the kind of westerns Louis L’Amour writes. The descriptions of the landscape, or emotional states of the characters are accomplished in just a few sentences. Yet, for me at least, I can see what the character sees and feel what they are feeling without them saying a word. His stories usually have a love story at the heart of the action. There are very few gun or fist fights. Here’s the description of the movie, “A tough cowboy facing some trouble crosses paths with a lonely woman living in the middle of nowhere.”
Conagher is tough in that he’s a highly moral, emotionally intelligent character who doesn’t condone laziness or deceit in his fellow cowboys. He’s not loud about his point of view, but everyone knows. And his enemies are unscrupulous, immature men who think that Conagher is challenging them just by being who he is.
The lonely woman is widow Evie, played by Katherine Ross, who’s husband brought his family West to start a cattle ranch. But he’s killed in a riding accident on his way to purchase the cattle, and Evie is left with her two step children to find a way to survive. About two or three months after their arrival, the stage coach line hires Evie and her stepson, Laban to provide services for the passengers and horses until their permanent station is built. That’s how the family meet Conagher. He’s one of the men bringing the horses for the stage line.
The love story is developed through looks and deeds. Conagher and Evie never say, “I love you,” even at the end when they get together. I think that’s one of the things I love about this story, and Louis L’Amour’s writing. Everything the characters in his books do is spare. They have deep feelings but they show them rather than use flowery words. He’s a writer I try to emulate, because I tend to use too many words to express complex ideas and feelings. But it’s sometimes better to convey those with just a few words and through the actions of the characters.
I think it should be that way in life as well. The old adage, deeds speak louder than words is true. When Barry does something that needs to be done around the house without asking, I feel his love and care for me. I’ve been working on showing my love for him and the others in my life in more concrete ways. I have to say, it feels good.
Watching Conagher, reminded me, since I’ve begun working on my second novel again, to tell my story without the long descriptions. After all, I don’t want to tire my readers out with a bunch of unnecessary story stopping descriptions.
I’d be interested to hear what kinds of stories you love and what you’ve learned from them.
Have a lovely weekend. I hope you enjoy reading or watching some meaningful stories.
Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.
Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story. You may have seen my Story-Power posts here. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about your favorite stories, come join me at either SageWoman.life, or patreon.com/StoryPower.
PodMatch
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
An image of the Kunta Kinte Alex Haley Memorial in Annapolis.
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy stories. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy stories.” ~ Albert Einstein
This post contains affiliate links for my Patreon Community and PodMatch below.
One of the things I hoped for when I began this blog in 2013, was to create a community of people who would join in conversation with me. That’s what I aim for with all of my creative projects, my podcast and Patreon Community. It was one of the joys of teaching, the conversations with my students. Now that I’m retired, I miss those kinds of interactions.
Since I’m passionate about stories of all kinds, I thought this year I’d focus on stories that have impacted me in such a way, that I think about them long after I’ve read the book or seen the movie/TV show. I have found that discussing stories often leads to explorations of deeper themes both in the story and in my real life. So, that’s going to be the focus of this blog from now on.
I will still be sharing aha moments on my spiritual journey, and maybe even my thoughts on where humanity is headed, but they will most likely be linked to the stories I’m consuming. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know that’s just how my mind works. Any information that I take in gets put into a melting pot of ideas at the back of my mind and every once in a while, something new pops out of the pot into my consciousness with a new, to me, idea.
2022 was a big growth year for me. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I joined Mindvalley at some point during the year and took five or six courses all designed to help me clear out old blocks to my happiness, creativity, and prosperity. This was in addition to continuing to study A Course in Miracles. I’m happy to say that all the subtle shifts in my perception of the world and my place in it have changed, finally. One thing I’ve learned over my 69 years of life is that nothing changes quickly. Change is kind of like working a jigsaw puzzle, you put one little piece in at a time until the puzzle is finished.
For some reason, we humans decided that the world is a scary place full of people and situations out to get us. But that’s only one possibility which can be changed if we allow ourselves to consider a different perspective. My goal going forward is to expect love, light, joy, prosperity, and connection every single day.
Having set up what to expect from my future posts with that long prologue, I have decided that stories that don’t contain love, healing, forgiveness, and joy aren’t for me. That’s not to say I will not consume dystopian stories like The Hunger Games, or stories that have lots of external conflict in them. But the point of the story must be about the above mentioned things in the end. It has to end with the characters learning vital lessons, healing, and moving in positive directions.
So, I want to share with you three stories that Barry and I watched, or I read, that when they were over, my heart felt lighter and more hopeful.
One of the Christmas gifts Barry gave me was the movie, The Lady in the Water. It’s an M. Night Shyamalan movie (2006) based on a bedtime fairy story he made up for his girls. They loved it so much that they asked him night after night to add more details to the story. Eventually it became a published children’s book and then a movie.
One of the things I love about fairy tales is the many layers of meaning in them. Depending on how deep we dig, we can get lots of meaning out of those seemingly simple stories. They contain universal themes that are still relevant today.
The Lady in the Water, is about a sea nymph who needs the help of humans to get back to her family in the ocean. She was sent to interact with this specific group of humans and help them make small changes so that eventually the world becomes a better place. In her case, she lives underneath the swimming pool of a nondescript apartment building, where an ordinary, yet interesting and diverse group of people live. The Super of the complex finds her one night after she’s been attacked and to save her he must enlist the help of many of the people who live in the complex. As the story goes along, the people the Super brings together must discover their true purpose in life. Many of them must heal old wounds and they must work together to protect the nymph and help her get back home. It’s a gentle story of love in which each of the characters is changed in very subtle but profound ways.
For me, it’s one of those stories that will always give up new interpretations each time I watch it. The theme of working together for a common good is particularly relevant at the moment.
The second story is the first of a fantasy series by K.C. May titled The Song of the Sea Spirit. Hmm, I just realized that both of these stories have to do with sea creatures. Years ago I read another series by K.C. May, The Kinsheild Saga and loved that series. So, when I was looking for a fun book to finish off my 2022 Goodreads reading challenge, I decided to try this new series, The Mindstream Chronicles. In this series, Jora has the capability to connect with family and friends, who are far away fighting in a war, by connecting with their energy streams. When her best friend is getting ready to report for duty, he gives her a flute as a going away present. She has always wanted to play the flute, but decided to apprentice with the leather worker instead. When she goes to a nearby beach to begin to learn to play her flute, she meets a dolphin who is drawn to her by the song Jora is learning to play. And through the music, they begin a conversation. This relationship starts her on an unexpected journey full of new skills and danger. I love that music is a major component of communication between Jora and Sundancer, her dolphin friend.
The third story might surprise you. It’s a mystery series, Three Pines, based on the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series, by Louise Penny. Gamache is a member of the Quebec Sûreté. Throughout the 8 episodes of the first season he is called upon to investigate murders in the small village of Three Pines. The thing that is different about the character of Gamache, is that he’s compassionate and kind. Yes, he has demons. His parents were killed when he was fairly young and that still haunts him. But instead of stuffing his feelings about that and the cases he’s called upon to solve and becoming stoic, he treats his coworkers, suspects, and even the murderers with kindness.
After watching Three Pines, I told Barry that from now on I want to watch and read stories that have lighter themes. Stories full of hope even if the characters have to go through tough challenges to find happiness. I don’t usually make resolutions, but I guess this desire to consume stories with positive messages would be one.
I hope you will share stories that you love and have learned from with the group. I’m always interested in story suggestions and discussions.
Here’s to a happy and prosperous New Year for all of you!
Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards.
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.
The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version is published.
Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Google, and Spotify podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.
Patreon
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast and Patreon communities so I’d have an excuse to talk story. You may have seen my Story-Power posts here. If you’re passionate about stories too, and want to talk about your favorite stories, come join me at either SageWoman.life, or patreon.com/StoryPower.
PodMatch
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
Sage Woman Chronicles 