tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40177972591591954302024-03-19T08:48:57.824-04:00cat_needs_sleepCattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-33721379994057821312020-10-30T21:35:00.003-04:002020-10-30T21:35:45.604-04:00A Room Of My Own by Louisa RogersI finished reading Virginia Woolf’s famous essay, “A Room of One’s Own,” late
one night and lay in my bed musing. Fifty years earlier, in the 1920s, Woolf had
argued that women needed independent space to be creative. Glancing across my
studio at the Smith-Corona typewriter where I spent most afternoons tapping
away, I knew she was right. Having my own private sanctuary had jump-started my
own writing practice. <div><br /></div><div>At 24, I had a part-time job I loved, teaching English to
adult foreigners. Stimulating as it was, though, my work was not enough. Since
childhood, my dream had been to be published. Every afternoon when my classes
were finished, I’d ride my bicycle back to my apartment and plug away at the
travel article I was writing about my recent trip to England. Occasionally while
pondering a word choice, I’d look up at the row of sparrows sitting on the
telephone line outside of my window. </div><div><br /></div><div>After weeks of writing and rewriting, I
sold the article to a regional airline magazine. My first article in print! And
byline! For days I glided down spongy streets, giddy with excitement at my
success and at the sense of promise and possibility ahead. </div><div><br /></div><div>That same month, my
boyfriend and I decided to rent an apartment together. I was ready for our next
stage of commitment, but anxious at the thought of living with a man – even my
man. How would I satisfy my need for a private refuge, where I could brainstorm,
dream, plan, and write? </div><div><br /></div><div>To my delight Barry supported my desire for a room of my
own, but it turned out he wanted a space of his own, too. (The nerve!) We
couldn’t afford a larger apartment, so we decided to sacrifice the bedroom.
Every night we unrolled our foam mattress on to the carpet in a corner of the
living room and made the bed, reversing the process in the morning. In my
office, I’d type away at my desk, occasionally glancing up for inspiration at my
print of delicately patterned kimonos hanging on a clothesline. </div><div><br /></div><div>During the six
month we lived in that apartment, I sold every article I wrote. Looking back, I
don’t believe I’d have been a successful had I squeezed my desk into the
bedroom. My office was a metaphor for my sense of professional worth, a
statement announcing that I took myself and my writing seriously, and that I
would not compromise my goals. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the 45 years since, wherever Barry and I have
lived—homes on both coasts, four states, a Canadian province, and a Mexican
state—I’ve always maintained an independent space. It hasn’t always been a
formal room with four walls and a door: in one small apartment, I had to settle
for a nook bracketed off by a divider. And when my stepdaughter lived with us, I
rented an office. </div><div><br /></div><div>In all those rooms, I kept publishing: personal essays and
columns, articles and op-eds, reviews and blogs. Throughout my career, I’ve
always focused on what compels me: physical and emotional health, food, home,
travel expat life, family relationships, spirituality. My writing has been
published in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., South Africa, and Brazil. </div><div><br /></div><div>How prophetic that I read Virginia Woolf’s essay only a few weeks before moving
into the apartment with my beloved. The timing seems almost eerie. I had no idea
that my mentor’s words would have a such a lifelong effect. The sanctuaries
Woolf inspired in me have not only been places to write, but havens to grow,
evolve, and discover who I am in the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>Article from Writer’s Digest
July/August 2020
</div>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-9767695817485567902017-06-22T15:25:00.003-04:002017-06-22T15:25:49.136-04:00Signs That You’ve Found You’re Calling by Dr. Lissa Rankin<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may think you’ve identified your calling, questioned it,
become disillusioned, left it and then come back to it in a different form. The
following clues let you know you’re on the right track.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You realize you’ve been training for this since birth: Even
the gritty things, the disappointments, regrets and screw-ups have all been
preparation. Major life disruptions and failures were all just teaching
essential lessons so that you can become who you’re called to be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You sense ease: In the face of obstacles—such as doors of
suspected opportunity that are shut tight or relentless struggles impeding a
course you thought was right—it can be hard to tell if your commitment is just
being tested or you’ve veered off course. Such hurdles can be part of the
growth process cultivating your “inner hero” necessary for the journey. Trust
the sense of movement towards ease, which likely will include supportive synchronicities.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your health may improve: Cravings for unhealthy foods will
lessen and you’ll feel more energetic. Old aches and pains might disappear;
even chronic illness can fade when you’re focused on your life purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You feel strangely peaceful, despite reasons to be anxious: Your
soul longs to express what you’re on Earth to express, and when you finally
rise into alignment with your calling, your soul does a happy dance. Even if
everything else seems to be falling apart and others consider you crazy, you’ll
be centered in peace, relieved that you finally know what you’re called to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The universe rolls out the red carpet: When called to do
what is needed for the highest good of all beings, the universe bends over
backwards to hand you whatever you need. No request is too small. Unexpected
money flows in and other resources appear just as you’re ready to give up. You’ll
know you’re on track, even if it is not quite clear what you’re on track to do.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People find you: Few can fulfill a calling alone. Most of us
need a tribe to lift us up as we do brave, scary, world-changing things. When
you’re aligned with your life purpose the right people, including
magic-wielding mentors, will find you at the right time, if only you’re
courageous enough to be vulnerable about what you’re being called to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Natural
Awakenings Magazine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">July 2016<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-63301714088247835502017-06-22T15:22:00.000-04:002017-06-22T15:22:10.324-04:00Insider Secret: Surround Yourself with Positive People:07 - "Stay away from the NIOP's. Do you know what a NIOP is? The Negative Influence of Other People. Because they don't want you moving forward because when you're moving forward, they're moving backward and they don't like that stuff so they get that lasso out and pull you back. Get away from them! They're not your true friends. Your true friends will love you, encourage you, support you and build you up. They won't try to pull you back."
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kNUbSJEkYag" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-62884677621519155632017-01-03T09:53:00.003-05:002017-01-03T09:53:39.451-05:00New Year, 2017! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyApfAghJm1dhRnr5QWfzNMoHih5mmEjqIEoR6fF4hQPTckxPpfOuet4bairSXw7-JGKEXln0YgVOi60MZ3KAMIbtTLza-RFR_vznsZAh1FE_wBRPCJEvnEW8dOex90Nt3Id7c-pfkAdq/s1600/WP_20170101_001%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZyApfAghJm1dhRnr5QWfzNMoHih5mmEjqIEoR6fF4hQPTckxPpfOuet4bairSXw7-JGKEXln0YgVOi60MZ3KAMIbtTLza-RFR_vznsZAh1FE_wBRPCJEvnEW8dOex90Nt3Id7c-pfkAdq/s320/WP_20170101_001%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">A little luck never hurt. I lit this candle, on Jan 1st. </span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-57113899212658783362015-06-20T06:29:00.001-04:002015-06-20T06:29:43.755-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvyZPDX9h8J3aubhVsrT7RJ1X9nxEo3mm6egk9rXs3rYsarkEYlTZRnQhVQncJy1BUqZM0p-UYuvUt7l5HMdnFI_zxzdxk-7qspOhzpxIKlX6s3n17CLI88p8SSjggHOqP2O_ZQlosXr6/s1600/FB_20150605_18_07_51_Saved_Picture%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvyZPDX9h8J3aubhVsrT7RJ1X9nxEo3mm6egk9rXs3rYsarkEYlTZRnQhVQncJy1BUqZM0p-UYuvUt7l5HMdnFI_zxzdxk-7qspOhzpxIKlX6s3n17CLI88p8SSjggHOqP2O_ZQlosXr6/s320/FB_20150605_18_07_51_Saved_Picture%255B1%255D.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>
<br />Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-62953370020110797052015-05-31T01:31:00.000-04:002015-05-31T01:31:06.749-04:00Quotes for the Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3ZjP_fsO0w3eKRYl10jEcDJm18bzCVMmP3kL1c6hU_Rc62LSrw14F5zVwlgTWrm6hcXKMUvsn9Y9wEuX5bZXbyKq1vywQU5JX-x0Yas0F_MwM4sbOfz6yzCp013o3-mUjJi0dKEAVTjk/s1600/JO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3ZjP_fsO0w3eKRYl10jEcDJm18bzCVMmP3kL1c6hU_Rc62LSrw14F5zVwlgTWrm6hcXKMUvsn9Y9wEuX5bZXbyKq1vywQU5JX-x0Yas0F_MwM4sbOfz6yzCp013o3-mUjJi0dKEAVTjk/s400/JO.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-72652519401241856162015-01-25T04:45:00.003-05:002015-01-25T04:45:36.760-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy9cPuPk9ddRIiU7mMzqUcUAGQp7P5S_hotyWfNI5ixMmt6eHvwflEl9OZEEtY0Jm2uujWlgpXazUsM3vJxhLeQrBg3Ww38LXDXXafEAw51YKAZPIJai6wyl94ACjwJiI6Rf6GY3CbqD5/s1600/Twitter44edd57_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicy9cPuPk9ddRIiU7mMzqUcUAGQp7P5S_hotyWfNI5ixMmt6eHvwflEl9OZEEtY0Jm2uujWlgpXazUsM3vJxhLeQrBg3Ww38LXDXXafEAw51YKAZPIJai6wyl94ACjwJiI6Rf6GY3CbqD5/s1600/Twitter44edd57_jpg.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></div>
<br />Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-19236844130078124762015-01-16T02:53:00.001-05:002015-01-16T02:53:44.893-05:00What Age Did Well-Known Authors Publish Their Most Famous Works?<a href="https://blog.blinkboxbooks.com/what-age-did-the-greatest-authors-publish-their-most-famous-works/" target="_blank"><img src="https://blog.blinkboxbooks.com/what-age-did-the-greatest-authors-publish-their-most-famous-works/social/embed.jpg" border="0" width="550" height="550" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 12px;">Explore the careers of some of the world’s most successful authors. Click image to open interactive version (via <a href="http://www.blinkboxbooks.com/">Blinkbox Books</a>).</span>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-51893121999344913132014-07-27T05:58:00.002-04:002014-07-27T05:58:25.408-04:00Inspirational Quotes for the Writer
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and
the only way to be truly satisfied is to do great work and the only way to do
great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.
Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find
it.” –Steve Jobs</em></span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-89080207736809167242014-06-08T06:45:00.001-04:002014-06-08T06:45:24.535-04:00Toxic People<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span style="color: black;"><i><span lang="EN" style="color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
his book </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">No B.S. Time
Management for Entrepreneurs</span><i>, business coach and consultant Dan
Kennedy reveals the steps behind making the most of your frantic,
time-pressured days so you can turn time into money. In this edited excerpt,
the author explains the people you spend time with affect your productivity and
why you should carefully choose who to associate with.</i></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
of the most significant things you can control is association -- your choices
of who you permit into your world, who you give time to or invest time with,
and who you look to for ideas, information and education. The people around you
rarely have a neutral effect. They either facilitate your accomplishment, they
undermine it, or they sabotage it outright.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
first useful association tactic is the elimination of toxic people and
saboteurs. It's not an easy thing to face facts about a friend, family member,<span style="text-underline: none;"> long-time
employee</span> or long-time vendor when they are, in some way, interfering
with or disapproving of your accomplishment. It's important to face these facts
and to act on them because the more time you spend with people who are
unhelpful, unsupportive, disrespectful, envious, resentful, dysfunctional or
outright damaging to you, the less value all your time has.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These
people don’t just harm the minutes you and they are in the same place. Few
people can so perfectly compartmentalize that they can lock every thought,
assertion and act of a toxic person in a little mind box and without leakage
into other mind boxes. Paraphrasing a Chinese proverb (I found in a fortune
cookie), if you lie down with mongrel dogs, even for a short nap, you wake up
with fleas -- and they ride with you wherever you go.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ideas, beliefs, opinions
and <span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">habits</span> work just like
that. Even if you're associating only occasionally or briefly with someone who
is intellectually or emotionally toxic or someone who is feckless and inept,
it’s enough time for the fleas to leap from them to you, burrow in and be carried
away by you to subtly affect your performance and productivity. If your
creativity or constructive thinking or work performance is thus diminished, so
is the<span style="text-underline: none;"> </span>value of your
time.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People
who are detrimental for you to associate with are not necessarily of evil
intent. They may all be “good people,” but that doesn’t mean they’re good for
you. Good chocolate cake is not good for a diabetic. In fact, it’s poison.
Associating with somebody who is always pushing it to you, saying “Just have a
tiny piece” is just as suicidal as baking it for yourself.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
are lots of ways a person can be toxic and poisonous to you. I’ve had clients
describe how recurring disputes with a particular employee were mentally
exhausting but couldn’t be helped because otherwise, that person was a great
asset. The “otherwise” is a big problem. Many small businesses wind up with a
ruthlessly defensive key person who goes into murder mode anytime an attempt is
made to add a second person but is “otherwise” terrific.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There's
the “we tried that before” guy. If it were up to him, we’d light the place with
candles because Edison would have been limited to one try. There’s the
“constructive critic,” always making you feel inadequate or undeserving, in the
guise of being a cautionary ally worrying over you stubbing a toe.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
the other hand, constructive association with creative, inspiring, encouraging
people can do a great deal to bolster your performance, thus making your time more
valuable. Each minute of your time is made more or less valuable by the
condition of your mind, and it is constantly being conditioned by association.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
entrepreneur is particularly susceptible to gaining or losing power by
association because he has so many diverse responsibilities and is often
operating under pressure, duress and urgency. Playing this game in a
compromised mental state, weakened or wounded by poor ideas and attitudes
seeded into the mind by association, is extremely difficult. Playing it
strengthened and empowered by rich ideas and attitudes seeded into the mind by
association can make the difficult easy.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 9.75pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Simply
put, you want to deliberately reduce and restrict the amount of your time left
vulnerable to random thought or association, and deliberately, sharply reduce
the amount of time given to association with people who won’t make any
productive contribution and may do harm. Does that mean you can only spend time
with people you are in complete philosophical agreement with? No. In fact, such
isolationism can be dangerous. But it does mean you should avoid association
with people who believe and promulgate beliefs diametrically opposed to
“success orientation.”</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You want to deliberately
increase the amount of your time directed at chosen thinking and input, and
constructive, productive association. You want to associate with strivers and
achievers, with winners and champions. This is an uplifting force that
translates into peak performance, which makes all your time more valuable.</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Entrepreneur
Mag Dec 27, 2013</span> </span></span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-21792846872775972332014-06-08T06:43:00.000-04:002014-06-08T06:43:02.486-04:00Inspirational Quotes For The Writer
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #443f38; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“An outline is crucial. It saves so much
time. When you write suspense, you have to know where you’re going because you
have to drop little hints along the way. With the outline, I always know where
the story is going. So before I ever write, I prepare an outline of 40 or 50
pages.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">—John Grisham</span></span></em></span></span></span></span></span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-62984854762932109262014-02-24T06:44:00.003-05:002014-02-24T06:44:28.079-05:00Inspirational Quotes For The Writer
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">@StrugglingW Don’t worry abt critics. Keep your head down
& write. That’s what they didn’t do, which is why they’re critics.
Cheers/JR<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-11015962875119275102014-02-05T07:22:00.001-05:002014-02-05T07:22:19.497-05:00Authors Launch Brown Girls Publishing <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit1HeuyNs3kO0VtDRNNRzuw7CavZgcYPWesH6HEv1tHgDBtbXUneNWfjCcYGYnWSer4JlREThQok9DBIOx0PptkeUKulxHUejodvuKd07Oaq_59Eh7pTegLx_MHkRRu_Kx1eVTKrvUg3c/s1600/Victoria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit1HeuyNs3kO0VtDRNNRzuw7CavZgcYPWesH6HEv1tHgDBtbXUneNWfjCcYGYnWSer4JlREThQok9DBIOx0PptkeUKulxHUejodvuKd07Oaq_59Eh7pTegLx_MHkRRu_Kx1eVTKrvUg3c/s1600/Victoria.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvFy0DIC1TwV8zk5vmvcvKBh2aWdAGWIqh_ZOWezC1o2hXDfmAOVdvWPNvHirnLkqyHleYYLxOyCOvAET0dI35Idk6lF9uPt5yO3Uvwpegc2WQalqFvIpCyPyJUC6ZCIWPx418NjsfFuV/s1600/Reshona.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvFy0DIC1TwV8zk5vmvcvKBh2aWdAGWIqh_ZOWezC1o2hXDfmAOVdvWPNvHirnLkqyHleYYLxOyCOvAET0dI35Idk6lF9uPt5yO3Uvwpegc2WQalqFvIpCyPyJUC6ZCIWPx418NjsfFuV/s1600/Reshona.jpg" /></a>Bestselling Simon & Schuster co-authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley are now teaming up on the business side: the two writers are launching Brown Girls Publishing, a new digital publishing venture that debuts today. <a href="http://browngirlspublishing.com/">Brown Girls Publishing</a> will publish in a variety of genres and release books in digital and POD trade paperback editions.</div>
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</div>
<div class="article">
The new publishing venture will initially launch with four titles this month and will release four titles a month going forward. Digital distribution is via INScribe Digital and BGP's POD trade paperback editions will be produced through Amazon’s CreateSpace unit.</div>
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<div class="article">
While the authors have focused their own books on the African-American community, the authors said the new venture will publish books in a wide variety of genres. Among the first titles to be released from Brown Girls Publishing will be <em>Open Door Marriage</em> by Naleighna Kai, <em>In Strict Confidence</em> by Dwayne Joseph, <em>The Next Thing is Joy: The Gospel According to Vivian Grace</em> by Tracey Michael Lewis and <em>Pink and Patent Leather</em> by Candy Jackson. The new venture is also publishing a new edition of <em>Easier Said Than Done,</em> a romance novel by Nikki Woods, senior producer of the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Radio Show. BGP will also begin publishing a new series of novels by Woods.</div>
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The authors emphasized that BGP are looking for books “that have a good story and are well written,” Murray said. “We want quality, not quantity,” added Billingsley. BGP has assembled a committee to review manuscript submissions and recommend titles to be published. All books will be edited by Murray and Billingsley.</div>
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<div class="article">
The two bestselling authors/publishers are both published by Simon & Schuster and between the two have authored more than 30 books and sold more than 2 million copies. While the two write a variety of fiction separately, they are also the coauthors of <em>Friends and Foes</em> and <em>Saints and Sinners</em>, the ongoing story of the scheming hijinks of two ambitious church wives. The two authors, who will continue to write for S&S, are also skilled in other areas. Murray has an MBA from New York University and Billingsley is a former TV and radio news reporter who also has more than 25 years experience in marketing.</div>
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“We’ve been pretty successful and we’ve still got book contracts at S&S,” Murray said in a phone interview with <em>PW</em>. Murray told <em>PW</em> the notion to launch a publishing company began a year ago when her agent, Lisa Dawson, self-published some of Murray’s fiction as an e-book novel and the book sold about 15,000 copies with almost no promotion. “Just a little note on my facebook page,” Murray said.</div>
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</div>
<div class="article">
Murray notes that she and her partner launched their own careers as self-publishers and they both believe “there are a lot of great writers out there with no opportunity to publish.” In a separate interview with ReShonda Tate Billingsley, she emphasized that “we’re calling our company ‘Brown Girls’ because of me and my partner, but we have black men and white men authors.” Both authors said that BGP will publish books “in all genres from romance and literary fiction to science-fiction, crime and more,” Billingsley said. The two authors are providing the bulk of the financing for the publishing house, although the company has two investors.</div>
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Not surprisingly the new venture will emphasize digital marketing and social media and both authors emphasized that they will work closely with INScribe to help guide their marketing, pricing and distribution strategies.</div>
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</div>
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“We both know publishing from being in the trenches,” Billingsley said, “and we still love our publisher, but after looking at the advances made in the technology of digital publishing we decided to jump onboard."</div>
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</div>
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From Publisher's Weekly 02/03/2014</div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-85936371090998211422013-12-01T07:08:00.001-05:002013-12-01T07:08:09.064-05:00Help a Disabled Author Start the Zombie Revolution!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bKMuD7-rpP8" width="459"></iframe><br />
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-32331222842180498292013-10-05T05:40:00.000-04:002013-10-05T05:40:21.841-04:00Gene Hackman
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6OPzXEWHd3yxnIt9wwuBOXJmzRVPyJWaT1SSlqhTFOAfUO_jQs98qUJbnMnNfGWVykTS_VukWix8AqBIc0UV2XBR7-zjyS1TEpahiedDyZNEio9Jlm5cnTv0luYgLgBzviOyY9Y27g-g/s1600/genehackman.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6OPzXEWHd3yxnIt9wwuBOXJmzRVPyJWaT1SSlqhTFOAfUO_jQs98qUJbnMnNfGWVykTS_VukWix8AqBIc0UV2XBR7-zjyS1TEpahiedDyZNEio9Jlm5cnTv0luYgLgBzviOyY9Y27g-g/s320/genehackman.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Gene Hackman was 25 years old when he finally
decided to take his chance at acting by enrolling at the Pasadena Playhouse in
California on the G.I. Bill. Legend says that Hackman and friend <span style="color: windowtext;">Dustin
Hoffman</span> were voted "<u>least</u> likely to succeed." He
failed out after 3 months. He received one of the lowest grades the school had
ever given, 1.3 out of 10. He hopped on a bus to New York City to make it on
stage and prove them wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">While in New York, Hackman worked as a soda jerk,
furniture mover, and worked nights at the Chrysler Building as part of the crew
that polished the leather furniture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">In a 2004 Vanity Fair story on him, <span style="color: black;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="color: white;">Dustin
Hoffman</span></span>,</span> and <span style="color: windowtext;"><span style="color: white;">Robert Duvall</span></span>, Hackman said one of the
worst memories of being a struggling actor, was working as a doorman at the
Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Times Square. He recalled having seen former
Marine officers pass him by when opening the door for them, of which one had
said "Hackman, you're a sorry son of a bitch." Another time, a
Pasadena Playhouse acting teacher whom Hackman hated walked by him, stopped,
and shouted, “See Hackman, I was right, you would never amount to anything!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Gene Hackman went on to win two Academy
Awards & three Golden Globes! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-64754610873084431282013-07-20T02:38:00.001-04:002013-07-20T02:38:55.735-04:00Jordan Belfort - The Wolf of Wall Street <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/G3K92uugO9o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-51201196762612157312013-07-20T02:37:00.002-04:002013-07-20T02:38:08.770-04:00The Wolf of Wall Street Official Trailer <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/iszwuX1AK6A" width="560"></iframe><br />Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-15332155611243870842013-03-31T04:20:00.000-04:002013-03-31T04:20:12.260-04:00Inspiration For The Writer<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">People too weak to follow their own dreams, will always find a way to discourage yours.</span>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-44244509994877086192013-01-12T04:03:00.000-05:002013-01-13T06:42:03.670-05:00Fifty Shades of Grey ‘will be NC-17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihyphenhypheniaqZD_bwq1a1GIjVAMQ3A1N_pW-Q591TznK_90UrARQY5D6XVXKHIWzk5O6Uw8IoDRxEmBlVdJAckw1J8Bcpi1Uag_lEkCrU6bEq_QbKtp3PGtO2F5tD9RKTxKqn_wc_5VsHU8BmqB/s1600/50shades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="180" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihyphenhypheniaqZD_bwq1a1GIjVAMQ3A1N_pW-Q591TznK_90UrARQY5D6XVXKHIWzk5O6Uw8IoDRxEmBlVdJAckw1J8Bcpi1Uag_lEkCrU6bEq_QbKtp3PGtO2F5tD9RKTxKqn_wc_5VsHU8BmqB/s320/50shades.jpg" /></a></div>
The screenwriter for the film adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Kelly Marcel, said in a recent interview that her script contains “a lot of sex” but that her understanding of the material as she adapts it is as an old-fashioned love story. Nevertheless, she told The Telegraph, “It will be NC-17. It will be raunchy. We are 100% going there.”<br />
<br />
That the adaptation has “a lot of sex” is unsurprising to anyone with even a cursory familiarity with the stunningly popular “Fifty Shades” book series, as is the bit about it being a love story. The reason Marcel's statement is noteworthy is that, if the production goes forward as an NC-17 and is released as such, it would almost certainly challenge the NC-17 rating's current status as a commercial kiss of death. The last two “high”-profile NC-17 releases, 2011's “Shame” and 2007's “Lust, Caution” both grossed in the neighborhood of $4 million, and the highest-grossing NC-17 ever, 1995's infamous “Showgirls,” made little more than $20 million. Considering that 20 million is the number of copies the “Fifty Shades” books had sold as of last summer, it is not excessively fanciful to speculate that a “Fifty Shades” movie, regardless of rating, could be every bit the money maker as a movie as it has been in print. And, further, that with the precedent of a financially successful NC-17 theatrical release, the movie industry's treatment of the rating as a thing to shun at all costs may relax, and more adult views of sexuality could be seen on the silver screen.<br />
<br />
The film has yet to be cast and there is still no director attached, so “Fifty Shades of Grey” is far from taking any kind of appreciable shape as an actual film. But its ability to challenge Hollywood's thinking on the NC-17 rating makes this a project, regardless of one's feelings of the artistic merits of the material, to keep an eye on.Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-15135859544566252942012-11-03T05:05:00.001-04:002013-01-12T04:09:02.875-05:00'Notebook' Author -- One Depressing Dude!I deleted vid on the writer, Nicholas Sparks, because I had too many problems with it. The video was from TMZ.<br />
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Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-67126835702992949582012-09-15T01:17:00.004-04:002012-09-15T01:17:58.658-04:00ZANE, Erotic Fiction Author
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Y6LO25BgJPAC9RqO8WHuhFQsEZbgA4nzSUgpQz3v09S__o-D5F5a27qhSrY_VZpzU_oLfFhXXysAObClVwbHa3GEOzjBsPN3KBVCeAUv-FXzIcDq4BenAjboVxVWH6U5AOJtdY07G5j/s1600/Zane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Y6LO25BgJPAC9RqO8WHuhFQsEZbgA4nzSUgpQz3v09S__o-D5F5a27qhSrY_VZpzU_oLfFhXXysAObClVwbHa3GEOzjBsPN3KBVCeAUv-FXzIcDq4BenAjboVxVWH6U5AOJtdY07G5j/s320/Zane.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Erotic fiction author, Zane, will be doing a book signing at
Books-A-Million in Regency on October 4<sup>th</sup>, Thursday, at 6:30 pm in
Jacksonville, Florida. The address is 9400 Atlantic Blvd and their number is
904-805-0004. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-21807791637695290422012-08-11T05:19:00.000-04:002012-08-11T05:19:13.315-04:00<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><em>“I wrote my way out the hood and I pray that I stay out for good" - Jay-z's lyrics from Dear Summer</em></span> Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-67071331121508081772012-08-05T04:53:00.001-04:002012-08-05T04:53:31.431-04:00New Agent Alert: Sara D’Emic of Talcott Notch Literary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OYlK5UErNqY7yJ_POwOco9rkcB4YKl8TY2zHR5HgICHtBEE48FtfRA-CiEUhcMqQmpqQc6adAYhGSodGcI4nkRsKM18n5CtBCtOcsogrw2PYuQs7myy4T0M9IoGlupU4i_u8KtZjvyU1/s1600/sara.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OYlK5UErNqY7yJ_POwOco9rkcB4YKl8TY2zHR5HgICHtBEE48FtfRA-CiEUhcMqQmpqQc6adAYhGSodGcI4nkRsKM18n5CtBCtOcsogrw2PYuQs7myy4T0M9IoGlupU4i_u8KtZjvyU1/s320/sara.png" width="210" /></a></div>
<strong>About Sara</strong>: Sara D’Emic graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and is happy to be starting her career as an agent with <a href="http://wwww.talcottnotch.net/" target="_blank">Talcott Notch Literary</a>. Needless to say, she’s passionate about books. Her reading tastes range from Dostoevsky and Dumas to Burroughs and Salinger to Lovecraft and King.<br />
<br />
<strong>She is seeking</strong>: “Compelling characters are the crux of good fiction, and I’m seeking stories that will spark the imagination and the soul. I’m looking for adult horror, urban fantasy, paranormal, magical realism, science fiction, mystery, thriller, or crime fiction. I will also gladly take non-fiction science and technology.”<br />
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<strong>How to contact</strong>: Writers can query her with one-page query plus an attached 10-page sample for fiction, or one-page sample plus attached table of contents at sdemic (at) talcottnotch.net.<br />
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From WritersDigest.com June 12, 2012Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-77934860419918167692012-08-05T04:44:00.000-04:002012-08-05T04:44:05.155-04:00New Literary Agent Alert: Emily Gref of Lowenstein Associates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7LPpj5GDvGXKnI3stQS4_oGaZsrD6pPLDnHQfjpbxHFPjFnwXfo7Yi02tYDFCfxka8MfKU1zSp5RsKrQ-GQeaprDVUqyeWpPXU-MssXYIfnt8jGfWSEX4VQRKgTudR9vdfh3v9ZrHAyO/s1600/emilyagencypic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7LPpj5GDvGXKnI3stQS4_oGaZsrD6pPLDnHQfjpbxHFPjFnwXfo7Yi02tYDFCfxka8MfKU1zSp5RsKrQ-GQeaprDVUqyeWpPXU-MssXYIfnt8jGfWSEX4VQRKgTudR9vdfh3v9ZrHAyO/s1600/emilyagencypic.jpg" /></a></div>
<strong>About Emily</strong>: Emily Gref is an associate agent at <a href="http://www.lowensteinassociates.com/" target="_blank">Lowenstein Associates</a>, as well as our digital strategist. She also handles foreign and subrights.<br />
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<strong>She is seeking</strong>: Her interests are wide and varied. In young adult and middle grade she is looking for all genres, but has a weak spot for fairy tale, folklore, and mythology retellings. Emily is also interested in fantasy and science fiction, as well as literary and commercial women’s fiction.<br />
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In nonfiction, she is looking for strong narratives and books by recognized experts with a wide-reaching platform. Books that lend themselves well to digital platforms are especially of interest. Nonfiction projects she’d like to take on include narratives about linguistics, anthropology and history. She is also open to biographies and memoirs with a strong voice and unique hook.<br />
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<strong>How to submit</strong>: “By e-mail: For fiction, please send us a one-page query letter, along with the first 10 pages pasted in the body of the message by e-mail to assistant (at) bookhaven.com. If nonfiction, please send a one-page query letter, a table of contents, and, if available, a proposal pasted into the body of the e-mail to assistant (at) bookhaven.com. Please put the word QUERY and the title of your project in the subject field of your e-mail and address it to the agent of your choice. Please do not send an attachment as the message will be deleted without being read and no reply will be sent. We reply to all queries and generally send a response within 4-6 weeks.”<br />
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From WritersDigest.com 7/30/12Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4017797259159195430.post-71058973658122791262012-08-05T04:36:00.002-04:002012-08-05T04:36:50.941-04:00This Is Your Life!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUS2rqed9SczdH-7sWWvM2AOdTQM4nGPkwoiuNcc1swPKlEJOFLhYwhLWOn_iFkYrKRN1cUvhthogDAt8jdTFNZ6szzW0UALs4wzt0tBtm9HAGiKvqSLUNDQ59hyJxZBDG3xEQ-lfZH3g6/s1600/life.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUS2rqed9SczdH-7sWWvM2AOdTQM4nGPkwoiuNcc1swPKlEJOFLhYwhLWOn_iFkYrKRN1cUvhthogDAt8jdTFNZ6szzW0UALs4wzt0tBtm9HAGiKvqSLUNDQ59hyJxZBDG3xEQ-lfZH3g6/s400/life.png" width="315" /></a></div>Cattthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09477787327965054407noreply@blogger.com