Back to the Bedroom: Confessions from a Chick Lit Blogger

      Hi Everyone! My name is Cathy and welcome to my Web page, Where You Wish Upon A Star, where I talk about my dreams of becoming a chick lit author and my journey to get there. I review books; I discuss topics about writing inspired by books and I sometimes share a little about my everyday life.

 

While you may already know a little about me from my blog, here are 15 new, and some odd, facts about me….

1. I have endless scraps of paper strewn about with famous, philosophical, creative, inspirational, fun and funny quotes.

2. When in doubt, I consult Google. (I Heart Google.)

3. My fiancé and I named our cat El Tigre until we found out it was a female (she’s now called Honey).

4. I have a major weakness for Candy Corn (especially this time of year) but I just found out (on the back of the bag it said) that Americans eat so much candy corn that if it were lined up, candy piece by candy piece, back to back, it would circumvent the Earth 45 times!!! (Ow, my stomach hurts just thinking about it).

5. Even though I’ve been an avid chick lit reader for almost ten years, this was the first year I branched out beyond Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Lauren Weisberger and Candace Bushnell.

6. My favorite author is Emily Giffin – who someone recently pointed out evokes something similar to Judy Blume (my favorite author as a child).

7. I participated in the 48 Hours Film Project in Boston a few years ago (A contest in which you have 48 hours to create, produce, film, edit and submit a short movie based on a random category you’ve selected at random on opening night).

8. I am currently working on getting my Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology.

9. When I was a kid, it was my dream to be a professional tennis player like Monica Seles or Jennifer Capriati (today’s equivalent to Maria Sharapova or the Williams Sisters).

10. When I was a kid, I wished I would grow to over 6 feet tall (luckily, I leveled out at 5’8” – plenty tall enough).

11. Working in Ladies Shoes in college, I was mortified at the comparisons to Al Bundy.

12. Instead of obsessively buying clothes, shoes and handbags, I now swap, trade and barter books online like their going out of print.

13. I think Facebook is to the average population what the paparazzi is to celebrities.

14. My horoscope (Cancer) is right about one thing: I am a total homebody.

15. I still own over a 100 pairs of shoes.

Save Cathy: One Writer's Journey to her Blog and Back

     Welcome Back to My Blog. If you have been as absent as I have, I thought I might take a little bit of time out of my day to tell you where I have been and what I have been doing.

     All summer, my fiancé and I have been feeding a colony of feral kittens and cats that live in our backyard. One day, early in August we discovered that one of the kittens, maybe 4 or 5 weeks old at the time, was not breathing easily. It became painfully obvious that this tiny little kitten had a respiratory illness and if we didn't do something about it, who knows how long she would make it out in the wild. Complicating issues further (if you have never seen or dealt with feral cats), she was absolutely 100% terrified of us!! But, with a strong desire to play and eat and the sweetest most innocent face you've ever seen, we couldn't possibly imagine leaving this poor creature out on her own. We talked about how we could care for her and find her a good home and whether or not we thought we would be able to trap her. Over the next 48 hours, she let us know, herself, exactly how this was all going to play out. Every day I would find her hiding behind or under the grill on our deck, directly in front of our sliding door. She no longer went upstairs to sleep with her Mama and her brother. She no longer ran about in her crazy zig zag way that she did when we first saw her. In her own, timid way, I truly believe, she was trying to tell us that she was sick – she was too sick to move – or at least too sick to climb the stairs – she was too sick to protect herself from predators which is why she hid in the protection of our grill – but as sick as she was and as scared as she was, she was brave enough to come out from under her little shelter to let us know that she still wanted to live. She would come out from under her little shelter just long enough to let us know that she still wanted to live. She would eat little ripped up pieces of lunch meats and cheeses with the most innocent delight from our hands. She was so sweet. I think she chose us. In fact, ask any cat owner ore person who works with cats in any aspect of their lives and they will likely tell you the same thing – you don’t get to choose your pet cat – they will choose you!

     So we made a plan Friday night, August 6th to find a way to get the little girl (who at the time we thought was a boy, who we called Lil Tiger because of the Calico coloring of her fur in gorgeous patterns of orange, black and white) and bring her to a vet. The first vet we had picked out to take her to closed at 5pm but as time kept ticking on and we realized just how difficult the task of getting her was going to be, that vet quickly was crossed off our list. With the vet nearest our house closing at 6:00pm, we finally caught her at 5:45pm! Of course, at this point my fiancé’s arms had been clawed at and scratched to no end and the little girl was writhing and rolling in a little clothes box that I had made numerous holes in to ensure plenty of oxygen (The shelter I was referred to to borrow a carrier was closed when I went by). Every time I peaked in or removed the towel that was covering the holes (I read you are supposed to help the feral kitty feel like she is hiding from you – then she will be less scared), she made quick attempts to get out or to at least let me know she was not happy to be in such a small space or in for a bouncy car ride and she spat at me! (I don’t’ know why kittens and cats think spitting is so threatening – it is really the funniest thing to see them do to you) The next vet on our list closed at 6:00pm but luckily, it was practically just across the street because I was really not sure how long I was going to be able to keep this kitty under the lid of this makeshift kennel. We arrived at the vet’s door at 5:50pm; 10 minutes before the closed, and I breathed a sigh of relief – Apparently, I let out my breath too soon, though, because when I pulled on the door, it was locked!! I could see the receptionist in the window doing (what I imagine to be) her nightly paperwork and she began mouthing the words “We’re Closed”. Closed?!?! But it’s only 10 of 6:00pm, I pointed to my watch. She came outside to (very rudely, I might add) let us know that there was no doctor on site and that there was no way we were going to be let into the facility. She was angry. She was unsympathetic and she was very curt with us. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. We had just spent the past 2 and a half hours trying to capture this little kitten to bring her back to health, and we were about to be denied services! I moved the box up closer to my face and the receptionist’s and said, as calmly as I could contain my emotions, “But I have a feral kitten in this box who is very sick. I can’t just bring her back and….what am I supposed to do.” The receptionist had no words for me, only a very agitated and annoyed eye roll that was directed towards me and my fiancé. During this exchange another customer had begun walking towards the vet’s entrance and without another word to us or the new person walking up the path, the receptionist hurried inside (to lock herself in?). In what seemed like an eon of time later, she finally came back out with a postcard in her hand and told us “that’s where we could go”. I started to ask her a question about her reference and she gave me the hand! The hand!??!! As in, “not another word; that’s all you’re getting out of me.” Thankfully, this experience was a blessing in disguise as her “referral” (if you can justly call it that) turned out to be a 24-Hour Pet Clinic that staffed the nicest, most understanding, educated and knowledgeable persons. (I don’t know hwat ever happened to the woman who “dared’ to walk up to the facility that closed at 6:00pm (at 5:55pm)…she was apparently just coming to pick up a specially ordered prescription assigned by the doctor at the vet. Now come on, tell me, if a place advertises on their website, on their door and everywhere else that they close at 6:00pm, would you assume they close at 6:00pm or ten of 6:00pm!?!?!?

     All in all after that first hour, however (and very luckily, I might add), our little girl has been nothing but a doll ever since. She was treated for her respiratory infection and dewormed by the most caring staff of doctors and nurses aids at the 24-Hour Animal Hospital at the Buzzards Bridge Rotary. We took her home and let her hide for as long as she wanted to (which was no more than the first 12 hours). She still has a very (very) healthy appetitive and desire to play and practice honing her hunting skills, pouncing, chasing, swatting, jumping, thrashing around on the floor and running through her favorite tunnel. We decided to change her name to Honey and really, I have never met a little kitty that was so brave and so tough and sweet all at once. I read that Calicos are lucky in many cultures but always tell her that we are the lucky ones to be so blessed to have such a little sweetheart in our lives. There’s nothing like having a little girl to come home to, who runs over to greet you because she’s been waiting for you to get back from work all day, and then stretches out in your lap as she gets herself ready for a night of double loves and play!

     So other than our new kitten (who takes up a good 75% of my time), all the regular stuff has been filling up my day, school work, the regular 9 to 5, tennis, friends, my fiancé and family and of course, reading, listening to audio books and writing reviews. I’m hoping to start a new writing class next Saturday for a few weeks (to maybe get that spark going to really make writing my own fiction part of my everyday routine) and I also have my annual charity tennis tournament the same weekend.

     So summer may be officially coming to an end for us here in the states but I always look forward to cozying up with more books come fall and winter (When I don't have to justify being such a homebody anymore). I won’t have (too much) school looming over my head every waking minute so I hope to get much more reading and writing done. I have already embarked on a Revamping Project of my blog. I added a Book Review page where you will be able to find ALL my book reviews ever posted on my blog as well as links to the individuals reviews. Basically, I just want to make my site as user friendly as possible. I also want to make it more “for-the-user”, if you know what I mean. It is my goal to get more pages posted, including a writing tips section that would ideally be divided by things like Character, Plot, Setting, Dialogue, etc. I would also love to be able to get some Interviews up and running, especially some duo interviews for all the audio books that I listen to and have reviewed here. Who knows, maybe I can even include some audio interviews, reviews or clips form actual unabridged books (just to shake things up a little this fall!) Finally, there may be some additional small changes to the scenery and background that you see around here. I’d like to add a spinning logo to give tribute and thanks to all those who’ve nominated me for a blog award. I really cannot extend my appreciation and gratitude to any and all persons who take the time to read what I have to say. It makes me feel so good to know that someone is even glancing at my page! Overall, I just want my blog to stay in line with its original purpose – to follow my dreams and maybe to match up with a couple of somebody else’s wishes, hopes or dreams, too.

As always, Happy Writing and Keep Reading. Love, Cathy

The Years of Playing and Writing Famously

"Dreams do come true if you keep believing in yourself. Anything is possible."

These were the words of my favorite tennis star as a child, Jennifer Capriati. Although most everyone knows of the unfortunate circumstances that forced her to quit the sport of tennis that she was so passionate about, it does not take away from the amazing precedent Jennifer set as the youngest woman (well, girl, really) to turn pro at age 14. She was highlighted as the most charismatic draw for the U.S. women's tennis circuit since Chrissy Evert. When she "burnt out" in 1993, or whatever the naysayers chose to say had happened to her, she had made more money and won more titles than most women on the professional tour ever hoped to claim in their entire careers.

In 1996, once again overcoming the hurtful and doubtful cries of the media and public eye, Jennifer Capriati returned to tennis a transformed woman. She had more determination, spirit, maturity and drive than anyone had ever fathomed. She went on the reclaim her good reputation and title, moving all the way up to the Number One ranking in the professional Women's Tennis Association (WTA). She played her heart out until 2004, when she finally acquired an injury too severe to be able to continue her domination on court. This is the Jennifer Capriati I choose to remember. She showed teenage girls, women and men all over the world that going after your dreams and believing in yourself when nobody else is even willing to give you a chance, is worth all the times of hardship that you may encounter along the way.

I am constantly reminding others not to get discouraged when things don't work out the exact way they hoped at the exact time they hoped. Life just doesn't work out like that. Sometimes I need to take my own advice so I thought I would blog it here as a reminder to myself whenever I need to look at it.

This topic was brought to my attention the other day when I came across two inspiring Tweets. I found it interesting how they both brought hope to aspiring writers, like me and you, in their own unique fashion.

The first one was a retweet (RT) of an article posted on a fun(ny) web site, http://www.neatorama.com/. Check it out for all the weird and bizarre news and information you could ever want to (or not) know. Aptly titled, "If At First You Don't Succeed: Very Famous Book Rejections", the article listed a few notable novels and their authors who were met with their own resistance when they were first rejected by equally famous publishing houses before becoming a staple in our culture.

• 
  
  Highlights magazine articles by Judy Blume
• 
  
  Chicken Soup for the Soul by various editors
• 
  
  Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• 
  
  Animal Farm by George ORwell
• 
  
  Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• 
  
  70 Poems by e.e. Cummings
• 
  
  Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• 
  
  On the Road by Jack Kerouac
• 
  
  Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell

Click here for the full article: http://www.neatorama.com/2010/04/28/if-at-first-you-don%e2%80%99t-succeed-very-famous-book-rejections/

 

The second tweet came from an established, published and very marketable author who shared her own astonishment at the feat of a young woman of only 15 years (!!!), Gabriella Skory who has recently written, published and self-promoted her first novel, The Pages of Red Diamond, all on her own. What an accomplishment to have taken such initiative at such a young age and succeeded. Check out her web page for an excerpt of her book, ordering info and all the deets on her life: http://thepagesofreddiamond.tumblr.com/.

I know it gives me hope and promise that this little hobby of mine I enjoy, called creative writing, will actually pay off (not even necessarily monetarily, though that would, of course, be nice:)) if I put in the time and effort. It will only become something if I make it something. I'm not magically going to be discovered at my local coffee shop typing away on my laptop by St. Martin's Press or Penguin. "Oh, my, I see you typing away over there with your Loca Mocha. Could that be a national bestseller you're working on? Sign here to work under us!" Yeah, I don't think so. But I do think that my writing can be practiced, crafted and critiqued over time and maybe, just maybe, one day I will have see my own name on a pretty pastel, candy-covered book.

On the topic of Success (and the hard path we walk to get there), here are some inspirational quotes, some more fun or funny than others:

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. ~Winston Churchill

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. ~ Unknown

Don't aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally. ~ David Frost

Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it. ~ Unknown

In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time. ~ Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

Success is blocked by concentrating on it and planning for it.... Success is shy - it won't come out while you're watching. ~ Tennessee Williams

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success. ~ Unknown

It is wise to keep in mind that no success or failure is necessarily final. ~ Unknown

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick. ~ Laurence Shames

The man who has done his level best, and who is conscious that he has done his best, is a success, even though the world may write him down as a failure. ~ B.C. Forbes

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me. ~ Emo Phillips

If at first you do succeed - try to hide your astonishment. ~ Unknown