Uncategorized | Kaira Rouda

13 04, 2011

Real You: HERE, HOME, HOPE is in stock! Yikes!

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:10:47+00:00April 13, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: HERE, HOME, HOPE is in stock! Yikes!

Just discovered that both Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble have HERE, HOME, HOPE in stock, as of today. I'm a bit surprised, only because I thought - in my naive writerly way - that the publication date of May 1st was when the stock would appear. Au contraire, corrrected the distribution manager at my publisher. Only the biggest of books have an exact delivery date - otherwise it varies. And if you're a little guy like me, I think you're supposed to be happy it's there! So I am! Yay!! It's there. Check it out, please!

10 04, 2011

HERE, HOME, HOPE Giveaway on Goodreads starts today!

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:10:55+00:00April 10, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on HERE, HOME, HOPE Giveaway on Goodreads starts today!

Goodreads Book Giveaway Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda Giveaway ends April 30, 2011. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

10 04, 2011

Real You: Book Club Radio – Here, Home, Hope

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:10:56+00:00April 10, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Book Club Radio – Here, Home, Hope

Amy Hatvany, author of the soon-to-be released BEST KEPT SECRET, was my guest in this week's radio show. We talked about motherhood, what it's like to write a novel and wait for the pub date, perfectionism and the other isms women face and much, much more. If you missed it, you can still listen. Click here. We had fun talking to each other, I hope you have fun listening!

9 04, 2011

Real You: Finding your voice

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:11:07+00:00April 9, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Finding your voice

I've spent a lot of my life not speaking up for myself. People find that hard to believe, I suppose, given my work history and the like. But it's true. Today I found myself unable to speak up for myself. What did I do? I cried. As women we're so often taught good girls don't get mad, don't express hostility or anger. But, we are encouraged to express our feelings. Somewhere along the line, my mad/sad reflexes crossed, and now, when I'm really angry - you guessed it - I cry. I worked with a wonderful speech coach when I published my first book. I hadn't realized before then that when you write a book people expect you to speak about it. I'm a writer, I thought, not a speaker. Well, the reality is you have to become both. Most of the time I spent [...]

4 04, 2011

Real You: Just a moment in time

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:14:30+00:00April 4, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Just a moment in time

It's amazing, really, the time you have with your kids. It's a blink - a bright light of time - as they grow and become adults. Moments. So special. As unique as each one.

29 03, 2011

Real You: The joy of dinners

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:14:44+00:00March 29, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: The joy of dinners

I enjoyed the best meal last night. Not because of the food, although it was wonderful. Because of the people. A group of people I'd never met before came together last night in Santa Monica and we talked about books. These were a group of booksellers and I've never had the opportunity to sit and share a meal with a group of people more passionate about books than I am. (And I love books.) The dinner was at The Penthouse Restaurant on the top floor of The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica and our table had a sweeping view of the ocean and the sunset, the mountains, downtown LA, and even, later, the lights of the airplanes landing at LAX. Surroundings aside, it was magical. Many of the booksellers had not had the chance to meet each other before, either, so while we all [...]

20 03, 2011

Real You: Of snarks, and resilience

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:14:57+00:00March 20, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Of snarks, and resilience

If you're a frequent reader of my blog, or any of my writings in book form or even 14o characters, you'll know of my disdain for snarks. These are the passion poppers, people who put others down to make themselves feel more important. They are abundant. And the more true to yourself you become, the more you put yourself out there, the more you stir them up. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. I've had a couple of snark encounters recently, and they're weighing on my brain so I thought I'd write about them. It's what I do. Here they are: Snark Attack #1: I'm at a party, there are many people there who I don't know; I only know the host. This snark, upon overhearing the host say that I have a big Twitter following, proceeds to state: "I don't allow that at [...]

2 02, 2011

Real You: To thoughts, dreams and contests

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:15:14+00:00February 2, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: To thoughts, dreams and contests

Here's a thought. It's February. Sure, it's cold, blustery and snowy in much of the country and the economic news still isn't great, but the thought is this: Things will get better and you aren't alone. As you know, many people in many different industries are facing career challenges. Some days it's hard to be resilient, but you must. Why? Because you're getting stronger. Better. There is no exact answer as to how that will happen, not for your industry and not for you as an individual. But it will. If you believe it. Have you been taking time to invest in you and your dreams? Are you ready when the market improves and opportunities arise? Do you have a clear vision of your future? Have you solidified and embraced your passions, surrounded yourself with the right people and are you following your instincts? Knowing what you want [...]

21 01, 2011

Real You: Friday night scramble

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:15:28+00:00January 21, 2011|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Friday night scramble

As a mom of two teenage basketball players, Friday nights are tough. For my youngest, it's the only night of the week he has a game. My older son has two or three games a week. So, when Friday night comes around, I hope they aren't scheduled to play at the exact same time. Usually they are. Tonight is a 5:30 p.m. start for the older son and a 6:15 p.m. start for the youngest. I'll be late, but hopefully there, for the second game. I was stressing. Apologizing to my youngest. But then I stopped. I reminded myself I'm doing the best I can. I will be there, albeit late. As long as we let our kids know we care by making the effort even if it isn't easy, as long as we're trying our best, we're doing OK. Tonight as I watch the [...]

13 12, 2010

Real You: Longing for those Lego days?

By Kaira Rouda|2023-02-07T00:15:42+00:00December 13, 2010|Uncategorized|Comments Off on Real You: Longing for those Lego days?

Yes, it's Christmas time. And now, instead of heading to one of those amazing, fun toy stores - I especially love the locally owned, creative ones - I head online. Don't get me wrong - I love online shopping. But before, when the kids were little and the internet wasn't so pervasive, toy shopping at Christmas was a very fun pursuit. Now, it's all about a budget. The taller the kid, the smaller the gift and the more expensive. It's just that simple. And, I've discovered, the bigger the kid, the more virtual the gift. Gift cards. Video games. iTunes cards. Where's the fun in that? The fun is in watching the kids who used to build Lego castles grow up. It's no longer those squeezable Christmas mornings - but there aren't any overstimulation, nap-needed, diaper changing moments either. All in all, it's fun to [...]