Goodreads HERE, HOME, HOPE Giveaway ends April 30th!
Goodreads Book Giveaway Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda Giveaway ends April 30, 2011. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win
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04, 2011
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04, 2011
Here, Home, Hope ForeWord Review!
I have to say, of all the anxiety inducing steps of the publishing process, one of the most stressful is waiting for reviews - whether it's from "anonymous" or a literary review. So it took me awhile to get the courage to read the review of HERE, HOME, HOPE from ForeWord - but when I did I was dancing! Click on the link for the full review, but here is my favorite part: "Inspirational and engaging, Rouda will touch readers who can relate to the frustration of being sidelined on the field of life, never allowed to play and always needed behind the bleachers, until finally experiencing the joy of participation." Yes! Live, don't wait until tomorrow. (Also part of the review!)
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04, 2011
Real You: Down to the wire and out to the world
Have you ever worked on something for a decade or more? Something so important to you that your dreams, hopes and wishes are one with the project. I have. It happened as we created and built Real Living Real Estate, and it's happening again, now, as I launch my debut novel into the world. Just like Real Living, my novel isn't for everybody. But I hope most people who pick it up and give it a read will like it. But all I can do is send it out to the world, knowing I did my best.
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04, 2011
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!
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04, 2011
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
9
04, 2011
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
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.
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03, 2011
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 [...]
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03, 2011
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 [...]
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03, 2011
If not now, when?
That's what I decided when I embarked on this new fiction writing career. If not now, when? Sure, I could continue to dream about becoming a published novelist. That was one of my favorite escapes, actually, wandering through a wonderful bookstore and admiring all of the titles on the New Fiction shelf. I kept thinking, well, sure, someday that could be me. But I'll tell you what. That someday would never have come about unless I decided to go for it. As in everything in life - making your dreams come true ultimately is up to you. How about you? What are you putting off? If you're waiting for the perfect moment to pursue your passions, you'll be waiting forever. There really is no time like the present. It starts with believing in yourself and your dreams. If your dream is to become an entrepreneur, get started today. [...]