Suzanne is one of the first GAWBs I met–and well met, too, as she’s a co-founder–and everything about her makes me happy. She is a sheer delight. She was one of the Beta readers for TIARA TROUBLE, and I certainly appreciated her help. When you finish reading this little introduction to her, please pop over to THOUGHTS IN PROGRESS for a review, and to Storm Goddess Book Reviews for a review and an excerpt. But first! Meet Suzanne.
She’s just so cute!!
Name: Suzanne D’Aunoy Meehle
Age: 46
Job Title: Attorney (The Meehle Law Firm) / Vice President and Evil Genius (Grown Ass Woman Brigade)
Industry: Law / Non-profit
1. Who are you? I’m a do-gooder.
2. What do you love most about your life? My marriage. I’ve got an amazing man who supports all my crazy ambition and ridiculous pursuits.
3. What do you love most about your work? I get to help people be their best selves. No, really! My law firm exclusively supports small business. And GAWB supports women.
4. Describe your family: it’s just me, my husband Tim and our dog Legal. Tim is a web developer. Legal is a lab/beagle mix. I’m also extraordinarily close with my siblings, Beth, Carla and Lester.
5. What does the first hour of your day look like? I go check the calendar and email in bed. Sad but true. Then I get up, lace up and go for a run.
6. The last hour? I finally put my laptop away for the night, do some stretches, go brush my teeth, and go to bed. Sounds pretty pathetic.
7. What makes you feel successful? When it all gets done by the end of the day.
8. What brings you joy? Running. My husband. My dog. GAWB. Not necessarily in that order.
9. Which women do you most admire? Women who have been successful on their own terms. Arianna Huffington. Hillary Clinton. Condaleeza Rice. Sandra Day O’Connor.
10. What do you like best about your closest friend? Falling asleep and waking up next to him.
11. What do you like best about yourself? I’m strong. And fairly weird.
12. What advice would you give to boys about girls? You don’t need to own her. Just be her friend.
13. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you? “It’s ok if you don’t want to go to grad school. There’s always law school.”
14. How do you overcome adversity? Power through. There’s no other way to get to the other side of it but through it.
15. How do you want to be remembered? As my own woman.
In case you missed it, you can listen to my interview on Amy Beth Arkawy’s blogtalk radio show any time you feel like it. Just let our dulcet tones delight you. Click here. I did my best to be charming, interesting, and not sound too much like I come from the Sticks.
Today, the Tiara Trouble blog tour continues at My Devotional Thoughts, where you will find a review, a guest post, and a giveaway. You know, I queue these blog entries up the night before, so I have no idea what the reviews are like when I am writing. I am always shaking in my boots! If I had boots. My calves are too big for boots. It’s a family trait.
In other news, the Miss Universe pageant is on this coming Saturday.
Miss USA is rocking my WORLD in her national costume. Erin Brady is my new pageant hero.
Erin Brady, Miss USA
Miss Brazil is taking a page out of Destinee Faith Miller’s book
Jakelyne Oliveira, Miss Brazil
From TIARA TROUBLE. Destinee is talking about outfitting one of her toddlers for the Tiny Miss Proverbs 31 pageant. Now, you tell me Miss Brazil isn’t doing the Carnaval version of this:
“–I figured we’d make up for it with the Choir Couture.
That one was going to be genius! Ainsley was going to come out in a white, bedazzled choir robe—onto which I had personally affixed over a thousand tiny crystals—with massive white wings and a darling halo. When she hit her mark center stage, she would spread her arms, and the wings themselves would open like an accordion with a full choir painted onto them and lock into place. Little Ainsley would look like the solo artist in front of a 20 person choir. Patricia would hit another remote button and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus would start up.
Granted, all that rig was too heavy for Ainsley to wear and walk in at the same time, so Daddy rigged up a little platform on wheels, and we did it up to look like a cloud. Ainsley’s father would pull the platform along, across the stage, and all she’d need to do was stand there and look holy.”
There is a lot going on today! First, please visit FUOnlyKnew.com for a Ramblin’ review from Laura of TIARA TROUBLE–be sure to browse her blog because she’s got a litany of great books listed. An amazing review that made me fly around the living room (because this is the review I’ve been sweating!) is up on Chick Lit Plus. I was out of touch this weekend, helping my mom, so I wasn’t able to post about the 4-Star review and giveaway over on Books ‘n Kisses. Please visit them today, too, because the giveaway is still on!
I will also be visiting with Amy Beth Arkawy on her blogtalk radio show today at 12 EST. Amy Beth is a fellow Cozy Cat author, and we’ll be talking about cozy mysteries and whatever else sounds like good fun. And in that spirit, I’d like to introduce you to Amy Beth, author of Dead Silent.
About Dead Silent:
It’s summertime, and in Goodship, New York, the living is anything but easy. Controversial radio shock jock Paul Hackett is found strangled to death with his headphone cord around his neck in the studio of local radio station WSHP. There’s little evidence beyond the initials V.O.S. scrawled across the studio window in red lipstick and a list of suspects that could easily fill the Goodship phone book. And that’s not all. Eliza Gordon, former soap star turned local soup aficionado and amateur sleuth and her pal and unwitting snooping partner radio DJ Midge Sumner must contend with in Dead Silent, the second in author Amy Beth Arkawy’s Eliza Gordon Mystery series. The locals are also on edge thanks to the rumors rolling across The Goodship Grapevine, a new toxic gossip site, and bemused by flyers heeding folks to follow an enigmatic cult known as “The Quiet.” Eliza’s instincts have her searching for clues and connecting the mysteries together, but they also put a strain on her burgeoning romance with Tom Santini, Goodship’s dishy police chief (who also happens to be her late husband’s best friend). The sudden reappearance of her elusive playboy brother-in-law, Jonas Gordon, sparks unexpected feelings in Eliza and may hold the key to connecting the mysteries and solving Hackett’s murder. Join Eliza Gordon and sidekick Midge Sumner as they embark on this intriguing and dangerous sleuthing escapade. Will they solve the mystery or wind up Dead Silent?
Amy Beth Arkawy
Amy Beth Arkawy is the author of Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery (Hen House Press). Her story “Dangerous Appetites” is featured in the collection, Fiction Noir, also by Hen House Press. She is also the author of several plays including: Psychic Chicken Soup (McLaren Comedy Award nominee); Full Moon, Saturday Night; Listening to Insomnia: Rage Amongst Yourselves; Crazy Vivian Doesn’t Shop at Bloomie’s Anymore; The Lost Mertz and The Postman Always Writes Twice. Her work has been produced in New York City and across the country and featured in several anthologies.
Amy Beth is also a creativity coach/writing teacher, freelance journalist and radio talk show host. She is the Arts & Entertainment Editor for the popular website News Junkie Post and writes the Radio Graffiti and Scribbler’s Folly blogs. Her film/TV reviews and political commentary are featured on PopNet and other outlets.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Amy Beth was awarded a Master of Fine Arts Fellowship at the University of Massachusetts and earned her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling from Long Island University.
The Outside Lane: How did you get started writing?
Amy Beth Arkawy: I’ve always loved stories. As a little girl, my dad regaled me at bedtime with colorful tales from Winnie the Pooh to Amelia Bedilia and I made up little stories and skits to entertain my sisters and friends. I actually wrote my first two (VERY short) books from a kit my mom bestowed upon me at seven or eight. And when I got to high school an inspiring English teacher recognized my talent and encouraged me to nurture it. In college, at Sarah Lawrence I was privileged to study with such literary luminaries as Alan Gurganus and Russell Banks. In fact, the first story I ever sent out was a finalist in the Redbook Young Writer’s Contest. Pretty heady stuff for nineteen. Of course, I’ve amassed my share of rejections and taken a few detours, the most joyous being my misadventures in Marconi’s box. Radio, too, is a great place to tell stories. Along the way I have also been a freelance journalist, playwright and trained as a psychotherapist and now work as a creativity coach and writing teacher.
TOL: Where do your ideas come from?
ABA: It’s hard to say. Characters and stories are always rumbling around in my head. The one that screams the loudest, comes through the most clearly, is the next one that needs to be told. Before Eliza Gordon ever entered my psyche I was playing around with the idea of doing a mystery series. I had never really done one before, but certainly read a bunch and thought it would be a fun genre to try. At some point, Soup Opera, the little café that Eliza runs came into my head. And I guess it made sense that an ex-soap star would run such a place. Then Eliza emerged with her back story, which continues to unfold organically, along with her sidekick Midge Sumner and the rest of the Goodship crowd.
TOL: What was your greatest Learning Experience from your first release?
ABA: I guess I learned just how daunting marketing and promoting a book can be. And like many writers I prefer the actual writing. But I do want people to discover and read my books so the efforts are essential to success. Perseverance is key. And networking with other writers and readers through social media makes the journey less treacherous.
TOL: What’s coming up next for you?
A: Much to Eliza and Midge’s chagrin, I’ve just started working on a psychological thriller. But I’m sure they’ll get at least one more turn to solve a murder in the third Eliza Gordon mystery.
TOL: Do you have any advice for writers?
AA: the oldest advice is the best: if you want to be a writer you have to write. Every day. No excuses. And read everything you can that sparks your imagination. Experiment with different genres. If you‘re already out of school and feel isolated, join a writers’ workshop. It’s a great place to garner feedback and keep you accountable to a writing schedule. It’s amazing what you can actually produce with a deadline looming. But whatever you do: always cultivate your own voice and hone your own style.
TOL: How did you come to Cozy Cat Press?
ABA: I was searching for a new home after my original publisher, Hen House Press which released the first Eliza Gordon mystery, Killing Time back-burnered new releases-, when I came across an article about Patricia Rockwell and her burgeoning little company. I sent off my Dead Silent manuscript and she offered me a contract on my birthday! Talk about a great present—and a good omen.
TOL: That is a great omen. Amy Beth, thank you so much for being with us today!
For more information about Amy Beth, visit her website at www.amybetharkawy.com, and follow her on Twitter at @abwrites. Also, remember to tune in to her radio show every Monday. Always something interesting going on there!
Doesn’t really seem like enough time, does it? My month is about to get really crazy, so I’m going to 30 Day It right here, right now. And here we go:
Of course I am thankful for my family and my friends
and their health
and happiness
I am thankful that B and I have good jobs,
and are able to live in a district where Thor goes to an excellent school
and that we are able to live in a sweet, little house
and that our cars are paid for, and both of them still run (!)
I am thankful that my son loves to read
I am thankful for the ability to write and make people laugh
I am thankful for good doctors who are repairing my mother
I am thankful that I truly like my coworkers
I am thankful that Al Gore invented the internet
I have the best in-laws you could ask for–they are up there in 1, 2, and 3, but they also deserve their own thanks because they are that awesome
I get to live in Texas. Texas is pretty amazing, y’all. No state income tax.
I am thankful that we get to travel
I love my silly dog, and I am thankful for him
We are coming up on our 10 year anniversary, and I am thankful that B asked me to marry him–sparing me from having to propose to him
I am thankful for old photographs
and for good memories
and for great memories
I am thankful for all the old family stories rolling around in my head
I am thankful to live in this time period where we have electricity, indoor plumbing, and 5000 channels on TV
I am thankful for coffee
I am thankful for a strong back
I am thankful that as I give thanks, I can remember those who might be having a harder time with it
I am thankful for the pizza delivery guy
and the mailman
and that really nice lady who gives me my coffee at McDonald’s in the mornings because her smile brightens my day
and for Thor’s teachers, who are so good to him
but most of all, I am thankful for my mom, my husband, my son, my in-laws, my dad and his wife, my aunts and uncles, and cousins, my friend-family, and my friends. All the things in the world don’t match up to my people.
A new review is up on A Chick Who Reads, today. Four Flowers! I love the background design on that site.
I hope you all had happy Halloweens. We only had two visitors to our door, and that was disappointing, but it worked out well for those kids. They got gobs of candy.
This morning, I had a sweet note from my aunt, who is coming up to visit with my mom. My cousins, my uncle, my friends–everyone who cares–has been offering support, thoughts, and prayers. I really appreciate that. You have no idea.
My Mom’s parents were people who always helped others, but who frequently refused, or pretended they needed no help. This carried over into the way my mother raised me. ALWAYS help other people. ALWAYS feed that hungry person. ALWAYS help that neighbor. ALWAYS find a way to do for someone else. NEVER let your own need be visible. NEVER say you don’t have, or you can’t afford. NEVER expose your own weakness, and NEVER accept charity.
Pride doesn’t always go before a fall because it’s nose is in the air with hubris. Sometimes it goes before a fall because it is weak from refusing to ask for, or accept help.
I’m still figuring this out, in part because I was raised to keep so many secrets, and conditioned to believe that “telling everything you know” exposes you to more harm than help. “Don’t tell so-and-so that this happened because (s)he will only use it to hurt you!”
Somewhere in my 30s I rebelled against the rule of keeping secrets, and I started a blog where I told all of mine. So, I got the hang of talking. I’ve got the hang of telling the truth about what goes on in my life (and I understand audience–I don’t put everything out here in public-public, you know.) What I’m still learning is how to react to people’s reactions.
Whenever someone offers help or support, I go through this thought process:
Oh! How nice! [This Person] likes me! Who knew?
That is very sweet that they say they want to help.
I’m sure they do not mean they will help, but it’s nice they said so.
What if they mean they will help?
How much will I owe them?
I can’t afford anyone’s help.
I can’t afford help!
Oh no–how do I budget for this? How do I budget for it financially and emotionally. How much do I owe them?
If they help, am I on the hook for it? What if they need help next week, and I can’t give it to them? Will they hate me?
I can’t afford for them to hate me!
What is my end of the bargain?
I can’t afford this.
I shouldn’t have said anything.
I should be able to do this by myself.
And then I shame spiral and feel like I am a terrible, terrible person for a) needing help, b) not knowing if I will be able to return the favor of helping someone else even though I don’t even know if the other person will ever need anything. This plagued me the day of my grandfather’s funeral when all my girlfriends showed up–having taken time off work to come support me–and I panicked with worry that I might not be able to get the day off to support them if/when they had an important funeral. I AM NOT KIDDING.
I started crying at Boom’s funeral because I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to pay back the kindness these wonderful girls had shown me. I had been fine until I saw them, and it hit me that I might not be able to pay back the love. I don’t think I’ve ever admitted that before.
Isn’t that crazy? It is crazy to me that I grew up with people who took care of others without ever asking for anything in return, only to be conditioned to worry that someone might ask in return. Where does that come from even?!
SO, if you offer to help me with something, and I freeze like you’ve just asked me what color my underpants are, that’s why. I’m busy doing a shame spiral. Give me five minutes and I’ll come back to you. 😉
I’m learning to assess my needs honestly, and learning when it is okay to ask, and when it is okay to accept. I think a good rule of thumb is for me to remember that when I offer help, it is with no strings, with good cheer, and with full sincerity–just the way I was raised to offer help. I’m sure other helpful people were raised the same way.
The Outside Lane 