Something I read today.....

From the book "Grit" by Angela Duckworth-University of Pennsylvania......

Grit-is a combination of passion and perseverance, for success over intelligence or innate talent.

The book's central thesis is that perseverance, even in the face of obstacles, is key to success.  "Gritty" people simply go farther in life than everyone else.

Two equations that show how you get from talent to success:

     Talent x effort = skill

     Skill x effort = achievement

She points out that external opportunities, like having a great coach or teacher, matter too.  But when it comes to the psychology of success and achievement, effort is huge.

"Our potential is one thing.  What we do with it is quite another."  "Believing in 'grit' is about believing that your personal and professional success is largely in your own hands."

Giving up before even trying is to guarantee failure.

What do you think?  

Summer-where has it gone?

I had such good intentions to write a blog post every couple of weeks and actually get it posted.
You know what they say about 'best laid plans'.  :-)

I accepted a new position at my employer in April and its been an interesting transition; but I'm enjoying the new challenges and working in partnership with my new boss.

Did you take a vacation this summer?  I spent a week with my bestest friend in Orlando visiting her parents for a few days, going to Downtown Disney one day (its probably as close as I'm ever gonna get to see Mickey and Minnie) and attending the Indie Bookfest Convention (IBF).

IBF was an amazing experience!  It was her first author convention so we were both a little apprehensive about what it would actually be like.  We met some really great people-some of whom quickly became friends, attended discussion panels (she was on 3 and did such an amazing job on all of them) that provided tons of information, resources and ideas.  The Gothic Romance Ball was a lot of fun and CJ looked amazing in her dress.  Me?  I wore my standard party outfit...a black and white silk shirt and black slacks with amazing black and silver jewelry and a black fringe shawl.

I came away from IBF with the confidence and validation that an idea I had been seriously thinking about was worth pursuing.  So on August 1st I launched my virtual assistant business.  Take Wing Virtual Assistant Solutions main mission is to provide administrative support to Indie Authors specifically but I'll be assisting individuals and small businesses as well.  Its exciting and scary all at the same time.  I'll be launching the webpage for it later this weekend.

I was able to attend the Iowa State Fair with my other bestie on opening night for the Casting Crowns concert.  While the weather may not have been ideal (mid 90s, humid, no breeze); the concert was fantastic and spending time catching up with her priceless.

The season of Summer may have went by quickly; but I'm looking forward to Fall and all that brings!

I came back with SWAG from authors so be part of the conversation by leaving a comment and I'll put everyone's name who does so in 'the hat' and draw a winner next Saturday.

Until we visit again, have a great day!
Robyn

So, let me tell you about my best friend.....

"People let me tell you 'bout my best friend, 
She's a warm hearted person who'll stand by me till the end. 

People let me tell you bout my best friend, 
She's my oldest, my dearest pal, my sister of the heart

People let me tell you 'bout her, she's so much fun 

Whether we're talkin' serious stuff or just chatting on the run....

Cause she's my best friend. 
Yes she's my best friend."

(adapted from Harry Nilsson's song)

We've been bestest friends for nearly 48 years.
She's a wife (married 40 years this fall),
Mom of two great kids (who I'm blessed to say call me Aunt Robyn).
Mom of two fur-babies as well; the small fluffy dog Muffin and the entitled cat Mouse.
She works a full-time job in addition to her writing.
She loves a drink called Salty Dog; as well as wine.  And let me not forget her Diet Dew!
She longs to live in the mountains as they bring her peace and tranquility.
She has these amazing 'plot bunnies' running around in her head that lead her to create great characters and stories.
Of course she loves chocolate.
And....I'm blessed beyond measure to call her my very bestest best forever friend.
We've been through good, bad and down-right horrible times; know pretty much everything about each other and I don't know what I'd do without her.

As a young woman she dreamed of being a journalist but when she couldn't afford to go to college she put that dream away and concentrated on being a wife and mom.  Years later she was introduced to FanFiction and began reading stories based on her beloved Twilight series.  She came across a story that featured 2 of the male characters and had an epiphany, "Why", she says, "shouldn't people have books to read that feature characters similar to themselves?  Everyone deserves that.  They deserve to have a HEA."  And so her plot bunnies took hold and she began to write.

And today her second book is being published!  Its been a journey with this one with delays, disappointments, frustrations and despair.  Throughout it she kept moving forward writing novellas for several anthologies, publishing on her blog and working on what will be the second book in this new series as well as outlining story lines for other books to come.

So, let me introduce you to her book: Drifting Sands-The Warfield Hotel Mysteries-Book 1

As he approaches his fortieth birthday, Justin Warfield feels alone, drifting like the sand that blows along the beach near his family’s hotel. He has done exactly as his father wanted. Married the right girl and carried on the family tradition of running the Warfield Hotel. On paper things seem perfect, but happiness hasn’t been a part of his life for a very long time. 

Marcus Drummond once spent a summer with his best friend Peter at the Warfield Hotel and fell hard for Peter’s much older brother. Five years later he’s back, and this time hopes that Justin will see him as more than his kid brother’s friend. 

Sparks fly when the two meet again, but there are a few things standing in their way. The closet that Justin has himself buried in and someone on a killing spree, dumping bodies on the Warfield beach . . . victims that indicate Justin may be involved in some way.

Drifting Sands is available on E-Retailer sites:

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_14?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=drifting+sands+baty&sprefix=drifting+sands%2Caps%2C193

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drifting-sands-c-j-baty/1121983368?ean=2940151927734

AllRomance:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-driftingsands-1805601-149.html

BookStrand:  http://bookstrand.com/drifting-sands

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/drifting-sands

Bottom Drawer Publications:  http://www.bottomdrawerpublications.net/#!drifting-sands/c1i4v

  I hope you'll join me in wishing her well on release day.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY CJ.!  

  

Until we chat again, I wish you quiet times with a really great book, your beverage of choice and of course some chocolate!

Robyn

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As a side note here....Indie Authors depend on word-of-mouth, reader reviews and spend alot of time self-promoting.  If you read a book by an Indie Author, post about it on your FB or Twitter and definitely leave a review on the e-retailer site you purchased the book.  

Books-2

Today I want to share about books.  I don't recall a time when I didn't have my nose stuck in a book to be honest.  And with the Kindle my obsession just keeps on growing.  Oh I still buy actual books; I love the feel of a book in my hands and actually turning pages.  I love the Kindle as it allows me to carry a multitude of books with me at anytime and it fits neatly in my bag so a win all the way around!

I'm currently reading a really great anthology; Romancing the Paranormal; 13 new tales.  I'm getting ready to start book 6 in this set and so far I've really liked what I'm reading.  You can find out more about the set here:  Romancing the Paranormal  Just 99 cents for a limited time!

Another anthology I'm looking forward to reading is Summer Fire: Love When Its Hot.  This set has 20 new contemporary romance stories by some terrific authors.  It releases tomorrow, Tuesday, 5/26 and you can find out more here:  Summer Fire  Just 99 cents for a limited time!

Anthologies are interesting....you never know for sure what you'll be getting.  Will you love them all? Only love one or two?  Like them but not overly crazy about any of them?  Or hate them?  What do you think?

And then there's the new novel by CJ Baty releasing on June 7th.  Drifting Sands is Book 1 in the Warfield Hotel Mysteries series and  you don't want to miss it.  Its available for pre-order on all e-retailer sites and you can find out more at CJ's blog: CJ Baty  There are contests for a free paperback copy of the book on BookLike and GoodReads and I know she's got something special planned to post on her blog this week.

And I could go on and on about the other upcoming releases I'm looking forward to; but I think I'll save those for another post.

Its Memorial Day today.  Remember that its not just an extra day off work, or an excuse for a BBQ or party (although all of things are great).  Its a day to honor those who  have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have.


I'm going to go refresh my sweet tea, grab a cookie and start the movie marathon I've got planned for the rest of my day.

Lets keep the discussion going.  Comment about what  you're currently reading, your thoughts about Memorial Day or how your weekend went.

Until we chat again ~ Robyn

Re-Launch!

I'm relaunching the blog today with a new look and the best of intentions to post more regularly!

So welcome to The Byrd's Nest where we'll chat about life, faith, books or whatever happens to come to mind on any given day.  So a little bit about me to get  things going.....

I grew up in a small town in southwest Ohio and am the oldest of 3.  My sister is the poster child for the definition of 'middle child' and then there's my brother the youngest-the only boy in the family and yes kinda spoiled.  Its true growing up we didn't have/get everything we wanted but my parents made sure we had everything we needed.  Especially their love and support of our dreams and goals.

BOOKS!
I love books!  For me books are like breathing, sleeping and eating...its a necessary part of every day. Going back as far as I can remember, I can't recall a time when I didn't love reading and could be pretty much be counted on to have a book in my hand or nearby.

Today's ramblings.....

Its a beautiful Spring day in Central Iowa!  The sun is shining and not a rain drop in sight (which after the past week is a great thing), the neighborhood is alive with the sounds of grass being cut, bushes being trimmed and the sounds of kiddos playing.  My windows are open and there is an amazing cross-breeze helping to clear out the stuffiness of the long cold winter season.

Spring arrives late here in Iowa; but no matter its here now and one of my favorite times of year.  The tulips, daffodils and lilacs are all in bloom and the peonies are shooting up and will be bursting forth right on time for Memorial Day weekend from the looks of the ones I've seen.

Its a short post today as I need to go prepare my dinner.

Wishing you a pleasant rest of the day!

Until we chat again ~Robyn

  

Holiday Greetings

Well, first let me start off by saying that I'm sorry for the long delay in posting on the blog.  Work crises, personal challenges, the holidays and all that goes into the planning, feasting, decorating, present buying, parties and etc has kept me away from the keyboard.

Today I'm baking the last of the treats for the season....lemon crinkle cookies, strawberry crinkle cookies and cranberry-orange bread mini-loaves.  Most of that is for gift giving but I'll keep a loaf of the bread and some of the lemon cookies for myself.  I'm blessed with a friend who makes fabulous cranberry/white chocolate-chip/oatmeal cookies and chocolate-chip ones as well; throw in some fudge, cherry chocolates, Hershey's kisses and my all-time favorite dark chocolate sea-salt caramels from Whole Foods and I'm well stocked with holiday treats.

I love the way my apartment looks all decorated for the season.  Everything goes up Thanksgiving weekend and comes down on New Year's Day while I'm watching the Rose Parade.  Yes, its true it takes me 2 days to put it all up and about 4 hours to take it all down.  :-)  I've never been able to figure out why that is; one of the mysteries of life I guess!

The holidays are my favorite time of year.  I love the decorating, the planning of get togethers, food and treats and yes even the shopping.  I didn't do any mall shopping this year; I live about 20 minutes from the closest one and frankly just couldn't work up the energy and enthusiasm to go tackle the crowds.  So instead I got things online, at local small business' and of course at the big-box stores.

We've got Santa coming for a visit at shelterland tomorrow night (along with 2 of his Elves) and that's always so much fun for the kiddos and the adults as well.  He'll have PJs and a toy or book for each of the kiddos (thanks to a very generous donation we received) as well as something for each of the adults, we take pictures and its just a really special evening.  We're so blessed with the generosity of corporations, individuals, and service groups that make sure we have toys and other items so that those that are with us in shelter have gifts and a nice holiday in spite of the circumstances they are facing.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the traditional Byrd Christmas Eve dinner (ham, baked beans, cole slaw, and etc) and then going to candlelight services at church.  Christmas Day will be spent with my brother (who is cooking-God bless him) and I'm sure chatting with friends and family.

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Christmas or something else I wish you a joyous holiday season.

Till we chat again-
Robyn

Leave a comment and share your holiday family traditions...lets keep the conversation going!

Fall!

FALL...my favorite time of year.

Why Fall and not one of the others you may ask?  Well, I love the colors as the leaves change, the cooler temperatures-I'm not a fan of overly hot or overly cold weather and yes I know I live in Iowa where we have both of those.  :-)

And its a time for comfort foods like chili, veggie soup, mac & cheese made from scratch (not out of the box, although nothing wrong with that), meatloaf.  It makes me want to bake cookies and brownies and cranberry bread.

I tend to light candles throughout my home more often in the Fall for some reason.  I think its because its another one of those comfort things.  I love curling up in a cozy sweatshirt and leggins with a cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows of course) or a cup of hot tea under a fuzzy throw and read or watch a DVD or a movie on Hallmark Channel.

And its the beginning of a string of months where I add seasonal decorative decor throughout my home. The Fall wreath went up on the front door on the first day of Fall; and today I put out all the Halloween decor.  In a bit I'll light some candles and put the finishing touches on my comfort food dinner of shredded beef, noodles and lima beans.

Until we talk again; I wish you a Fall day filled with colorful leaves, gentle breezes and your own version of comfort.

Thanks for stopping by-Robyn