Man's Work, Woman's Work Guest Post by Multi-Genre Author Robert Germaux

I’m welcoming multi-genre author Robert Germaux to the DIY Mom Blog today. Bob has several books, published on Amazon. He’s proven that he’s a versatile and entertaining author who’s comfortable writing in just about any genre. Bob also has a knack for writing about many things a lot of people can relate to.

Read on to find out Bob’s take on man’s work vs. woman’s work. I promise you that it’s definitely not how it sounds J

"Man's Work, Woman's Work" by Robert Germaux

You might get the idea that my wife does most of the cooking in the Germaux household, but you’d be wrong. Cynthia actually does all the cooking, and she has for a long time. The first two years of our marriage, I was already teaching, but Cynthia was still in college. Thus, she had more free time than I did. Plus, she loved preparing meals for her husband, and that husband loved eating those meals. It didn’t hurt that Cynthia was, and still is, a great cook. Her baked pineapple has achieved legendary status in my family and often tops the Most Requested category at holiday gatherings.

     After Cynthia graduated and embarked on her own teaching career, she suddenly had nowhere near as much free time, but she still continued to prepare all our meals, at least the ones we had at home. It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook. I lived in off-campus apartments my last few years in college, and my roommates and I took pride in cooking most of our dinners ourselves, including the occasional made-from-scratch dessert. BTW, I’m told I made a mean tuna noodle casserole back in the day.

Once both Cynthia and I were creating lesson plans, correcting papers, calling parents, attending faculty meetings, etc., we fell into a routine that pretty much set the tone for the rest of our careers and into retirement. Cynthia still did all the cooking, but on weekends, she often made enough chili or manicotti or corn pie or meat loaf or whatever to have leftovers during the week. Also, we’ve been fortunate enough to live in areas that have a wide variety of restaurants that serve good casual fare, so we often had an early dinner a couple days a week at those establishments. (And, actually, when you eat breakfast at 4:30, as we did when we were still working, dinner at four that afternoon isn’t really that early.)

Okay, I know it would appear that I was getting the better part of that deal, since I was still doing none of the cooking. And trust me, I’ve gotten by far the better part of the deal since the day I married Cynthia. But I do try to help. I’ve always done almost all the cleaning up after our meals, and Cynthia will tell you that I’m an excellent chef’s assistant in the kitchen, getting things out of the cupboard or refrigerator when she needs them, putting them away when she doesn’t, cleaning pots and pans when she’s finished with them. What cooking skills I once possessed all those years ago quickly went dark, as it were, due to a lack of practice, but I’m okay with that. Far more important, so is Cynthia.


We’re happy with the arrangement, just as we are in other areas of our lives. For instance, she doesn’t like to drive. I do. So I do most (not all) of our driving. Neither of us actually enjoys ironing, but it has to be done, so Cynthia irons her clothes and I iron mine, a skill I was lucky enough to learn at the age of fourteen. Another thing neither of us likes to do is yardwork, so we don’t. We’re able to pay people to mow our lawn in the summer, and the shrubs and bushes we have on our property are kept looking good by a guy who comes twice a year to fertilize, trim, etc.

Cynthia and I have never defined any kind of work as being something to be done by the man or woman of the house. The important thing isn’t who does what. It’s finding that balance that makes both parties happy. It’s been working for us for forty-nine years, so we may be on to something. But that doesn’t mean our balance would work for you and the other half of your relationship. The two of you are the ones (the only ones) to determine that. In the end, don’t think of any job as man’s work or woman’s work. It’s just work. Do it well and, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll be rewarded with some of that baked pineapple.

Robert Germaux is offering free review copies of his latest book “More Grammar Sex”, which is not surprisingly about sex. In his usual offbeat, comedic fashion, Bob has compiled some of his favorite “thoughts on life's little moments, minor annoyances and unexpected delights.

ABOUT ROBERT GERMAUX

Both my parents were readers. I'm talking stacks-of-books-on-their-nightstands readers. So it's no surprise that an early age, I, too, became an avid reader. Everything from sports books (especially baseball) to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, to almost anything about distant and exotic places. I've always enjoyed putting words on paper, but the writer in me didn't fully emerge until I retired after three decades of teaching high school English.

I quickly wrote two books aimed at middle school readers, at which point my wife urged me to try a novel for adults. As is usually the case, my wife Cynthia's idea was a good one. Over the next few years, I wrote several books about Pittsburgh private eye Jeremy Barnes, including "Hard Court" and the recently released "In the Eye." I also wrote "Small Talk" and "One by One," both featuring Pittsburgh police detective Daniel Hayes.

Along the way, I took a brief hiatus from the detective genre to write "The Backup Husband," the plotline of which came to me one day when I was playing the What-if game.

I then tried my hand at writing humorous essays, which resulted in "Grammar Sex (and other stuff)" and its sequel, "More Grammar Sex." Coming soon is "Small Bytes," the first Jeremy Barnes novel, to be followed by two other JB mysteries, "Leaving the LAW" and "Speak Softly."

I love interacting with my readers and getting their input on my stories and characters. Please feel free to contact me via my website roberttgermaux.wordpress.com.

Author Leslie Hachtel Talks About Why She Chose to Write About Romance

I invited romance author Leslie Hachtel for a visit to the DIY Mom Blog. Leslie is the author of over a dozen novels and I was curious about what made her choose to write in the romance genre. What she had to say was absolutely lovely! 

WHY ROMANCE?

Books offer us a way to explore anything we choose. We can time-travel or visit outer space. We can spend time with people who lived long before us or those that will be here long after. We can experience other cultures and learn just about anything. Books are a door to the universe.

I’ve often heard it said that romance is the “redheaded stepchild” of literature. I vehemently disagree.

Have you watched the news lately? It's full of one atrocity after another, of people being hurt in so many terrible ways, while stories of love and kindness are too rare.

In a world full of so much negativity, don't we all have a desire for better? Wouldn't we all like to have that "happily ever after"?

The everyday is sometimes so difficult and enervating and romance novels offer a special respite. They let us discover men and women who face hardship and come out on the other side, stronger and strengthened by love. They lift us higher and give us the one thing we need: Hope.

I think we need romance novels most of all now, which is why I keep writing, and reading, them.

                     



Leslie is the author of over a dozen romance novels. Her genres include historical, contemporary, romantic suspense and historical/paranormal since she loves them all. She lives in Florida with her fabulously supportive husband, Bob, and, of course, with Jakita, the terrier. 

Meet My Rescue Squirrel, Sarah ... A Heartwarming Story from Author and Reiki Master Charline Ratcliff PLUS FREE BOOK!

Now, some of you might look at this photo and think, “wow, that is a really brazen squirrel!” and yet, without knowing the whole story, you wouldn’t know about the milestone of trust that she and I have formed.

I first ‘met’ Sarah in the late summer / early fall of 2017. She was a cute squirrel and being silver with two white rings on her tail definitely set her apart from the brown squirrels I was accustomed to seeing. She would always waltz into the fenced side yard and then dig through the various planter boxes, looking to unearth the acorns or peanuts that the Blue Jays had buried for their winter stash.

When Sarah disappeared later that fall, I really thought nothing of it. I simply assumed that squirrels, much like other animals without a winter food source, went into some form of hibernation. (And yes, I’ve since learned that squirrels don’t actually hibernate, although they do sleep a lot.)

Several months later, I was again in the side yard when I thought I noticed another silver squirrel. Initially, I was exuberant because, truth be told, I had been missing Sarah and her mischievous antics. Upon closer inspection though, I realized with horror that this squirrel was actually Sarah.

However, she did not have the same carefree attitude as before. Now, she crept slowly and stealthily across the ground, keeping as low a profile as possible, while she searched for food. It hurt my heart to see her slink through the garden area, rarely daring to lift her head higher than a couple inches. Gone were her cutely perfect, rounded squirrel ears. What was left instead were two ears that resembled a backward capital “L.”

As my eyes continued to travel the length of her body, I was shocked to see that her fur looked as if it had been ripped off; all the way from the nape of her neck to just past the shoulder blade area of her upper legs. While the skin was now whole (minus fur), I’m certain that directly after whatever it was that had happened to her had happened; her back had probably been, at best, an angry, oozing mess. I felt in my bones that she was lucky to be alive and I was grateful that she felt safe enough to still traverse my garden.

Her sad appearance prompted the purchase of shelled (but unsalted) peanuts and as the months went by, Sarah healed and her fur grew back. (Although her ears never will.)

Over time, she has seemingly come to know and trust me. When I return home from a trip, she is immediately aware and I will generally find her in my side yard the following morning. She has even developed ‘manners,’ if one could call them that, but those manners fly out the window if I don’t happen to hear her initial few knocks upon the bottom of the sliding glass door.

She watches me closely, and when she realizes that I haven’t heard her knocking, she will then run up the exterior screen door until she can see me over the chair. At that point, she will bang dramatically (and quite loudly) until she has successfully attracted my attention; only descending from her seemingly precarious perch once she sees me coming toward her with nuts in hand – because then, for her, everything is once again right with the world.

I smile every time this happens; grateful for Sarah’s friendship and trust. Yet, even more than that, I find myself humbled by her ability to release the trauma of such a horrific past experience…

ABOUT CHARLINE RATCLIFF:

Mine is not your typical life's story. Growing up, my family life, schooling, and lifestyle were anything but conventional, average or predictable. Being tenacious, an avid reader and hard-working allowed me to prevail against the pitfalls of my unusual upbringing.

It wasn't until my late twenties that the writing muse found me and thus has begun an extraordinary voyage of self-discovery. I began writing novels, blog posts, book reviews, provided author interviews, and even started mentoring other writers.

Having finished the writing of my most recent Historical Fiction, "A Life in the Age of Pompeii," I am about to embark on the writing of my next historical novel, "The Queen's Lost Daughter."

Monsterland Reanimated by Michael Okon Character Interview with Wyatt Baldwin with GIVEAWAY

Q: Readers were glad to know you survived the original Monsterland theme park. Did you have your doubts?

I was surrounded by werewolves, vampires, and zombies. I had a rifle pointed at my head. My best friend turned into a werewolf. Yes, to say the least, I had my doubts.

Q: What’s changed for you since you walked away from your near death experience in Monsterland?

Well, I know what happened to my father. Frankly, I’m even more confused now than I was before. Also, the world is in disarray. I need to find out what’s going on outside Copper Valley, but Carter and my mom won’t let me go. So annoying. Then there’s Jade. She’s not what I expected her to be.

Q: When we left you, you were a geeky high school senior. How are you different now?

I’ve decapitated a werewolf. I’ve grown a bit since my last days of whatever is left of school.

Q: Much of the world’s future now depends on you and your friends. Did you ever imagine you’d be put in such an important role?

Not in a million years. I have a long road ahead of me. I’m what most people call a Hero’s Journey. I’m just getting started, and the first thing I need to do, is find out what the hell is going on outside Copper Valley. Rumor is a slimy purple substance is sucking the life out of all the surrounding towns.

Q: On the lighter side of things, how are things going with Jade? Or can readers expect to read about a new love interest?

Um. So yeah. Jade. She’s um, changed a bit, and not the same girl I was expecting her to be. As for a new romance…well, I’m not at liberty to say…*wink, wink*

Michael Okon is a bestselling author and screenwriter. Monsterland Reanimated, Book Two in the Monsterland series, was just released on April 13, 2018 and promises to be bigger and badder than Book One. Michael invites readers to connect with him on his website. 

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“Why I MUST Listen to Music When I Write” Author Guest Post By Michael Phillip Cash

I love music. Always have. To me, music helps me focus, which is super advantageous while working. I always have music playing while I write. I find that it puts me in a productive writing mood. I also enjoy switching things up, according to my current mood and genre.

I’m not alone in my music listening while working habit. Studies show that listening to music that you enjoy while working actually releases those feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. This relaxes you and increases focus better on a task at hand. Even complex tasks can be benefit from background music. Think about the surgeon who has Bach playing during a surgical procedure and you’ll know it’s a widely respected fact.

Believe it or not, I love listening to classic film soundtracks while writing fantasy, and they don’t necessarily have to be related to Sci-Fi films either. I’m pretty eclectic in my music tastes. My go-to favorites are:

• Star Wars by John Williams
• Shaft by Isaac Hayes
• Blade Runner by Vangelis
• 2001 by Stanley Kubrick
• Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

I’ve found that listening to music makes a hugely positive impact on my writing. Give it a try and you will too!

About Michael Phillip Cash

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter. His novel The Battle for Darracia is a three-part saga and is available on Amazon.

Michael’s novels are best-sellers on Amazon under their genres – Young Adult, Thriller, Suspense, Ghost, Action Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance and Horror. Michael writes full-time and lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wonderful wife and screaming children. You can follow him @michaelpcash or connect with him via his website.

*DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD AND FREE SIGNED COPIES OF "THE BATTLE FOR DARRACIA".

Using Your Imagination to Ground Yourself and Focus on What Really Matters in Life Guest Post By Children's Book Author Daniel Linsteadt

I'm all about finding holistic ways to calm and ground ourselves. I'm also a HUGE fan of children's books. When I reached out to children's book author Daniel Linsteadt to request an author guest post, he really nailed it. He managed to give us a post that addresses both of these topics and more. Take it away, Daniel!

The other day, my coworker said in an excited tone, “Come check this out!” There was a colorful image on the computer screen that I was to relax and stare at. As I looked, the colors on the screen faded away. Unable to hold my gaze, I blinked or readjusted my eyes and the color would reappear. The physical world around us is truly a miracle. This is the playground for my stories.

In my new Nila series (Water, Air, Fire), I toy with all our senses. Our first scent of the ocean is exquisite, but quickly fades with each exhale. Taking in your first breath of pine scented air in the mountains is strong and vibrant, but this too dissipates with time. Why does this happen? What other sights or smells am I missing that are right before me? I believe love for another person is the same, which requires us to readjust and refocus on that person to rekindle that sensation back into a flame.

           

I adore nature and all the wondrous sights, smells and textures she provides…life-giving properties that are just as important as water, air and food. Nature grounds me from all the static I absorb throughout a busy day. Our bodies and mind need that calming energy to stay vital, like the first day we opened our eyes to this world and our life.

© 2018, Susan Barton

You only need to watch a child place his fingers in running water for the first time—wow! First, there’s a slight frown from not being able to possess it, then a smile at how it flows over his skin. Water reflects color and light from the world around it, as well as the temperature…another sensation that is acute at first and then dulls—we call it getting used to. The young child then begins to laugh and talk to the water as they splash themselves and others with their newfound water friend. But as we age, water becomes, well, just water.

© 2018, Susan Barton

     

To bring that child back into me, I only need to step out into the sunshine with bare feet and breathe in the fragrant air. My imagination runs rampant with stories as I gaze at colorful flowers, multi-shaped leaves and fluorescent dragonflies darting through the air. Isn’t this what we did when we first arrived on planet Earth?

My second Oaf story, Oaf in Bear River, was born in this way. As I watched dragonflies bouncing off the glinting water’s surface and I rested my back against a log in the middle of the river, an idea began taking shape. A rainbow of light fluttered just beyond my arm’s reach on the streambed, and boom! My mind was off to the races, and the story was practically written before I came ashore.

I have a folder on my computer called “Stories” that contains many Word documents. Each saved with a title, and its contents a budding tale discovered when out in play. If I only had enough time write and give attention to each fantasy that has popped into my head. Going to work is important, but it does get in the way….

ABOUT DANIEL LINSTEADT

Daniel Linsteadt is the author of the Nila children’s book series and the Oaf children’s book series. He has a BA degree in Environmental Studies (emphasis Geology) and a BA degree in Geography (emphasis Remote Sensing) from UC Santa Barbara.

Daniel has spent most of his career as an IT programmer and administrator. His joy has always been creating tales, so now he shares his passion for life with inspiring and uplifting stories.

Daniel can often be found sipping coffee in the foothills of Auburn, California where nature is still wild ... if you know where to look.

Readers are invited to connect with Daniel on his author website.

YA Paranormal Author Michael Phillip Cash Reveals His Scariest Fears - Book Swag Giveaway Included!

I read a lot of YA novels. I especially love all things paranormal. The creepier, the better. I'm a big fan of Michael Phillip Cash's novels and I reached out to ask him one important question: Name a haunted location where he'd refuse to spend a night. Here's what he had to say...

Kings Park Psychiatric Center

You Couldn’t Pay Me Enough to Spend a Night in Kings Park Psychiatric Center

By Michael Phillip Cash

I write about monsters, ghosts, haunted houses and other paranormal topics. I do it because the afterlife fascinates me. Dead people fascinate me, just as creepy buildings do. But do I want to spend a night in one? Heck no.

If I were to name a place that you couldn’t pay me enough to spend the night inside I’d have to say it would be Kings Park Psychiatric Center on Long Island. Hands down.

Kings Park Psychiatric was built in 1885 as way to alleviate overcrowding at other “insane asylums”, and also as a way to provide more humane care for patients. But by the 1950s things began to change. Experimental psychiatric procedures were implemented and overcrowding became the norm. Things were no longer as humane as they once were and hence the speculation that former patients still wander the halls in a state of eternal unrest…particularly at night.

I’ll definitely leave the overnight sleepovers at Kings Park Psychiatric to paranormal teams and ghost hunters. I prefer sleeping with both eyes closed.

Michael Phillip Cash is the author of the four-book series A Haunting on Long Island. 

Readers can connect with Michael on his website and Facebook.

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Why and How I Made the Transition from Law Enforcement to Authorship by Anita Dickason, Author of Sentinels of the Night

I LOVE books that feature strong female characters, so when I heard about Sentinels of the Night by Dallas police officer turned crime author Anita Dickason I knew I had to highlight this awesome woman! 

I reached out to Anita to ask her how she made the transition from law enforcement to book series author and she kindly obliged with an author guest post. Anita has lots to share about her journey - it's certainly a fascinating one - so read on!

After retiring from the Dallas Police Department, I started an accident reconstruction business. I received a phone call from a California film company. They were looking for an accident investigator and had found my website. A new reality TV series was being filmed about unsolved mysteries. One episode dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. Lee Bowers was killed in a car accident in 1966.

The date to film was set, and the company had obtained permits from the Texas Department of Transportation to shut down the southbound lanes of a highway outside of Midlothian, a small town south of Dallas.

At first, I wasn’t receptive to their offer. I knew nothing about the accident and had little time to research. The company representative asked if I would at least look at the documents and I agreed.

The packet I received included the location of the shoot and a video of a Geraldo Rivera show that had aired in the middle 90s on the same topic. In the video, a man stood on the highway pointing to the bridge that Bowers vehicle had hit. It only took a few seconds to realize everyone had the wrong location. The bridge and highway didn’t even exist in 1966.

That got my attention. Could I find the actual accident site? By the time I had researched documents at the county courthouse and located the right bridge, I was hooked. I decided to attempt a reconstruction of the accident.

I wrote a book that detailed my research and conclusions, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy. The project became the springboard to a new career as an author and publisher. I closed the accident reconstruction business and started Mystic Circle Books & Designs, LLC, providing manuscript and cover design services to help other authors publish their books.

As for my books, I have published two fiction novels, Sentinels of the Night and Going Gone! The stories are suspense/thrillers with a touch of paranormal and light romance. I set up a new FBI unit, code name—Trackers. Each of the agents has a unique gift drawn from Native American myths or Irish and Scottish folklore. I am on my third Tracker novel and hope to have it published by the first of the year.

For more information on Sentinels of the Night and the second Tracker novel, Going Gone!, please see my website, Amazon author page or the book trailers: 

Anita Dickason Website

Amazon Author Page

Sentinels of the Night Book Trailer

Going Gone! Book Trailer

The Thoughts You Feed by Irene Weinberg Author of They Serve Bagels in Heaven Book Tour and Giveaway

DIY Mom is participating in the virtual book tour for the inspirational memoir "They Serve Bagels in Heaven" by Irene Weinberg. Irene wrote her very personal story after the tragic death of her husband, Saul. Irene has shared her author guest post with DIY Mom readers here:

“The Thoughts You Feed”

by Irene Weinberg

The thoughts you feed are the ones that grow.

What this brings to my mind is the time my husband died next to me in a horrific car accident.

We were driving on the NY State Thruway when our car suddenly went into a huge swerve.  “Saul!” I called out to my sleeping husband, waking him up. He saw what was happening and tried to pull the car out of the swerve, but instead, we started to flip the first of four times. 

When we finally stopped, we had slid into a ravine and were upside down. I looked over at what was now the shell of my husband and knew all through me that he was gone.  I felt the car being turned over and as the strong hands of an EMT began to pull me through the shattered window of my car, two amazing, disparate things happened to me:

An unemotional but authoritative male voice boomed into my head and told me to “be loving and kind to everyone.” A moment later, I said to myself, “I will get through this somehow, because I have to show my son that you can get hit by a grenade in life and somehow still survive.”

I certainly experienced my share of grief and despair during those dark days, but at the same time, the positive attitude I scripted for myself led me to two professionals: a wonderful, resourceful Life Transition Coach and a highly regarded spiritual healer.  And as the many drops of love I was receiving from friends and family began to collect in what I called my grief-filled bucket, that now overflowing bucket of love started lifting me from my despair. 

 At first, my positive attitude in spite of my tremendous tragedy was all about my son.  But as began to re-build my life and once again experienced JOY, it also became about me.

ABOUT IRENE WEINBERG:

They Serve Bagels in Heaven: One couple’s story of love, eternity, and the cosmic importance of everyday life begins with the amazing messages Irene Weinberg received from heaven during the tragic car accident that took her husband Saul’s life. Irene resides in Northern New Jersey, where she oversees business interests. She is a mother, a stepmother and a grandmother. The author invites readers to connect with her on her website. 

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