Blogs Combining

I've decided that maintaining two blogs-- one for Maggie Faire and one for Maggie Jaimeson--takes way too much time. Time that I need to be writing another book. So, I am combining my two blogs into one at my Maggie's Meanderings blog.

I know that many people who follow this blog also follow that one already.  So, I hope this will make it easier for you.

I'll be moving the posts from here to there over the next few weeks.  But I will no longer be posting here.  Please join me at Maggie's Meanderings from now on.

THANK YOU FOR A GREAT INTRO OF MY YA FANTASY NOVELS!!

The third one in the series is scheduled for December just in time for Christmas, Chameleon: The Summoning.

Give Books for Kids and Teens

NOTE: This is a duplicate post to the one I put on my Maggie's Meanderings blog last week. I just wanted to make sure all my readers and other authors, who only see this blog, access the wonderful work of Dawn Lowery and Wee Care Community Outreach.

As an author and an educator I sometimes take literacy for granted. I was blessed from early age with a grandmother who loved to read and every Christmas I saw books under the tree.  My father also loved stories and enjoyed writing (though he never published his writing).  I've been a reader as long as I can remember and a storyteller since I could first form words.

The Romance Writers of America take literacy very seriously.  At every national conference, the profits from book sales at the author signing (usually more than 500 authors are signing) go to literacy.  Many local chapters do something similar.  My own chapter used to have a literacy fundraiser in the form of a luncheon.

So, it was with great happiness that I recently learned of a special person on Goodreads. I was running a giveaway of my YA Fantasy books under the Maggie Faire name. One of the entrants wrote me to let me know she was hoping to win.  But the reason was not only to read my books; it was because she and her family have founded a community outreach program for poor families in Georgia where they help people of all ages learn to read and/or improve their reading.  Every book she wins, or buys, or receives as a gift goes to the center's library.  They want to have a large variety of books so they can always find something of interest to the new or expanding reader.

Well, she didn't win my giveaway but, after researching her organization (which is an official IRS Non profit) I knew I would send her copies of my books.  I am hoping that those who see my post here will also do the same.


Donated books can be sent to:

Wee Care Community Outreach
C/O Dawn Lowery
3985 Shelton Drive
Resaca, Georgia  30735

The Best Me Ever

One of the things that authors have to do is to put their face out there.  It goes on your website, on your facebook page, on your twitter account, on your blog, sometimes in the newspaper, and even on the back of your book or the inside of your book.  In other words, it is in so many places that if you don't love your headshot you can get depressed about your looks pretty fast.

I don't know about you, but I have always had things about my body I don't like.  As I've gotten older, I've accepted a lot of things about my looks, my wrinkles, the little bits of grey in my hair and of course my girth.  So, when I went to the photographers to get a new headshot I had to decide if I wanted to be me or someone else.  I wanted to be me, but the very best me possible.  I think the photographers did that in this, one of my favorites of the pictures they took. In the larger version you can still see a few wrinkles, the sprinkling of grey, the fold in the neck but they did smooth my skin tones.

Some women--even those who are thin and beautiful--look in the mirror and see fat and ugly.  I'm the opposite. I'm heavy and have all the things that come along with aging, but when I look in the mirror I see a younger, thinner, prettier person.  Most of the time I still see that 28 year old who is inside me. Why 28? I have no idea. I think because it was a time when I was in good shape and felt the most physically confident--not psychologically confident but physically.

When I try to describe this phenomenon to people, some say I'm simply in denial. Others don't believe me. I'm not in denial, if I look hard I see the "real" physical me. But I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, fussing. And I don't bother with looking at every detail that is not perfect. I've never been perfect. So, I really do see the person inside me manifested on the outside with only slight changes.  Weird?

The only time it's a real problem is when I go shopping and pick out a cute size 12 outfit. I get to the dressing room and I'm temporarily shocked I don't fit into it. (Now that's not really true. I know better than that. But I do have a problem picking out sizes that are too small).  The other time I'm pulled back to reality is if I get on a scale (try not to do that much) or when I'm walking beside people who are actually 28 and fit and beautiful. Of course, to me they look they are in high school. It's all relative. :)

Do you have an age you think of for yourself on the inside? If so, what age is it?  If you are a young person, how do you feel about body? Are you comfortable with it, no matter what size you are?