Tag: Betty Thomason Owens

Unlikely Merger – In Progress

On By Betty OwensIn Christian Fiction, CR4U, fiction, novella, Tracy Ruckman, Write Integrity Press1 Comment

11112210_858579607541022_8504991036842170166_oHave you ever worked for a company that was swallowed up by another company? Acquisitions can be painful. Sometimes even fatal (to your job). In the collaborative novella Unlikely Merger, the heroine works for an acquisitions firm. Mercy Lacewell has to learn to choose the right businesses for her father’s company to fund or buy. A wrong decision can cost the firm a lot of time and money. The stress of the position nearly grounds Mercy before she gets started.

I worked for a small civil engineering company that was bought out by a larger architectural engineering company. The buyout was a relief for the owners who were nearly at the end of their rope financially. The employees were dubious. Would we be fired to make room for corporate replacements? If we were retained, would we like our new bosses? What other changes were in store?

These are all concerns that our heroine needed to address when she sat down with prospective companies. What did this acquisition mean in dollars and cents to the employee? Bottom line–what did their future hold? She was inexperienced, but her natural abilities pushed her through this exhausting process.

One of the most difficult requirements of her new position is travel. Based in Denver, she has to fly all over the country to interview and assess the prospective businesses. Each of our chapters deals with a different location. And of course, she meets a different eligible bachelor each time. But Mercy keeps her distance, because she’s a professional, and she’s sort of an introvert. Merger? Unlikely.

IMG-20150130-WA0008But one of these guys will end up as Mercy’s forever. Once again, Write Integrity Press is releasing one chapter a day on their website. Once the last chapter is released, the readers will be invited to vote for their favorite. For more information, and to read the chapters, click the link here:

Write Integrity Press: Unlikely Merger Chapter Two

On July 1st, you can download the book, with its final chapter–the proposal–absolutely free on Kindle. It will remain free through the 5th of July and then, it’ll be 99¢.

AND at some point during the month of June, something BIG is happening here. On this blog. So watch for it. You can also “like” my Facebook author page–right over there (see right margin)–to keep up with what is happening. If you ask me in a comment, either here or on Facebook, you may win a special prize. But you have to ask.

Bonus Materials! Follow the links below for more personalized information about the key characters in Unlikely Merger.

Marji Laine:  Human Icicle

Julie Arduini: If We Could Have been Part of a Company Merger

            Carole Towriss: Dustin’s Detour Bellview Texas

            Jennifer Hallmark: Sacred Journeys by Carole Towriss

Fay Lamb: Meet the Heroes of Unlikely Merger: Dustin Rogers

The Importance of Being Earnest

On By Betty OwensIn home, teacher, treasures

According to dictionary.com, the word earnest means: serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous.

On Purpose StickyLast month, I blogged about living life on purpose (with purpose). I will admit, it isn’t easy. I’ve had a post-it note stuck in front of my nose for days to help me.

In my decisions: choose to make a difference in the lives of others. Whenever possible, I’ve made an effort to spend time with my family instead of holing up with my latest work-in-progress. That might mean babysitting or conversing with my school-age grandkids whenever I’m blessed with the opportunity.

To maintain this intent and purpose, I’ve needed to spur myself and stir up the zealousness when I only wanted to retreat. You see, we make a daily choice, whether by habit or intent, to get out of bed and go to work. We go because we need a paycheck, or because we know our work is necessary for the good of others.

school-teacher-148135_1280I had dinner with an elementary grades teacher last night. She takes her work seriously. She’s earnest in her calling. She’s inspiring young minds and helping mold their future. Those aren’t just cliches to her. They are her purpose. It’s not always easy. I’ve spoken to teachers suffering from burn-out. They were discouraged, and had lost their zeal for the work that once described them and gave them purpose.

So it’s important to maintain our purpose. That’s the real importance of being earnest.

Did you wonder from my title, if I was going to reference Oscar Wilde’s play by the same name? Well, you’re right, I am. The subtitle of Wilde’s original work is “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” The play was originally performed in London on Valentine’s Day, 1895. It was originally described as a “satirical farce.”

I had read the thing a number of years ago, but it had fallen by the wayside in my memory until spurred by the 2002 movie with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth (among many other brilliant and funny actors). If you’ve never seen it, it’s worth a watch. It’s cute, lighthearted fun, though it does carry a message and an obvious play-on-words.

So, in closing, what changes would you make to your life, in order to pursue a more earnest, purpose-driven lifestyle?

Maybe you’d need to be more present in your own life. Put away your phone, tablet, laptop, etc., and make actual eye contact with your loved ones or coworkers. That droning sound you hear as you’re texting a smiley-face to your best friend? That’s your spouse talking to you about his day. Wake up and let him know you care about him and what happened to him.

ripplesStop what you’re doing, whenever possible. Touch your child’s face and make eye contact. Respond to their need for attention with love, instead of impatience. Be earnest in your affection. Make a difference and you’ll hear a splash and see the ripple effect on the surface of your life.

I don’t play accurately – anyone can play accurately – but I play with wonderful expression. — Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

May I Hashtag You?

On By Betty OwensIn humor, Twitter2 Comments

One afternoon in mid-May, I happened to see the following hashtag phrase trending on Twitter:

#DescribeYourselfIn3Words

Of course, I had to click on the hashtag and see how everyone answered it. Among my favorites:

silently judging you – obsessed with pizza – cuter than u – inspired by love

Silly, maybe, but whatever the purpose of the game, it got me thinking. If I had only three words, how would I describe myself? Let me turn that around and ask, how would you describe yourself?

Always a Mother – even after my children are grown and have moved out of the house, made homes of their own, have children of their own, I’m still their mother. I’ll always mother them, as long as I have breath.

Quiet, but smart. Okay, that’s a stretch for me, but it’s true. I’m often quiet. When you’re quiet, you hear things. You read and learn things that others miss because they’re too busy talking. When I was a child, many not-so-nice things were said to me and about me. As I grew older, I figured something out. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. It does matter what you think about yourself.

Humor sweetens truth. Another stretch, I know. But it’s part of me. My dad was the youngest of four children born into poverty. Things got worse when his father was killed. Life was extremely difficult at times. Grandma was a single mom during the Great Depression. But all of them, including Grandma, had this amazing sense of humor. When they got together, the room was filled with laughter, singing, dancing. They were happy and blessed.

RaftPolaroidHumor got them through the hard times. You may be thinking I should say faith got them through, or hope took them through. In truth, both faith and hope played a bigger part than humor. I look at it like this:

Faith is like water.

Hope is like a raft that floats on the water.

Humor is the air that fills the raft and makes it float.

So those are my three 3-word descriptions of myself. I challenge you to think of yourself in a positive light. Pick out your best traits, reduce them to three words you can easily remember, and say them over yourself. Try building yourself up, rather than tearing yourself down. And please feel free to share them with me. I’d love to see what you come up with.

 

What’s Up?

On By Betty OwensIn #amreading, Betty Thomason Owens, fiction, Writing6 Comments

WorkinProgress-MeA work-in-progress. That’s what’s up with me. I’m always trying to improve myself and update my knowledge of various computer technologies. As a writer, I run into glitches all day long and have to solve problems and iron out difficult wrinkles in the system or on my webpage, etc. If I had to wait for someone else to do it…well…it might actually be quicker than me working through a learning process. But now I know how to do it myself!

As of yesterday, my website is now located right here. Moving from Blogger to WordPress was an adventure (extreme understatement). But I love the results! What do you think of it?

That is, if I can remember what I did.

I’m also nearing the end of a work-in-progress–my second book in the Legacy series, Carlotta’s Legacy. This has been a learning process also, and extended beyond my self-imposed deadline more than I care to admit. I’m pleased with how it’s turned out. I hope my editor and publisher agree.

Those of you who’ve read Amelia’s Legacy, will remember Nancy’s perky best friend Rebecca Lewis. Rebecca falls on hard times and has to make some tough decisions. She may have second thoughts, but backing down is not in her makeup. Though she’s knocked down again and again, she keeps getting back up and back in the game.

I have to admit, I’m kind of crushing on Rebecca’s love interest, Riccardo Alverá. He’s an Italian count faced with some tough decisions of his own. To prepare myself for this story, I watched several movies from the era (also set in Italy). In Love and War (a Hallmark movie), Tea With Mussolini, A Month by the Lake, and Enchanted April. There are numerous wonderful novels set in the pre-WW2 era. And fantastic YouTube films about everything from sailing on an ocean liner (in the 1920s & 30s!!) to harvesting olives.

512px-French_Broom2One of my absolute favorite websites, because it was so informative, was Anne’s Italy. And then I happened across a list on YouTube that included movies and photographs from Umbria, which is the setting for Carlotta’s Legacy. Oh the hours I spent watching these beautiful scenes! If I had a bucket list, visiting Umbria would be at the top.

As I write this post, I’m a matter of weeks away from the release of Annabelle’s Ruth. See information below. This story is close to my heart, because it’s fashioned after the Book of Ruth and loosely based on some of my mother’s life experiences. It’s set in a small town where I spent part of my childhood. Here’s a sneak-peek at the setting for Annabelle’s Ruth (Pinterest Board).

I’ll keep you posted on these releases. Follow this blog or like my Facebook author page, to keep up with what’s going on (and help me reach 500 likes this summer). For instance, next week, the Authorview post features Becky Wade and her hot new release, A Love Like Ours. You will want to be here for that.

bluetick-coonhound-2Annabelle’s Ruth is a 1950’s era “Ruth” story, set in the area of Trenton, Tennessee. Constance “Connie” Cross determines to follow her mother-in-law, Annabelle, east to Tennessee after their husbands perish in a fishing boat accident. After Southern California, 1950’s West Tennessee gives Connie culture shock. How will she adapt to her new life amid the cotton farms, rank with prejudice?

Resting on Purpose

On By Betty OwensIn Cat, humor2 Comments

 

RetiredCat

Sometimes, it’s okay to rest. Take a sabbath day. Kick back, put your feet up. That’s hard for me to do. I feel guilty if there’s a spot of dust floating in that beam of sunlight. I have to go clean it up. Run the vacuum, wash the dishes, throw in a load of clothes. And the yard. Don’t even get me started.

But even God took a day off. He planned for us to do the same. So why is it I feel guilty? The sun is shining. Take a deep breath, relax. Enjoy life.

I know it’s not Sunday. It doesn’t matter. Some people have to work on the traditional sabbath days. So take whatever day you have available, or even a few hours, if that’s all you can manage. Give yourself permission to rest. Take a nap. Read a book. Watch a movie.

And you know all that stuff you need to do? It’ll be there tomorrow.

So now, let’s try that again. Deep breath. Relax. Enjoy.