Being a first time novelist, I log onto book review sites with the same excited anticipation as a bride-to-be checks her mailbox for wedding replies. Like that same bride-to-be, I don't expect everyone to respond favorably to my invitation to read my first written creation. I was even prepared for the one star reviews, perhaps with a note, saying "Not my cup of tea." What I wasn't prepared for was the scathing, rant one-star review! So when one of my earliest reviews was from someone who won my book on my first Goodreads giveaway, I was gored. I immediately filled with self-doubt. Was I one of those pathetic American Idol contestants whose family and friends thought my art was good or didn't have the heart to tell me how bad my writing was?

My first reaction was to turn to my editor, who was also thrown under the review bus.  "Alice, please take a look at this and tell me how you think I should respond, if at all," I emailed and forwarded her the link. Thankfully, Alice was plugged in that night and responded immediately. She confirmed it was a really nasty review, I won't use her exact words and forwarded me a link to a recent article in Oprah magazine (http://bit.ly/12WvSs6).  I read the article and let the advice sooth my wounded self.  "Thanks, good advice, Alice; you're right I just won't comment on it."

I still needed to vent to my husband who was sympathetic but didn't have any advice in this field. I needed a little more reassurance. After all, I had just spent countless hours and a lot of money to put this book together and I planned on writing more. I certainly didn't want to waste another moment of my time and resources if the only people who would read it were my circle of influence. I returned to my laptop and forwarded the review to a woman who I trust to tell me like it is, a former executive in the publishing businesses.  "Maretta, I need your advice. Was my book any good? I need you to tell me the truth. Are people just being nice when they say they liked it?" 

Maretta responded the next morning in her authoritative tone she usually speaks in.  "Who cares (cares elongated) what other people think! If you enjoy writing, write. If people really didn't like your book they would not say anything or they would say it was good and look away. I see the way people respond, they like it. Besides, look at all the other reviews on the other sites, read those!"

I picked myself back up and decided to follow the English mantra that has been reconfigured in so many ways and keep calm and write. I reread the one-star review and noted the few editorial points that she made. At least I would take something positive from it. My awareness of how not only words, but tone can affect others was heightened and I vowed to try and be more aware of that myself. Thankfully, more 4 and 5 star reviews keep coming in, to tip the scales on that Simon Cowell of book reviews! 

Are you an author?  How or do you respond to reviews of your book?

Are you a reader who writes reviews?  What formula do you use?

There is a major paradigm shift taking hold encouraging individuals to be responsible for, and active in, promoting their own well being.  As we enter into a new era, one that we have never experienced before, where people live years longer than most of our grandparents, we will not have enough nurses to care for them if they are all in bad shape.  In my novel, 'I Know You're There', I touch on some of the issues plaguing nurses.  Doctors don't have a magic pill either to wipe away all the ill effects of the cigarettes that we have smoked, beers we have chugged and donuts we have devoured.  

It's an exciting time for this new health trend because we have amazing access now to health data via the internet in many different formats.  We also have a huge menu of healthy activities to choose from to balance our mind, body, and soul.

Would you like some examples?  How about meditation?  Many billionaires incorporate it into their daily routine.  There are several meditations on you tube, simply google them and pick one that you connect with.  Meditation can be effective in reducing stress and staying focused, even if you only have 5 minutes to devote to it a day.  Here's one shared by Deepak Chopra, an expert on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj-yfg10dws Surely, you can carve 5 minutes out for yourself, right?

How about your ability to heal and protect itself by building your own immunity.  Tune in to Dr. Oz on July 15 to hear Dr. Blum talk about ways you can do this that she shared in her new book, "The Immune System Recovery Plan' http://www.immuneprogram.com .  Today's germs are tough, you need to be tougher!

Some of us have minor changes we need to make in our health habits, others of us need a major overhaul.  Whatever the case, every step we take towards improving our health, is a step in a better direction.

Note:  Always discuss your health plan and any changes with your health care provider.

Last week my blog highlighted the idea of the 24-Hour Vacation.  Be it our busy lives, conflicting desires of the best place to go, or limited budget, the 24-Hour Vacation is an opportunity to venture out locally for a mini escape from our norm.



This past spring, I decided to try this concept myself.  My husband doesn't love the beach like I do, but hey, for 24 hours, he'll go with it.  I was lucky enough to find the perfect place, Topsail Beach, North Carolina, just a couple of hours from our southern home near Raleigh.  Topsail beach has areas that are dog friendly, so we decided to bring our English Bulldog, Bubba, along too.  We found a relatively new, small, private motel that was pet friendly and just 2 miles from the beach.  

With beach chairs, umbrella, blanket, cooler, dog food and just a duffle bag packed with clothes, off we went.  Being spring, it wasn't quite warm enough to plan on swimming, but it was a gorgeous day to take a long walk, relax, and watch the waves.  The drive wasn't bad and we weaved off the highway to get to Topsail Beach through quiet rural North Carolina.  Leaning old tobacco barns and fields gave a glimpse into the past.

The beach community was like many that we've seen along the shores of North Carolina, rows of beach houses, many on stilts with layers of deck space to enjoy the view.  Parking was free and right next to the beach.  We loaded our beach gear into our arms and juggled the dog as we trudged up the driftwood colored stairs until we reached the peak where we were greeted with a sparkling water view, soft breeze and the salty smell of sea air.  Ahhhhh….

After setting up our beach camp, we decided to take Bubba for a walk along the water where his big wrinkly face made people passing by smile and some stopped to give him a much welcomed massage. Some of his fellow canine friends were happy to say hello and gestured to play while others snarled as their owners tugged them the other way.  The seashore was a new experience to Bubba, we enjoyed watching him discover the waves and laughed as he ran away when they scrambled towards him.

As we returned to our beach spot, we noticed some young people gathering around the volleyball net just 50 yards away from our chairs.  It appeared they too brought their dogs, without my glasses on.  But as we got closer, we found there was a dog and a pet pig!  Both the pig and dog enjoyed hanging out on the beach as their owners played volleyball.  Bubba intently watched the potbelly pig, seemingly trying to figure out what kind of four-legged creature it was.

As the sun started to head towards the horizon, we went to check into our motel.  A jolly man behind the front desk handed us our key and gave us a suggestion for a local seafood restaurant in the next town over, Sneads Ferry.  Again, we weaved through local neighborhoods off the beaten path until we found the small white wooden restaurant tucked in a cove on the water.  A rugged trawling boat resembling the shrimp boat that Forest Gump sailed on was tied to the dock next to the parking lot.  Bubba was happy to take a much needed nap in the car with the cool evening breeze blowing through the cracked car windows.

"Sit anywhere you like, " a bustling waitress directed us flicking her head in the direction of the dining room where casual wooden tables and chairs with paper placemats sat waiting, only a few holding patrons.

A blackboard on the wall outlined the specials; deviled crab with hush puppies, local oysters, fried shrimp with fries, for landlovers, meatloaf, and dessert homemade coconut custard pie.  The menu outlined more seafood options, mostly fried.  So we tried the cuisine that we never had or rarely get the opportunity to eat, the deviled crab and raw oysters and topped it off with the homemade pie, one of my favorites that my mother used to make.  It was tasty, not necessarily the best meal ever, but we loved the opportunity to explore, try something different.

The ride home to our motel didn't disappoint.  A roadblock forced us to take a new direction back.  Once again we weaved through southern culture noticing a home that stood out from the rest.  A single story home, nestled in amongst others similar to it, surrounded by multiple chained link fences, creating paddocks with signs attached to the outer edges saying, "Stay Away", "Do Not Feed or Touch the Animals".  Inside a peacock, an ostrich and a zebra.  Yes, a zebra.  I reached for my camera, but then thought it better not to stand out more as a Yankee in our car that already had NY plates.

Our snoring bulldog interrupted a good night sleep, but at least one of us slept well.  Fresh coffee and yogurt from our cooler sufficed for breakfast, then we took another long morning walk along the beach before heading home.  The change from our everyday environment was refreshing and it gave us what most trips do, more good stories to share.  And who knew, our trip to the shore would be like a trip to the zoo?

Do you have any good stories to share from your shortcations?

To see more pictures from our Topsail 24-Hour vacation, visit Bubba's Pinterest page: http://bit.ly/1bgQ5Md