It's hearing stories from women. Their stories of overcoming that inspire me and teach me. You've had the pleasure of hearing from Kerry and Caryn, you'll be hearing from Clementine Msengi for the first time.  As I listened and read what she endured, my mind does not have the capacity to understand the depth of her ability to overcome. Listen in as Clementine recounts a small piece of her story on surviving the Rwandan Genocide that killed one million Tutsis in less than one hundred days.

Our troubles are few.

Links to episode authors:

Clementine Msengi:

Amazon.com: Spared: Escaping Genocide in Rwanda and Finding a Home in America eBook : Msengi, Clementine: Kindle Store

Home - Dr. Clementine Msengi

Caryn Cross-Hawk:

cchawkwrites.com

 https://www.facebook.com/p/CC-Hawk-Writes-61566409766998/

  https://www.instagram.com/cchawkwrites/

Slices of Life by C.C. Hawk | Goodreads https://share.google/pFJSS522XgQ6CjWfm

Amazon Link to View and Purchase

https://a.co/d/9ekrMwp

Kerry Dashnaw:

Amazon Link: https://tinyurl.com/53eduskc

Barnes and Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/kerry%20dashnaw

Facebook: https://facebook.com/author.kerry.dashnaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerrydashnaw

It's tough raising kids. Especially as they get older and more independent. The Bryant family decided to use their time and talents to work together to create a book. What a wonderful way to come together, especially with older kids who sometimes would prefer not spending as much time as a family but need it just as much as younger kids. In some ways, maybe more. Listen in as they discuss the process!  You can find the book on their website or on Amazon:

Trusting Timothy

Trusting Timothy: A Story about Cheating: Bobby Bryant II, Bobby Bryant III, Ava Bryant, Joseph Bryant: 9781637559956: Amazon.com: Books

Our choices after high school usually lean towards college or gaining experience in some way that will lead us towards our purpose. Meet Kerry Dashnaw whose teen curiosity and naivety led her to choose the life of a Nun. Little did she know that choice would lead to fourteen years of self-doubt and times of deep unhappiness. All she wanted to do was honor God. After many years, Kerry found the strength to share her story with us. Listen in as she shares her writing experience along with a little bit about her time in a convent. You'll need to read the book to hear, "the rest of the story".  

Here is an example of what J.K. Rowling did. One woman gave millions of people, young and old, the power of the written word. It's mind blowing when you think of her impact. One woman. She gave people of all backgrounds a sense that anyone is capable of creating worlds and stories. 

So, no excuses, pull out the number two or the keyboard and get started!

Who said a book is only essays or only fiction or only a memoir?! Meet Caryn Cross Hawk who decided to include each as she shares her own writing journey. From a desire to write at a young age to years of a career slowly learning important aspects of nonfiction writing, she finally had the opportunity to write what she wanted to all along. The way she structures her book is a testament to doing things your own way. Read on as she discusses the pain of being one of few black girls in summer camp and how writing heals. Not just the act of writing but meeting other women who have read Caryn's book and shared their own childhood traumas, giving them space to speak out and also heal past wounds that run deep.

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HOME | DonnellaLooger.com

San Gabriel Writers' League – Encouraging & Equipping Writers for Success

Grit. Or as he calls himself, just plain old cantankerous. Either way, what he has accomplished in 96 years far exceeds what most of us will experience in our own lives. This one is longer than usual. Out of respect for this man's service to our country and the fact that he reminds us of wars and why we were in them in the first place, I decided to keep our conversation as is. I believe everyone who listens will leave with a sense of wonderment for what men and women have done for us for years, fight and die for our freedom. You will also hear about his newer career as a writer. The career that really started when he was in his seventies. 

HOME | Shelton-Comm

Who decides when a group of letters become words? I mean the words that make it in the dictionary.  Linda Thornton loves words and enjoys creating her own, because, why not?! Join us as we discuss where her love of writing has taken her, especially if you've ever had a desire to walk the Camino Trail. She has some valuable information before you set out!

Her love of words has her meeting all kinds of interesting characters, so listen in as she shares her journey, experience, and advice.

A Moxie Girl | Use what you have to get what you want

San Gabriel Writers' League – Encouraging & Equipping Writers for Success

Donnella Looger is one of those people living out her gift and passion.  Listen as she shares how a young girl who read cereal boxes to find mistakes turned a passion for the written language into owning her own publishing company. 

She has published numerous books of all types of genres. Check out her website to learn more.

HOME | DonnellaLooger.com

My guests are New England Patriots Offensive Tackle, Calvin Anderson and his grandmother, Marjorie Anderson. If you haven't had a chance, please listen to a previous episode about Marjorie and her book, The Key: Wise Money Choices for Teens. That episode shows the impact of her inheritance that we talk about here.
I wasn’t blessed with having grandparents that spent time with me. My mother’s mother lived with us for a while, but she was quiet and didn’t interact much with us. So, I’m a little jealous of what you are about to hear. It shows the power of grandparents and their influence.  Marjorie lovingly calls her grandson Booby, a nickname I'm very familiar with, having an Uncle Booby. Booby shares his story about his GMom and her impact while Marjorie shares her beliefs about leaving an inheritance much bigger than money, how to live with it.

 https://www.amazon.com/Key-Wise-Money-Choices-Teens The book

Home (challenge4teens.com)  Marjorie's website

"The first time I was incarcerated I was 14 years old; the real man rules were magnified. I had to up my game if I wanted to be a real man, my life depended on it. I was sucked deeper into the world of better cars, more money, more women, more drugs, and no emotions. For the next 19 years, I was arrested over 37 times, in and out of jail, and had attempted suicide a number of times. Life was spinning out of control."

Getting in touch with my emotions was foreign to me; I really did not even know what that meant."

One of the many stories you will find in this Amazon book by Laura Jones Swann: Men and Emotions...It's a Thing.
Amazon.com: Men and Emotions ... It's a Thing: 9798989646807: Jones Swann, Laura: Books