Teale Blog
A Book Tour of a Different Kind: Favourite Books From My Youth
We all have favourite authors and I thought I’d take a few minutes to share a few words about some of mine. I’ve been an avid reader since I was first able to hold a book and although I was probably chewing on a few in the early days of my life, I can’t remember a time when I haven’t spent anguished moments of non-book time wondering when I’d be able to get back to the story I was exploring. It’s painful, sometimes isn’t it, to be away from a good story that can only unfold when you decode the miracle of the alphabet? Very early on I discovered the work of Lucy Maud Montgomery and I can remember thrilling to the story of Anne of Green Gables as the poor girl navigated a world where she didn’t, ever, seem to fit in. I read several books in the “Anne” series as a girl and when my oldest daughter was around seven we plowed through the entire set to the great delight of both of us. Another set of favourites for me has always been Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” and “Little Men” books–I adored Jo, who seemed to be just like me in many ways and the winding path of her life held a fascination that few have been able to touch. Stephen Leacock’s “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” warms my heart every time I read it and the delicious irony applied to the behaviour of an unsuspecting community is priceless. No wonder Orillians were perturbed by Leacock’s unflinching look at their adventures. And thank goodness he gave us that timeless snapshot of an olden-days Canadian community. Mark Twain’s stories of “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” were both told with great deftness and I’m due to re-read both of them. I’m sure to find new aspects of his writing to admire and his dry wit absolutely tickles my fancy. Anything by Charles Dickens buries me immediately in a completely irresistible world of times we will never see again. And Charlotte Bronte has brought me to tears every single time I’ve read “Jane Eyre.” Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” has been made into a movie more times than I can count. But the movies are never as profound a pleasure for me as the reading of the book. Perhaps my most precious childhood books, however, are represented by the set of original “Winnie the Pooh” books that I treasure, both for the dear ratty covers that testify to how much my sister and I loved them as children and for the illustrations that evoke for me the remnants of a childhood spent in the absolute certainty that the Hundred Acre Wood really did exist. Is there anything more precious than childhood certainty? The writing of “Shades of Teale” and “Passages to Epiphany” have undoubtedly been influenced by many other of the countless books I’ve read over the course of my life. But I think there’s something formative in the early stories we absorbed and I have great fondness for the books I’ve listed here. I’d love to hear about the books that have shaped your love of reading: what are the books you would love to share with your friends and colleagues, and, more importantly, with the young people of our generation who are increasingly drawn away from words and into the hypnosis of an online world? Drop me a line and let me...
Read MoreBook Sale ‘N Sign in Oakville Saturday!
I’m looking forward to my book sale ‘n sign Saturday, April 20th at the Square Peg Kids fundraising event in Oakville and, If you’re attending, please stop by my table to say hello! Square Peg Kids is an organization dedicated to providing resources and peace of mind for families and children whose lives have been affected by autism, asperger’s, AD(H)D, sensory processing disorder, OCD, giftedness, anxiety, and a grab bag of other challenges. It’s run by Oakville resident Tracy Grant, a very special lady who feels she has been put on the planet to make a difference in the lives of families who are bewildered and often overwhelmed by the difficulties of managing their children’s journey through life. As my premiere besty, Tracy has been researching about and advocating for children since probably Forever. I met her 25 years ago (can it really be?!) when I chose her to look after my then-one-year-old daughter when I went back to work. As a nervous new mom, I interviewed dozens of people before settling on the only one I felt I could trust to give my little girl oodles of affection, structure and fun while I was toiling away at my keyboard all day. Tracy was an ECE with experience in licensed daycares and she had opened a daycare in her home, just around the corner from me. More than that, she was highly organized, extremely creative, completely focused on the children under her care, and pretty much the most cheerful person I had ever met. I never looked back! In the years since we first met, Tracy and I have followed each other through turbulence and triumphs and I am so thrilled that she has embarked upon a new adventure that will make such a big difference in the lives of Halton residents. The Square Peg Kids fundraising event will take place at the St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre at 1280. Dundas Street West at Fourth Line on Saturday, April 20, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. There will be a vendor market (where you’ll find me!), a silent auction and a steady stream of scheduled activities. I’ll be selling copies of my novel, “Shades of Teale,” which tells the story of a woman’s experience of an abusive marriage. Statistics show that pretty much everyone knows someone who is or has been in an abusive relationship and if my novel can go a little way towards helping someone navigate through that horrific experience, I will be very, very pleased. I’ll also have available copies of my second book, “Passages to Epiphany.” It’s a collection of short stories and creative-non-fiction pieces written around the theme of “awakenings” and it is designed as an inspirational work to help people find comfort in tough times. Both “Shades” and “Passages” are nice companions to the coaching service I offer. As a certified Awakening Coach I help people break through the paradigms that have been limiting their success in life and glide into a way of being that fully supports them in their daily lives. It is especially effective for anyone who has been feeling overwhelmed and “stuck.” If you’re interested in finding out more about Tracy’s fledgling organization, I invite you to visit her Website or her Facebook Page. And come join the fun on Saturday!...
Read MoreBook Tour 2013
I’m excited to announce that I’m back on tour to promote my new book, “Passages to Epiphany” and I hope you’ll drop by to say hello if I show up at a bookstore near you. Better yet, if you have an event coming up and would like me to speak to your audience, I would be more than happy to bring a few books and provide some insights about my life as a writer, editor and coach. I began writing professionally in 1982 and it was only in 2011, with the publication of my first novel, “Shades of Teale,” that I began revealing the more creative side of my writing. It’s been a wonderful exploration and I feel a great kinship with the many other enthusiastic writers who populate our world. Some of them are scribbling out a living as a freelancer or other paid writer but when I’m at a book signing I’m also often approached by people whose “closet writing” is a source of enjoyment for them. Although they may be employed in a totally unrelated field, it’s that delightful pursuit of fitting words together to create a story that fuels their heart. I’ve coached a number of people whose dream it is to write a book and it’s incredibly fulfilling work. If you’re interested in how I might help turn your dream of writing a book—or how I might help you polish your manuscript to put it in publishable form—please get in touch. I offer an “Editing Appetizer” for $347 (plus HST) that includes a sample edit, a writing skills assessment, an hour-and-a-half of consultation time with me, and a few other goodies. If this sounds like something that you’d be interested in, I invite you to visit my business website for more information. On the book tour front I have stops planned so far for London, Peterborough, Oakville, Milton, Stoney Creek and Mississauga. Other locations are under negotiation as I write and if you’d like to request that I stop by your community, please let me know. Book signings are one of my favourite activities as it’s a fun way to get to know what readers are interested in and to share stories about the crazy world we live. If you’d like to buy “Passages to Epiphany” online immediately I can direct you to Amazon.ca. The digital version will be coming out in a month or two but I’d love some feedback in the meantime on what you thought about the book so we can share them with other potential readers. Oh, and if you’d like to see the details of all the stops on my book tour, check out Manor House Publishing’s Facebook Event...
Read More“Put On Your CEO Hat” Conference Coming Up In March!
As a writer, author, editor and coach, I’ve spent many years learning about the many ways we can get stuck along the way to achieving our goals and I have poured myself into the twin studies of motivation and results. They are fascinating fields and although knowing how we get stuck is great, knowing how to get unstuck is where the rubber meets the road. On the weekend of March 16th and 17th I’m going to be sharing some of what I know with participants at the Blitz Business Success “Put On Your CEO Hat” conference being held in Barrie, Ontario. I would love for you to join me there! The weekend features a stellar line up of speakers focused on solving many of the common problems entrepreneurs experience as we drive our businesses forward to success and I am honoured to be included in the lineup. Here’s who will be speaking: Conference Organizer Barb Stuhlemmer is a business coach with a laser-like ability to identify where business owners are missing opportunities to make more money and she has a brilliant sense of how to leverage existing resources to generate greater income. Business Mentor Laura Gisborne brings great heart into helping business owners get a grip on how to see the financial aspect of their business as an ally in the drive to create their dream lives. Public Speaking Coach Cindy Ashton is a charismatic presenter who helps business people deliver their message with sizzle and pop and, given that the fear of speaking on stage is a big block for many of us out there, I’m excited to hear what she has to say! It’s going to be a fabulous weekend and because I’m one of the presenters, Barb has invited me to offer any of my followers $200 off the standard $497 cost of the two-day conference. To take advantage of the discount, please visit “Put on Your CEO Hat” and enter the coupon code “(CEOHAT_EWOMEN)”. I’d love to see you at the event and I wish you all the best for every success in the months (and years!) ahead! Please get in touch with any questions you might have! Susan susan@crossmancommunications.com 905-469-1892...
Read MoreEmbracing New Dreams and Starting Again
Valentine’s Day is nicely behind us now and although many people enjoy the excitement that fresh cut flowers and dinner out might generate, there are plenty of folks for whom the day is a sad reminder of what might have been. I think that’s one of the things that makes divorce so difficult: most people take on the commitment of marriage with hearts full of dreams for the future and when reality turns out to be anything but dreamy, it can be extremely difficult to release the hope that it might get better and drive on. Most mature people realize that successful relationships require a little compromise. We can’t have everything our own way. But how much give and take is reasonable? The issue is even more complicated in the case of an abusive relationship, where it can be extremely difficult for a woman (or a man, for that matter) to recognize the serious and damaging imbalance of power that’s at play in their lives. I’ve noticed that it can take a miserably long time for people who are in the midst of an abusive relationship to recognize that they are being abused. Doing something about it is even more difficult. And no-one likes to throw around the “A-Word.” Abuse is one of those dramatic words that hint at hysteria and craziness. In my experience, by the time an individual has embraced the reality that their relationship is emotionally damaging to them, they simply want to get out. That’s one of the themes I had the most difficulty with while writing “Shades of Teale”: what is it that triggers Teale’s understanding that her marriage is an unhealthy one? How does she break through the numb blanket she’s wrapped around herself and begin to realize that the marriage she thought she was getting is very different from the one she wanted? In talking to real-life women who have been through abusive relationships I realized that the triggers vary from person to person. One woman I know realized it was time to leave when her husband started beating her while she was holding their two-year-old son. She was pregnant with her second child at the time. Another shook her head and woke up when she hid for hours in the spare room closet while her husband was “entertaining” his girlfriend in the living room. Yet another found out, by accident, that the business trip her husband had been on was actually all about monkey business. That he enjoyed with her best friend. I don’t advocate getting lost in the dismal realities that some people experience in their relationships. Yes, life can be perceptively miserable. But I do hope that in reading my book there are women out there who recognize something of themselves in Teale, embrace the truth, get some help and walk out of their abusive relationship with their lives, and the lives of their children, fully intact. It may mean putting an end to the hopes and dreams of one segment of a woman’s life. But it also means starting to create the hopes and dreams to fuel a new era. One that doesn’t hurt....
Read MoreJoin me in Celebration!
I’m absolutely thrilled to have been asked to give the keynote address for the XPANSE program’s one-year celebration next week in Oakville. For those of you who haven’t heard, this is a magnificent program designed (by women) for women who are contemplating, or already going through, the painful experience of separation or divorce. The focus of XPANSE is on mentoring women through the sometimes bewildering process of putting their lives back together in the midst of what can seem like hideous chaos. It’s an affordable program that provides six discreet sessions of learning and support with an integrated team of women who are highly compassionate and powerfully devoted to the success of all participants. The two-hour session gives participants the chance to connect with and learn from: A Life Coach A Money Coach A Collaborative Family Lawyer, Mediator and Enlightened Litigator A Financial Planner A Mortgage Broker and a A Naturopathic Doctor What a concept! When my first husband and I divorced more than 20 years ago there were no such services available to help me find my way back to a sense of strength and certainty. I felt isolated and alone, vulnerable and, yes, downright stupid when it came to things like financial planning and mortgage management. It’s a relief to see that the paradigm has shifted and that women now have access to a supportive circle of caring experts who will help without judging, and teach without patronizing. One of the things I’ve heard many of my women friends say at the conclusion of a marriage is “How could I have been so wrong for so long?!” The truth is, we all do our best with the information we have available and not every match was actually made in heaven. It may have detoured through the neighbourhood for a while but when it’s over, it’s time to move on. And that’s the part that XPANSE can help organize. The topic of my talk on February 13th is “Expanding Your Definition of Love “ and I can’t wait to share my thoughts. I’ve been divorced and widowed, and I’m a mother and a step-mother, a daughter and a step-daughter, and just about everything else that nibbles at the edges of a life on Earth. Every relationship I’ve ever experienced has granted me surprising gifts. And at this stage of life, I am grateful for all of it. I invite you to join me in the celebration of XPANSE’s one-year anniversary. The event will be held Wednesday, February 13 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the eSpot in Oakville (353 Iroquois Shore Road, Suite #200). I also invite you to check out the XPANSE program to see if you, too, might benefit from the six-week empowerment program the organization offers. If you have any questions, as always, please give me a shout at 905-469-1892 or email me at susan@crossmancommunications.com....
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