What I did on my summer vacation - 2015

I'll be holding onto summer for a few more days but...

I went to the Train concert up at Bethel Woods (original Woodstock Site) with my niece Kristen. We had the VIP experience. 4th row and met some of the guys in the band. I also went to see Florida Georgia Line with another niece. No VIP tickets - redneck seats on the lawn - LOL!

I attended the Romance Writers of America conference and signed books at the Literacy Book Fair.

Then I spent a week at Pt. Pleasant with my sister! It was a perfect beach weather. 

Here are a couple of pics...

"Were with the band...

My Red Carpet pose

We are VIPs

at Florida Georgia Line with my niece.

out to dinner in NYC with fab writers Yolanda and Alison

My flyer for the signing

RESEARCH

my sister and I at Pt Pleasant 

Summer is not over yet and I still have the Van Halen concert coming up. What did you do on your summer vacation?

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.” Charles H. Spurgeon

My social/travel anxiety reared its ugly head yesterday when I was unable to make the trip to the RWA Conference in San Antonio. 

I really thought I would be able to do it. 

I was always shy. Never stopped. I had a stutter that had me in speech classes from the 4th to 6th grades. I overcame the stutter.

And I'm so different than the girl who wouldn't attend her high school or college graduation. Different from the 22 year-old who didn't want a big wedding and said her vows at the town hall in front of a water fountain (with no water because there was a drought than year). 

Sigh... perhaps not so different

I thought I've learned to manage it by knowing my limitations without living a limited life. I keep my life pretty simple, live in the country, have great friends, and a wonderful family. I do go places... places that don't involve plane trips. I'm not scared of the actual flying but the worries of getting to the airport, going through security, missing a connecting flight, the airline losing my luggage, getting to the hotel... just to repeat the process a few days later. Worry...worry...worry

Then I worried I would be a bad roommate since I don't sleep well. I worried about be allergic to something in the hotel which has happened to me before. I worried, worried, worried

The RWA National Conference is huge and overwhelming. The crazy thing is that romance writers are the nicest people on the planet. The ladies I was supposed to present with were so kind and understanding that it sent me on a crying jag. Seriously, what is wrong me!

Because why in the hell would I chose to board a cruise ship headed out of New Jersey into Hurricane Sandy as it cruised to Bermuda and NOT get on a plane bound for a place with awesome people and perhaps great opportunities? What is wrong with this picture? 

So next time I go to the doctor I'll talk to her about it. Meanwhile, a wonderful friend messaged me a website about anxiety so I'll give that a look over. 

And when I get it over it hopefully this won't happen... 

"I remember being onstage once when I didn't have fear: I got so scared I didn't have fear that it brought on an anxiety attack." Carly Simon

but I will worry that it will....

Which gown should I wear to the Oscars?

Not that I'm going, but a girl can dream...
And while I don't dream of winning for Best Actress, I do dream of a nomination for Best Writing (adapted screenplay). Of course I still have to write said novel that is Oscar worthy. But I have a plan...of sorts...meanwhile I can have fun picking out the dress. So help a girl out... which dress should I wear to the Academy Awards?

A dress makes no sense unless it inspires men to want to take it off you. ~Françoise Sagan

I don't own many dresses. But I do have a lot of clothes. Too many. Too many that I never wear. So much so that I have spread out to my husband closet. But he is resigned to this and besides it gives him a reason to tease me.
But on a recent snow day I pulled EVERYTHING out of my closet.

I wiped down the closet and vacuumed the floor. Then I began the tedious process of deciding what to throw out and what to keep. I had to face hard facts... the leopard print mid thigh skirt looked super cute ....in my THIRTIES. I haven't worn the skirt in more than a decade. REALLY? Why am I keeping it?

Anyway, here is the result. The bag in the corner there is what I'm giving to the nearest clothing charity bin. Not bad. But not enough to give up my space in my husband's closet.   

Is there a piece of clothing you just won't give up on?  

1994 Lucky vs 2013 Andrew - Who would you rather...?

see as a blue collar hero in a romance novel?

Have you seen the new Diet Coke commercial? It's a take on the popular 1994 Diet Coke commercial where a group of women office workers take a '11:30 break'. They run to the window and watch as a hunky construction worker strips off his shirt and guzzles down a Diet Coke. It was a twist on the complaint of women being whistled at by construction workers. In a new 2013 commercial, a group of women are on a sort of picnic/break who see a cute guy mowing the lawn and they roll down a Diet Coke. He opens it and it sprays all over his shirt and -whoopsie- he has to take it off. My guess this is a take on Lady Chatterley's Lover.

So who would you rather read about in a romance novel? Here are the stats...

Lucky  (1994)                                                  VS                   Andrew (2013)                    
Born: Nebraska                                                                         Born: England
Age: 33                                                                                     Age: 31
Height: 6'2                                                                                Height: 6'1
Former Army Ranger                                                               Owns doggie boutique
Plays: Smoking Hot Construction Worker                               Plays: Sexy Gardner

Please leave a comment and let me know. If you need help deciding here is a You-Tube article about the 2 men....

“Aim higher in case you fall short.” ― Suzanne Collins, Catching Fire

I'm posting my goals for 2013 a few days earlier since on New Years Day I want to hit the ground running on achieving them.

The quote from Suzanne Collins is a good one. I didn't reach all my goals for 2012. In writing I reached 75% of them. Weight wise - um not so much - but I am more fit - hitting the gym to 3 to 4 times a week (until November that is - sigh).

Ok - so onto 2013.

Writing:
Finish getting the audiobook version of Love By Design up on Audible and iTunes.
Then get Going For It (Fantasy Football - Season 2) available on audio as well.
Start and finish Kiss Shot - (Fantasy Football - Season 3)
Start and finish Quarterback Sneak - (Fantasy Football - Season 4)
Plot out my spiritual/inspiration novel.
Plot out my Fantasy novella series.

Health/Fitness:
Get back to my 3 to 4 day gym schedule
Eat healthier 
I'm doing this all because I want to FEEL better.

So there it is my goals for 2013. Do you think I can do it?
What are your goals?

One more quote... 
“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.” 
― Louisa May Alcott

"Physical strength in a woman -- that's what I am." Tina Turner

I was watching some Tina Turner clips on You-Tube and I thought ...duh...smack on the head.... spotlight Tina on my Quotes by Famous Women series!

Here are some inspiring quotes by Tina Turner!


"This is what I want in heaven... words to become notes and conversations to be symphonies.” Tina Turner


"Sometimes you've got to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you'll find that when you're free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.” Tina Turner


"I never said "Well, I don't have this and I don't have that." I said, I don't have this yet, but I'm going to get it.” Tina Turner


  "I will never give in to old age until I become old” Tina Turner

Love these quotes! Which is your favorite?

My day at the 2012 Woodstock FIlm Festival.

Had a lovely day at the Woodstock Film Festival. I missed out on attending film screenings because I was at the NJRWA Conference however I didn’t miss out on the Actors Dialogue Panel.

As a writer I think it’s interesting to hear actors talk about their craft. After all they are interpreting the written word.

Every year the panel is moderated by Martha Frankel and this year’s panel of actors included Golden Globe winner, Sally Kirkland who said she listens for the music of the language.

When asked how to stay focused on a character during breaks in filming or waiting for an audition, Sally recommends (and I’m paraphrasing here) listening to a Walkman with music that relates to your character. Find something that will open your heart. 

I love that advice. Some writers have playlists for different book that they listen to while writing. I listen to classical music to help me stay focused and tune out distractions.

Also, attending were John Pankow of Mad About You fame and Brian Geraghty from Jarhead and The Hurt Locker.

Side Note 1:  My sister and I stopped at Peace, Love, and Cupcakes and purchased the Food Network Winning Cupcake! Yummo!

Side Note 2:  Witnessed firemen playing with their hoses. Really. Several fighters from the Summitville Firehouse were washing fire trucks when – I SWEAR – they started spraying water at each other. Too bad they weren’t shirtless….  

Who is your favorite?

I read Woman World's magazine pretty faithfully. Usually they have personality quizzes and they had one on - What does you favorite Hollywood guy say about you?
Fun!
Only they didn't have MY favorite.  I'll share mine at the end but here is the list...

Ryan Gosling?   You're a kind-hearted romantic.

Will Smith?  You're a loyal optimist.

George Clooney?  You're spirited and tenacious.

Jude Law?   You're a classy charmer.

Hugh Grant?  You're a crackling wit.

Daniel Craig?  You're a mysterious sophisticate.

So here is my favorite and what I think it says about me....

 Keanu Reeves.  I'm an ultra cool chick. 

So what about you? Any of those your favorites? And if not - who is and what do you think it says about you?

Photos from the book signing...

Despite the clouds, then sun, then torrential rain, sun, rain - had a lovely day with fellow romance author Allie Boniface at the Kingston Farmers Market in NY.

Allie Boniface

Me!

I'm wondering have you ever purchased a book at a farmers market or craft fair?

Love By Design - 4 out of 5 Stars from Romance Novel Junkies

http://romancenoveljunkies.com/Liz_Matis.php

Please click on the link to read the review of Love By Design from the review site Romance Novel Junkies.

It's always a pleasure to get a great review! But now back to work writing the sequel to Playing For Keeps. This is why I haven't posted to my blog in a while.

And the Oscar goes to.....

ME! When I was a little girl I'd flip thru magazines and pick out the dress I would wear to accept the Oscar not for Best Actress but Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay (from my novel, of course).  Now that I'm older .... well... actually the only difference today is now I scroll through images on Google.  So let's play pretend. Which dress should I wear on Sunday, February 26?

.

When a man talks dirty to a woman, it's sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, it's $3.95 a minute. ~Author Unknown

I've talked before writing from a man's POV versus a woman's POV. The example below happened on Facebook last night and illustrates the way men really think.

Ok so last night I posted a couple of sentences from my work in progress Going For It - here it is...

Jake tried pretending she didn't exist - that her loveliness was a figment of his imagination but her soft moans along with her fevered pitched screams of her calling his name haunted his dreams. Hannah was so right - he did dream of her.

Deeply passionate - don't you think? Yeah, only a male friend/co-worker posted his hilarious take..

Here's Carmen's version: The Patriots could pretend the Jets didn't exist - that Sanchez's loud moans after getting sacked so many times along with Rex Ryan's fevered pitched screams of the referees calling "Patriots touchdown" haunted his dreams. Carmen was so right - the Jets suck :-

Men -are so simple - no wonder they don't understand us.

"I want pills called September 10. You take one and your mind feels like the 11th never happened." - Doug Coupland

This is a picture I took of one of the towers during my 8th grade trip to NYC back in 1977.

Please take a moment to say a prayer for those taken from us on September 11, 2001.

Going to be a rough day but after a long prayer and some reflection I'm going to do my best to honor life and enjoy my day.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation...Part 2

My sister and I have been going to Pt. Pleasant for many years but only for day trips. Not this year - we rented a house for one glorious week. It struck me how when we slow down and get to spend a week in one place we notice the little things. Or maybe it’s just the writer in me.

On Saturday night there were many Jersey type shore people at Martell’s Tiki Bar - you know all the stereotypical people you would expect so I am wondering who are these two guys in their mid-twenties sitting in the back by the water – one is wearing jeans, solid red long-sleeve flannel shirt (remember it’s summer) with suspenders and he has long sideburns – his friend also wearing jeans and a blue plaid shirt – not flannel but long sleeved, mustache and smoking a pipe – yes a pipe. What is their story?! I had to hold myself back from asking then – which isn’t really all that hard considering how shy I am.
Then there were a group of girls – well women really – one wearing a head band with 2 penises dangling like playboy bunny ears – another holding a very large – like the size of one the prizes you win on the boardwalk – penis and waving it around the dance floor - the others had various penis shaped items – I’m guessing a divorce party?

On Sunday it was a rain-out but we saw a great family band called the Flying Mueller Brothers (all with long flowing blonde hair)– from what I gathered the father who had passed had started the band years ago and now one these brothers has one of their son (guessing around 8) playing with them – the kid was amazing. Of course this had me wondering of the stories this musical family could tell.

Monday - I’ve written a couple of pages of a women’s fiction novel that features the Virgin Mary so when I noticed a flyer for the Blessing of the Waters, celebrating Blessed Mother’s Accession to Heaven – I recognized this as NOT a coincidence and went. The sun peeked out as mass was held in Jenkins and then we followed the priest the shoreline. He stood on top of the lifeguard chair, gave the blessing, and I waded into the ocean to scoop out a cup of water (now blessed) and then helped get water for a few of the older ladies who were afraid to wade in. It was a lovely experience and nice to feel like one of the locals.



Tuesday – Seagull ate a crab in front of me – ewwwwwwww – but good to know they can still fend for themselves and not rely solely on the tourists for the litter they leave behind.
My sister loves to Karaoke (I do not) so she sang with a nice lady at the bar across from Martell’s. The next song my sister sang (Dream a Little Dream on Me by the Mama’s & the Papa’s) turned out to be the wedding song for the lady and her husband who my sister sang with! (There really are no coincidences).

I didn’t write anything down for Wednesday thru Friday – I just soaked everything in - read, drink and be merry.
Good thing because this blog entry would’ve been a book…

My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass. ~Terri Guillemets

The above quote suits me I think but none-the-less I will be out of commission for the next two weeks or so.
No paperwork but will be in bed instead of running barefoot thru the grass - however my Kindle is loaded with books.

Here are some more quotes on health...

The greatest wealth is health. ~Virgil

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. ~Mark Twain

Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body. ~Cicero


He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. ~Arabic Proverb


“A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs.”

See you in two weeks!

A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read - The Talmud

The stuff dreams are made of...

Have you ever had a dream so vivid that it stuck with you, made you think, even helped make a decision? I did a few days ago. Before I had gone to bed I had 2 files up on my computer - the young adult and the women's fiction I've been working on - I was fiddling around with both - still not sure which one I wanted to work on, I ended up not working at all - then I went to bed.....

and had many strange dreams - flittering from one image to another as dreams often do - BUT it ended in a scene that was so peaceful and grounded in reality- here is what happen...

I'm sitting at a picnic table - the light is soft and there is a nip in the air - I'm painting a close up of a white rose with Beyonce (yes Beyonce) and w/o looking at me she says, "What's the matter, Liz? You haven't been yourself." I say, "I feel out of sorts." She looks at me and says, "Well get yourself sorted out." We simply went back to painting... and I woke up

And knew I had to work on the women's fiction. Why? Because visions of the Virgin Mary will play a large part in the book.

Further investigations on dream interpretations prove me right.

A white rose could mean: spiritual love and purity / holy or cosmic love / a new beginning / making peace w/someone
It is also the flower of the Virgin Mary

To dream about painting could mean: symbolizes your need to express your creative potential / points to a change or a need to change

Okay so you might be wondering why Beyonce? So was I - I like her but I'm not a huge fan and she hasn't been in the news lately - no new album - so why her? I looked up what the name Beyonce means and.... drum roll please....

...she who is beyond all others .... sounds a lot like the Virgin Mary to me!

I hope I have more dreams like this!
So one more quote about dreams...
"Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you." Marsha Norman

Happy International Woman's Day!

originally called International Working Women’s Day is marked on the 8th of March every year. It is a major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.

This is a great day for women but I’m not ashamed to admit that a few years ago I used the day to get chocolate from the men in the office at the Public Works Dept. where I worked at the time…at first they didn’t believe me there was such a day…though by the time we got back from the lunch all the ladies had a Reese Peanut Butter Cup on their desks.

Here are some quotes that celebrate woman!

"Women are the real architects of society." ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." ~ Margaret Thatcher

"The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world." ~ Charles Malik

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." ~ Timothy Leary

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult." ~Charlotte Whitton

"Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece. ~Author Unknown

In a bet there is a fool and a thief. ~Proverb

The first night on the ship my husband and I went down to the casino and started out with drinks. I had a lemon drop martini and the bartender made it STRONG - he poured vodka, vodka, vodka, vodka, lemonade. I was flying high by the time we hit the slots and my husband being the hero he is spotted the True Romance slot machine. "Look honey, just for you."
I immediately put in a twenty and on the third spin hit eighty dollars!

Instead of cherries and bars the spins revealed flowers, hearts, pictures of a historical romance couple, and....when you won the guy would say or rather he moaned...wait for it...."oh baby."

Hilarious!

We had a great time but the only goal I met was reading and taking down notes for research for my next book.

Oh and by the third night I lost the eighty and the twenty. Yep, that machine lured me in with promises of roses, romance, and riches then left me high and dry. True Romance? Not a chance.

To deny women directors, as I suspect is happening in the States, is to deny the feminine vision. Jane Campion

Today I'm attending the Woodstock Film Festival for the first time. I have tickets to the panel on Amazing Women in Film and on Sunday I'm going to see Henry's Crime.

I'm so excited....I'll be more excited if I don't get lost!