The result of fear is a life half lived. We will never reach our full potential and we miss out on so much. Example: Hiking through the hills during my scouting years, I strode down the middle of the path, head down, eyes scanning the brush for snakes—due to ophiophobia (fear of snakes). I missed out on enjoying good times and laughs with friends, taking in the scenery, and all because I couldn’t get past my fear and enjoy the moment. My fear controlled me on those hikes.

The idea for Speak No Evil captured me from the moment it arrived. A teenage girl who had been through so much trauma, she became afraid to speak. Every time she spoke out about things that had happened to her, something worse followed. Melody’s silence was her fortress — the walls she put up against encroachment by the outside world. But it became her prison.

To say that I fell in love with the story immediately may be an understatement. I was itching to write it. The characters were fantastic. The story compelling. It haunted not only my dreams but also my waking moments. But other than capturing scenes and making notes, doing research, I didn’t write.

Why didn’t I dive in? I’m no stranger to reaching the end of the story only to realize while the concept is good, the words on the page are a hot mess and need a LOT of editing. I’m one of those writers who actually enjoys most (not all) of the editing process because that is what makes the work shine. But still I wouldn’t write it. I was afraid.

Afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle the story in the way I saw it in my head. Afraid the story was bigger than my talent as a writer. The LAST thing I wanted to do was to fail Melody — fail her story.

Any time I would think about starting a draft, the little gremlin on my shoulder whispered in my ear, but you’re not ready. I had allowed fear to stop me from sharing this story.

Then, after a couple of years and a swift verbal kick up the backside from Italia Gandolfo, I conquered my fear … well, conquered is probably too strong a word. I told my fear to hush because the time had come. Then I put the butt in the chair and fingers on the keyboard.

“You will never learn to fly if you let someone else carry your wings.”

My characters talk to me … and not always about the story. As I got to know Quatie Raincrow, Melody’s first foster mother, she said, “You will never learn to fly if you let someone else carry your wings.” It’s one of the first things she said. The context? A scene that never made it into the book. The scene itself wasn’t important, but the words were. They were meant more for me than for the story at that point.

It’s true. If you don’t strap on those wings and take a leap of faith, you’ll never learn to fly. It’s about having courage to do the things you’re passionate about. So it has become a personal motto of mine. When I hang back and don’t move forward into a new venture because I might fail, I take a deep breath and put my wings on. Am I going to fail? Yes, but I’ll dust myself off, and try again. Usually the thought of failure doesn’t hold me back, but when it does, I know I need to strap on those wings and reach for the sky.

The post Speak No Evil: Fear appeared first on Be the Cat.

I’m a believer in change through intention and taking things one day at a time. I set goals … I don’t make resolutions because those can be broken, whereas a goal is something you continue to strive toward until you achieve it. But even with that, I couldn’t settle on ONE idea to strive toward in the new year. Until this year. And it’s a phrase I’ll focus on to get me through 2019.

Don’t Mess with the Ness

I received this cup for Christmas from my friend, mentor, and agent, Italia Gandolfo. And it is a perfect phrase for me to focus on in 2019. Maybe for life … although Be the Cat! is my lifetime mantra. Why is the phrase so perfect? Well, I happen to be working on a Middle Grade novel where one of the characters is fashioned after Nessie. But for me it goes beyond the character to the whole mythos of the Loch Ness Monster.

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the most debunked myths around, and yet the myth persists. So as someone who deals in worlds that exist only in my head, yet are so real to me, the persistence of the myth is comforting. Nessie stands the test of time — which is my goal for everything I write. And you don’t mess with Nessie … debunk him over here, and he’ll pop up over there thumbing his nose (snout?) at you. Although, I doubt he has any thumbs either … but you get the idea. No matter how many times it has been “proven” he doesn’t exist, he has continued to make appearance after appearance throughout history.

I had read an article based on busting the sentiment you can’t prove a negative and the article author used Nessie as part of their example of destroying the logic — which in my opinion he failed to do. It was an opinon piece and facts were absent. At any rate, his theory was that all we’d have to do to prove there is no Loch Ness Monster was to drain the Loch Ness. He does have a point.

IF the Loch Ness were drained AND no monster was found, we might conclude the monster doesn’t exist … but I’m not sure that would rate as iron-clad proof either. Because with as many years as there have been sightings of Nessie, there also have been periods of time where there were no sightings. Wouldn’t it be a logical presumption that the monster might reside in the Loch Ness for some of the time, but not all the time?

Now, I’m not arguing for the existence or not of a specific Loch Ness monster, but more that the idea is still possible that one might exist. Where there is the remotest possibility, then there is hope … and hope and faith together is a potent combination. The type of thing that can move mountains. But how does this tie to the year ahead?

2018 had some very good moments, but 2019 is going to be even better. During 2018, I made strides health-wise to be stronger and while I’m still a long way from where I want to be, I’m moving forward. Same with my writing. Little baby steps at a time is what is going to get me to where I want to be, and I have hope, no matter what the actual probability is, that I will achieve my goals, and I am moving forward in faith that I am on the right path and doing my life’s work. So don’t tell me probabilities or statistics — don’t try to sway me with facts.

Unless you’ve drained not only the Loch Ness and the rest of the Lochs and other bodies of water around the world, there is still a possibility, however improbable, Nessie exists. And if the possibility exists, then there is hope, and I will believe I will get stronger, healthier, and the path I’m on will take me to the destination I desire.

The post Don’t Mess with the Ness appeared first on Be the Cat.

Sergio: Maybe if I sit here on the shelf like an elf is supposed to, I’ll be able to figure out how to contact Santa. He scratched behind his ear. I thought about applying for a job at the North Pole. This time of year, I expect Santa can use all the elf help he can get … but I couldn’t leave Luna, and she wouldn’t want to be in a strange place with a lot of strangers — even if it IS Santa’s workshop. He sighed and glanced to his left. A smile crept across his face. I can ask the Angel. She’ll know how to reach Santa!

Sergio jumped up and trotted across the top of the bookcase to where the Angel stood. She took his hand and the wall behind them dissolved into a starry night sky and the bookcase became a snowy mountaintop.

Angel: Do you see all the stars God has put in the heavens?
Sergio nodded.
They are there to help people navigate through life. Santa uses them to find his way for Christmas
With shining eyes, Sergio took a deep breath, then his head drooped and shoulders slumped.
Sergio: But knowing Santa uses the stars doesn’t help me find him to ask for Luna’s miracle.
Angel: The stars are his guide for bringing the gift of Christmas spirit to the world. Have faith and you will find your guide to bring Luna her joy.

The Angel released Sergio’s hand and the stars became the wall and the bookcase was once again made out of wood. Sergio ran to the side of the bookcase and slid down the cover.
Sergio: I have to go find Luna and tell her everything is going to be okay. I will have a guide … like a star … to help me find Santa.

And just like that, Sergio’s happiness had been restored.

The post Sloth on a Shelf – Day 10 appeared first on Be the Cat.

1. Feed the hungry
2. Shelter the homeless
3. Visit those in prison
4. Clothe the naked
5. Visit the sick
6. Bury the dead

And Father Oliver added an item because of Pepper’s actions in hurting a person of Japanese descent…

7. Befriend Hashimoto

I’m not going to get all spoilery, but the movie got me to thinking about faith and having the faith that can move a mountain … which requires the banishment of all doubt. Having the faith of a mustard seed, or that of a small boy who BELIEVES. How many of us are walking around not doing things because we lack the belief in ourselves to do it? How many of us give up after trying a few times because obviously it was not meant to be?

I am a writer, and the publishing industry is full of NO through all levels. If you’re just starting out and querying, you’re going to hear the word “no”; when you’re on submission to publishers, you’re going to hear the word “no”; when your book is being sent out to garner the coveted starred review, you’re going to hear the word “no”; and ultimately, at some point from the reading public, you’re going to hear the word “no” because not every book is for every person. How many “no”s before your faith is shaken? How many times can you be rejected before you give up? How do you keep your belief intact?

Before Pepper’s father went off to war, the movie did a brilliant job of taking the viewer into the imagination of an eight-year-old boy, where he and his father acted out adventures in the old west, on the high seas, and more, and when the situation became dire, his father would shout, “Do you believe you can do this, partner?”

The question made me smile. While the writing itself is a solitary endeavor for the most part, it takes many, many people to help polish up the work, and those who have someone in their corner egging them on are blessed. We need that someone. And now that my best friend and I are in the midst of starting a business in this industry, the question becomes even more pertinent. Together we have to move that mountain to make sure everything aligns to get the business off the ground. And we’re doing it … one step at a time. Before we took the leap, she asked me the all important question, “Do you believe we can do this?”

I have been well-trained in my response. Despite the odds, despite the obstacles, despite the height of the mountain we have to scale, my answer is always the same …

I believe we can. And I truly do. Giving up is not an option.

What do you believe in?

The post Do You Believe? appeared first on Be the Cat.