The Two Best Things in Life

 Hello readers and followers. 

Time to add more pages to my "On the Edge of Wishing, too (2)."  I have figured out a new conflict to add more pages to my novel.  It is hard going, I pushed it away to do other things first.  

I have written a children's book "The Pig Who Wanted to Learn the Jig".  Here is the link: The Pig Who Wanted to Jig: Key, Danette Lynn, Cybulski, Jeanne L: 9798320295206: Amazon.com: Books

I also am the ghost writer for a friend's story, "A Cowboy is as a Cowboy Does, The Story of William Michael Seeley".  It is the story of a real Arizona cowboy.  Here is the link: A Cowboy is as a Cowboy does: The story of William Michael Seeley: Seeley, William Michael, Key, Danette L: 9798328315142: Amazon.com: Books

Both are amazing books and a good read!  Hope you enjoy them. 

So back to my On The Edge.. book to figure out what Lily is going to do. I am the kind of person who seems to want to get to the end of the conflict quickly....I don't mess around. So, the conflict was stated and resolved quickly in this book which makes it end quickly.  But in a book, or a movie, the time it gets to the end is significant to the story!  I'm having a hard time now making it a longer book, maybe cause I'm in a different frame of mind being retired.  My bucket list has increased, but at the same time I'm checking things off.  I love it.  Being healthy and retired, are the 2 best things in life!

Joey's conflict

Hello readers, yeah, I know, I wandered into a black hole and disappeared. 

Well, Here I am, still alive and kicking, but just put things off for awhile.  I was a bit stuck on my book and where to go with Joey's conflict.  I finally sat down and wrote about 4 pages the other day. 

BUT I really need a new conflict to add pages to this story, to explore family situations and figure out how all this is going to lead to Joey solving his problems. 

Can it be done in just 172 pages? 

 

We'll see.....the story will lead me to answer.

ITS ALMOST HERE!

Here I am again, with my life in the way of my passions! I have finally made the decision to retire from my company of 30 years!  Big decision.  51 more working days!

BUT,  oh so happy now that I get to concentrate my time and energy on writing, blogging and reviewing books for others.  This is my passion.

So, If you'd like me to review a book or do a blog tour, contact me at yaya_key@yahoo.com or danette.key@gmail.com  OR you can message me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writingsbydanette/  I also am on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great week!

"ON THE EDGE OF WISHING TOO"  Is in process now.  If you're interested in reading it, email me a yaya_key@yahoo.com and let me know, Ill send you a page...or two!   Thank you

BURSTING THE CONTAINER

Haven't written anything lately about books and haven't even really written anything lately. I realized that writing takes a lot out of you and when your focus is off it makes it harder to write. Filling in your mind with other things can make it harder to fill your mind with writing.  You would think that was the deal, but filling and emptying is the writing process, right?

What do you fill your mind with?  

I am currently living with very small children. My grandkids.  They are so cute and sweet and especially innocent. This living situation fills my mind all the time and keeps me engaged with life,   this can be good and bad.  Does this fill my mind so much that I can't empty it?  Is it the same as if something is so full it can't empty and the container continues to fill until it finally bursts?

This is a writers dream. To burst. To sit down and write a novel in a few days and empty your brain. That would be my goal too, a wonderful goal.

 How do you empty all those thoughts in your head?  Do you talk with your best friend, write in a journal, dream?  

Share with me one thing you do to empty your thoughts.  Make a comment below

Have a great week my friends!  

ANNOUNCING..............

Today was a very exciting day.  The book I've been working on for several years has finally been published!  The book Daffodil Hill and the Purpose of the Lavender Fields is now out.  It has been a long and arduous journey getting it to this point.
Daffodil Hill is a book about a small community that loves and depends on their gardens. When a creature come through and starts to dig them up, the whole town is in an uproar! What they find is completely unexpected! Daffodil Hill is like most cozy stories with a surprise twist at the end. Clean, no sex, no violence-a perfect book to trust to your teenager without worrying what they are reading.
I  love the characters, they are all a part of me and those I love, even the crazy ones!  Here is a picture of the cover... The drawing of the trees were hand drawn by Jill Nelson.  She did a great job.  And I love purple!   Let me know what you think and I hope you love it as much as I do.


Here is one of the reviews... Its kind of long, but worth it!

There is a great Rolling Stone song that speaks to the truth that “You can’t always get what you want.” In Danette Key’s Daffodil Hill, this theme resonates throughout this cozy community as several characters come to terms with, as one of them describes it, the realization that one’s hopes are not their reality and the sadness that comes from that discovery. At some point, we’ve all experienced this disappointment in various aspects of our life—relationships, career, health, faith—and the residents of Daffodil Hill are no different.

Ms. Key creates many well-developed and relatable characters, each of whom is struggling to move beyond past misfortunes and find their way forward. While it is a small community, and almost everyone knows everyone else, there is another thread that links the various characters together. There is a whimsical, unobtrusive sci-fi fantasy element running throughout the novel (and running through the vegetable gardens of many residents). But, in the end, even that doesn’t turn out as planned.

The real strength of this story is in the depth of character development and the believable interpersonal connections that breathe life into these people, this community, and even the “creature” at the heart of the story. You feel as if you could walk these streets, go to these shops and have conversations of your own with these people, and that is what keeps the story moving along. You really care what happens to them. Some adapt and look to a bright future, and some hold steadfastly to the past and are miserable, but you can relate to all in some way. It’s that connection, along with Ms. Key’s straightforward writing style, that earns my 5-star rating and wholehearted recommendation.

WISHING YOU WOULD HEAR...

You thought I was writing "wishing you were here", didn't you?

Either way, wishing is a good thing. Unless you are wishing for something you shouldn't have like Peter in my book, "On the Edge of Wishing".  So,  lets address that first.
Wishing for someone else's spouse is not good.  Wishing for someone else's car is not good.  Or wishing for someone else's kids isn't good either.  Wishing to win the lottery isn't very productive nor is wishing for something to happen that you know isn't going to happen.  Peter does make wishes, but doesn't seem to realize he shouldn't be wishing for those things.

So what is something good to wish for?
 I always wished for my husband to be nicer to my kids. It didn't happen. I was sad and discouraged. I finally expressed this to him and he began to change.  Wishes can be good, but there needs to be action too.  

Taking action and then wishing it happens is good.  If you wish for your neighbors car, save up your money and make it happen!
If you wish for an outcome, make it happen.

Now Mary Ellen in "On the Edge of Wishing" does start to wish certain things and in a fictional story wishes do happen without action.   As her wish begins to come true, she is surprised and excited.  Cinderella had the same experience.  However cute both stories are, they are not real life.

So today..  I'm wishing you all the luck in your wishes!   Make something happen.
Read, "On the Edge of Wishing" by Danette Key for more information on WISHING.

I'm telling you WISHING can really get you into trouble!

The other day I was walking down the sidewalk and "wishing"  my knee wouldn't bother me so much and "bing" it stopped hurting!  I was a bit surprised and then just pushed it out of my mind blaming it on my crazy body! As I continued on.....  my left contact in my eye was really irritating me.  So I "wished" it would stop irritating me and "bing" it stopped.

What was I to think at this point?  What would you think? Lucky?  Coincidental? Brain going crazy?

Feeling a bit cocky, I began stepping to the unheard music and my swagger increased.  Oh yeah, I was pretty cool with a new knee & perfect vision.

So I walked into my house and having a bit of fun, "wished" the dishes were all done.  Then I walked into the kitchen and "bing"  they were all done!  I promise you, there were no dishes!  I know you don't believe me..... that's okay, it didn't happen to you!

So I walked into the TV room ( I call the room with the comfy chairs, huge screen TV and 10 remote controls.. the TV room).  I saw my husband watching ANOTHER war documentary and I "wished" he would disappear so I can watch my Hallmark channel. And "bing"  He disappears!!!  

Now my husband has disappeared.... No where to be found.  Man, am I in trouble with him.

I guess I should "wish" him back.  !

 Reflection on how dreaming & wishing impacts us

I was sitting and going over what I really wanted out of life and how I was going to make it happen. I came to a realization that as I get older dreaming & wishing are a waste of time.  When we are younger, dreaming and wishing are important because they help us plan our lives.  But if you are older and still dreaming and wishing you have missed an important step in your life.

I'm not saying dreams aren't important when we are older; I still feel that is important.  I am saying if you are wishing about something that isn't going to change, well....  maybe you need to get over it.  OR... make it happen!!!

I have done this.

So, I wanted to share my success with you.
I dream all the time about writing and submitting a book.. or two.  I have so many ideas that I want to put on paper to share with the whole world!  But how?  How do I make this happen?

I find that my job currently sucks a lot of energy out of me. I know this is  happening, and yet can't seem to NOT let that happen.  I have to admit there are days when I can barely get home and get something done at night and I don't even have children at home anymore. My job is very stressful and my energy level is reduced because of it.  Sitting at a computer writing is not the best thing after sitting at work at a computer for hours.  Thank goodness for my ipad that at least lets me type and sit on my comfy sofa.

I think the secret of success in our dreams is one tiny, tiny little thing....
Keeping our eyes and ears open for opportunities!

Yeah, I know easy for me to say. But put yourself out there and associate with other people, make yourself available for interactions.  You'd be surprised what you can learn.

Or maybe I'm just especially blessed.  Can I claim that?  I know that Jesus Christ loves me, but would he bless me in my dreams & wishes and not another?
So in summary, here are my suggestions.
1) Always dream & wish
2) Keep an eye & ear out for those dreams & wishes
3) Make yourself available
4) Find ways to make it happen.

Last, don't be impatient like me,  Reflect.  Make sure this dream or wish is what you really want.

Thanks for reading my blog, please comment below on how dreams & wishes impact you!!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, its a new year and always a good time to have new wishes.....

A time to start over, a time to reflect on the last year.  

What do you wish you would have done better? More often?  Less often?

I'll start with my confessions first..

First,  I wished I would have talked to my children and grandchildren more often. More texting, more skyping or more calls.

Second, I wished I would have backed up my ipad to my PC. I had written several pages and made corrections to the current copy of my newest novel on my ipad and accidentally deleted it when I thought I was moving it!  UGH!

Third, Watched less TV.   With Scorpian as a series, not sure thats going to change in 2015. I love that show.  And  American Idol coming up.... 

What about you?   Share with me here.  

Have a good day!

Today is a "Wish Come True day!"

As I am trying slowly to get on the band wagon for writing & marketing.. I wish someone would do this for me at times!! 

It is difficult to figure out how to manage your social media and get it to do what you want. I really don't have the money to hire someone.  I also wish someone would clean my house and do my laundry when I try to figure this stuff out... because as you know... we ALL know, it takes time.  Sometimes LOTS of time. 

But how fun and exciting when you actually figure it out??

Today my wish came true and I figured out how to get my blog as a live feed on my Amazon Author page, my website & my Goodreads author page.  

Its pretty much "dream come true" stuff for me.
How about you?  What is "dream come true" stuff for you?

Have a great holiday everyone!!!

Today is the weekend. 
We can relax a bit and not have to jump out of bed to get to our job, unless of course you are the unlucky soul that has to work on the weekends! Sorry.
But the ability to ponder and take our time a bit & maybe even enjoy our families is what we wish for........ or is it?

Is that what you wish for?

Are you wishing for something not really good? Can our wishes get us into trouble?  In "On the Edge of Wishing", Peter, the father begins to wish some things that got him into some trouble.  He realized that he needed to be more proactive and make things happen the way he wanted and not "wish" his days away.  Even in "Aladdin" wishes were involved that could be construed as trouble making.  But Aladdin did what was right and gave Genie the last wish,  setting him free!


Of course, we don't all have our own personal Genie but we wish we did!  Hahaha.

My wishes?  I wished I had saved better so I could be in retirement right now.  There were times I was so mad at my husband in the past, I used to wish he were dead!  Sure glad that wish didn't come true!

What do you wish for that could get you into some trouble?
Share with me here and lets start a conversation! 

Danette's always wishing!!

Here I go again.  Wishing and wishing.  I wonder if I overuse the word? 

I love to read and I am guessing most of you do too.  But I don't want to pick up books that have a lot of foul language.  I've made a choice that I am not going to read that in a book; I hear enough of that kind of thing all around me.  Do I need to read it too? NO!

I would love to know when I choose a book what the rating is beforehand. 

For example: 

No cuss words= 1 rating

1 cuss word=  2 rating

2 cuss words & some sex= 3 rating.

etc, you get the picture..

What about you?  How do you feel about ratings??  Share here:

 

Are you a dreamer and wishing your life away?

OKAY, so you admit it.  That's good.  At least its a start. "They" say that being aware is the first step to any problem...  But wait, dreaming isn't really a problem, is it?

Do you feel you have "wished" or "dreamed" your life away?  And if so, what would you do differently if you had it to do all over? 

I would have done more and dreamed less.  Sometimes we all need a champion to get us going. You know, lead us toward our dreams.  Hopefully that is a parent or a sibling.  But in my case, it wasn't even a teacher. I wonder sometimes if all the teachers I had in grade school and high school had already given up.

  Did they already know I was a lost cause?

 How about you?  What would you do differently then?

I'm ready to share....

Am I wishing too much and not making things happen?

 Is wishing a cowards way out?

 

I hear this saying in different TV shows that "this is a dream come true".  It isn't always easy to make your dreams come true.. or your wishes!  It takes a lot of hard work and persistence. And that's okay because hard work makes you appreciate it even more. 

Question:

How much time are spending "wishing" and how much time are you spending making it happen?

I remember as a young girl listening to music for hours in my bedroom and "wishing" I was a singer or a movie star.  But never really did anything about it.  Looking back now, not sure why I didn't ask to be enrolled in a singing class or choir.  Or why I wasn't involved in acting at school.  It baffles me to think how much I wanted it, but never did anything about it.  

What about you?  What are you doing about those wishes?

Share and comment here:

 

Sometimes I catch myself wishing for something I really shouldn't have.  

 I look back at those times and am very glad I did not have the Genie as my companion to grant them.  I think wishing is healthy as long as it doesn't become envy. 

Does daydreaming about what you want to happen become a wish?  Guess it could...  
Do you make your daydreams happen?

Even Aladdin had second thoughts about what he knew he should wish for in the end.  How about you? 
Share with me some things you wished for but glad you did not get.  

Comment here:

Wishing...

Sometimes you don't get what you wish for, does this make you give up?


Let me know what you think, pls feel free to comment!!

Secret Wishes

What are your secret wishes?   Something you really want, but know you are not supposed to have?  You may not share it with anyone but it makes  you feel bad.  Cause you know its wrong. Or maybe because... why wish for something you can't have? 

It doesn't mean it doesn't keep you up at night though. You still wish it.  
It may even consume your thoughts.

It doesn't mean you are a bad person either.  Are you brave?
If so, tell me your secret wish?

Since I'm asking you to be brave, Ill share mine.  Its nothing like I wish my husband would just die or that my kids were cuter.  Its nothing like I wish I had more money or that I was younger.  And its nothing like I wished I had a Ford Mustang convertible or Lamborghini.

Its my cat.  I wish he'd run away.  I can't give him to anyone, I won't turn him into the pound.  There are alternate things I think of too, but can't bring myself to do them.  I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I am sharing a secret wish.

Now, its your turn.  I want to hear them. 
Are you brave enough?

WHAT DO YOU HUNGER FOR?

We all face wishes each day we exist.  Its a natural thing... and expected...

Even if those wishes start out as simple as "I wish the weather was hotter/cooler"; "I wish my shoe hadn't broken"; "I wished I hadn't said that".  We sometimes say the word "wish" without realizing what we are really saying.
George Elliot once said:  "It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them".

Hunger.  A strange word really.

                                                             What do I hunger for?

Each day I wish to be more patient with those around me.  What am I doing to make it happen?  That is the question isn't it? WELL.. I am taking a deep breath and trying to picture myself on the other side of the situation.  It really does help.  When I accomplish this small task, the hunger gets bigger and bigger.. to try it again.. to do well and  to succeed again!


What do you hunger for?    Please share with me. 

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wishing.html#P0FK2SuUTmV2c3vp.99

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wishing.html#P0FK2SuUTmV2c3vp.99

It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wishing.html#P0FK2SuUTmV2c3vp.99