Pivots, New Challenges, Surprising Revelations & Joy

Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations and Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife by Sharon J. Burton

non-fiction, SJB Ventures, LLC, May 14, 2024

There's a shift happening. From #grayhairdontcare to Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn and other bestselling fiction titles featuring women (and all kinds of people) who're over 50, a popular home shopping network’s Over 50 & Fabulous programming, and advertising campaigns that present “seasoned" people as vibrant, engaging, and interested in pursuing assorted new challenges, attitudes toward midlife are moving from doom and gloom to excitement about what comes next. Creative Sparks… supports that endeavor in pursuit of the arts. As stated in the introduction, “In this book you'll not only learn how to use affirmations to gain more confidence with your creative life, but you'll discover how to use affirmations to overcome creative blocks and create your own that are tailored to your specific needs and goals.”

The introduction defines the intention and the scope of the entire text, leading into the affirmations. Each one provides an opening context for specific goals, then practical strategies for achieving those stated goals, followed by personal revelations about a named individual’s creative pursuits. Journal reflection points as prompts to inspire relevant journaling close out each chapter.

The “Moving Forward on Your Creative Journey” section offers concluding reflections and suggestions for next steps. The itemized list of contributors embodies a broad range and depth of all things creative. A detailed bibliography provides additional resources for further study. Acknowledgements and the author's bio encourage and inspire readers to explore their creative potential.

http://amzn.to/3UENMyj

[Note: Sharon J. Burton and I connected years ago through my work as outreach director for The Write Women Book Fest, which is hosted by The Write Women Network. She was kind enough to give me an ARC without any strings or expectations attached.]

Comments

Hot Love in the Kitchen & Travelling Through Time

Redemption of the Heart by Moni Boyce contemporary romance Love Snacks Publishing 8 January 2019 Despite addressing heavy themes of domestic violence, incarceration, and grief, Redemption of the Heart is a charming and sweet spicy read in the tradition of a 21st-century interracial homage to Janet Dailey’s monthly romance era. Gemma’s open-hearted ingénue contrasts starkly with Alex’s jaded workaholic. They struggle with a variety of challenges, but ethnicity isn’t one of them—a spin that feels particularly modern. Once readers commit to their suspension of disbelief regarding the cascading impact of lacks in due diligence by several characters, it’s easy to settle in to enjoy this love story. The recent public debate about the pros and cons of Gillette’s “We believe the best man can be” campaign ties in with the contradictory messages in the story threads about toxic masculinity. There’s a scene in which Alex apologizes to someone who was openly bragging among cowork...

The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen Delivers All the Feels

Black love. Black joy. Black drama. Humanity in its vast melanin array. [front cover of a paperback ARC for The Best Man: Unfinished Business; silhouette of three adults] The Best Man: Unfinished Business by Malcolm D. Lee with Jayne Allen adult contemporary fiction with romantic elements Storehouse Voices, July 2025 First, dedicated fans of The Best Man franchise and its beloved characters need not fear how they’re treated in this first of three novels. In fact. One thread of Harper’s storyline seems to reflect the real-life author/screenwriter/director’s battle to protect and maintain the integrity of The Best Man universe. Mission accomplished. Second, once readers - fans or not - start this novel they won’t want to stop. The compulsion to re/watch The Best Man movies and limited series and maybe even to reread this book while anticipating the release of book two in 2026 will prove difficult to resist. Who are you? Who are your people?...

A Million Lives Book Festival - An Unfortunate Exception, Not the Event Rule

[2 decorative stickers on lined writing paper from left to right: a round smiley face arranged upside down to look like a frown and a round smiley face arranged right sight up] By now most bookish folk and others have heard about the inaugural A Million Lives Book Festival held at the Baltimore Convention Center last Friday and Saturday. To recap: according to participating authors and attendees many promises were made and almost all of them were broken. As outreach director and co-organizer for The Write Women Book Fest scheduled to host its 6th event Saturday, July 19 & Sunday, July 20 of this year at the Bowie Comfort Inn & Conference Center in Bowie, Maryland, U.S.A., my reaction to the feedback being shared about A Million Lives is nightmarish. Even though we aren't connected to it in any way or familiar with the event organizer or her company, our completely unrelated event has felt some minor residual effects because people are worried. And that's an understanda...

Search This Blog