Jeannie Zokan: A Writer's Cup: October 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013

What's the Big Idea?

For a few years now I've collected ideas in a notebook on my bedside table. Whenever a business plan, a home improvement project, or a story comes to me, I write it down. So far I'm up to 88 ideas, and many of them involve putting artwork on tee-shirts and selling them. Even more are book ideas. Some concepts are elaborate, others are simple. Most are completely random, like Number 47: "Come up with a Facebook just for pets. Owners can create pages for their dogs or cats or birds (or whatever) and interact with other people and their pets. I'd call it Petface." (Okay, I never said the concepts were super, but I'm hoping SOMEthing will click by the time I get to the magic 100th idea!)

Chris Zokan's Photos

Where do these ideas come from? One place - almost always. A mind distracted by simple tasks: on a run, in the shower, washing dishes, in the car. And better than any of those places is my meditation cushion.
I love my ideas. I have a feeling the only thing holding me back is the limits I put on the new thoughts I allow, the space I give myself. And in meditation, I'm walking up to the great ocean of ideas and scooping them out by the netful. So why don't I meditate more? Here's another 100 reasons to sit still: http://www.ineedmotivation.com/blog/2008/05/100-benefits-of-medita tion/
How about you? Where do your ideas come from? Would you put your pet on Petface?

Courage Without Grace

Josie Wales doesn't need her palm reading skills to know her lover is seeing someone else. It's time to end it, but she's been with Tom for seven years. And there's something--someone--she needs to tell him about. That secret keeps pulling her back, but this time she's determined to break it off.

To find the courage to end the relationship, Josie seeks advice from new acquaintances. But she somehow manages to make an even bigger mess of her life. When Jack, Tom's twin and her childhood friend, comes to DC to reconnect, he helps Josie get her feet back on the ground.

Just as Josie is beginning to resolve the chaos in her life, a tragic secret from her past comes back to haunt her. Before she can move forward and have a second chance at love, she must face her grief and loss.

With characters that leap off the page, Courage Without Grace is a poignant novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

The Existence of Pity

Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend, her dangerous trips into the city, and her explorations into different religions.
Josie eventually discovers her parents secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don't want to be saved?
The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia.