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We’ll always have Paris, my darling friends. And themes.

Blog post by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

The date that Elisa Sasa Southard had written on the first page of the notebook (with drawing of Eiffel Tower on the cover) that she had given me is 20 April 2015. The words she penned in purple ink included pieces from my mental wish list:

“Must See – Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Rodin’s, Sainte-Chapelle, Shakespeare and Company

Must Do – Museum pass, Walking tour

Movies to Watch – Midnight In Paris, French Kiss, Irma La Douce, Populaire, The Closet ”

Aah I had seen Woody Allen’s movie Midnight In Paris in a theater, and, later, rented it several times just to see the first four minutes (shots of arrondissements “neighborhoods”) with 3 minutes and 20 seconds of composer Sidney Bechet’s saxophone magic  “Si Tu Vois Ma Mere”

Then Margie Yee Webb gifted me 3 books – The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris by John Baxter; Forever Paris: 25 Walks in the Footsteps of Chanel, Hemingway, Picasso, and More by Christina Henry de Tessan; The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious – and Perplexing – City by David Lebovitz

Even if I cannot go...reading David Lebovitz's most beautifully written book THE SWEET LIFE IN PARIS made me smile happy tears.

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The plan was to go to gay Paris (pronounced “Paree”) in 2016.  In May 2015, my papa received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease – that explains his leg weakness, tremors, and freezing, as well as the “shuffling”. As my darling friends were talking dates and flights, I heard myself saying “I can’t go…What if I am in Paris…and Papa falls…” My friends were sympathetic. Trip planning was terminated.

I created a blog series “Parkinson’s Disease, My Chinese Papa, and My practicing The Four Agreements” (you know, the book The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz)

One day, after Papa had assembled a pedal-exerciser (I was so happy for him), he got up too fast…plop.  He fell, right in front of me. His recliner broke his fall. What a lucky fellow! I was in shock for two whole seconds. Gosh, a lot of worrisome thoughts raced through my brain as he popped up to standing position, with a look that said “That did not happen, you did not see that.”

Later that week, I had my epiphany – I could hear my mom telling me “You cannot worry about what might or might not happen.”  She’s been my muse every since she showed up in a mighty healing dream – a dream that inspired my “Talking to My Mom Monologues”.

Here she was again, being the muse.  I started a new monologue “Papa Fell Down, I’m Going to Paris”

I called my darling friends. “Let’s look at calendars. How’s September 2016?”

Teresa LeYung-Ryan here, inspired by the arrondissments we walked in and everyone who have made my 8-day trip to Paris a most remarkable experience. The “everyone” includes my papa, sister, friends (including Margie, Sasa et Will, Linda, Vicki, Lynn, Luisa, Martha, Olga, Kristiane, Cousin Howard, JB, my darling mom of course), colleagues, vendors, and strangers who have given me their well wishes or assistance or greetings of “bonjour” or all the above. Traveling with Elisa “Sasa” Southard (certified tour director and travel writer) who speaks Français and is such a fun and  thoughtful leader and Margie Yee Webb (author, photographer, documentary film producer) who pays attention to details and is also so thoughtful =  joy and delight for me (whose knowledge of magical Paris had been from watching Hollywood, English and French movies…until now).

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Aah, we (Elisa Sasa Southard, yours truly Teresa LeYung-Ryan, Margie Yee Webb) did go. Thank you, lovely AirFrance flight attendant, for taking photo minutes before landing at Charles de Gaulle airport.

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Oui! La Tour Eiffel ("tour" is French word for "tower") is really that beautiful - by day, by night, in sun, in rain! Oui! that is Sasa with Chronicle Books bag (that Margie gifted us) over her right shoulder.

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Parisian architecture, sandstone buildings, trees trees trees, Eiffel Tower!

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The most yummy-looking and truly delicious quiche we enjoyed in Paris was at Café de Flore

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The themes that I got from being in “The City of Light” are:

* sandstone buildings, why maximum height is eight-stories

* what to eat at a boulangerie, pâtisserie, bistrot, traiteur, brasserie, or a restaurant

* art is beauty for all the senses

Forthcoming:

Part 2 What I learned about the Eiffel Tower and the architect

Part 3 Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre, Musée Rodin, museum passes

Part 4 Croissants in Paris and my being wheat gluten intolerant

Part 5 Walked, Walking, Will Walk

Part 6 Airplane, Batobus (ferries), Metro (subway), buses, train, elevators

Part 7 I want to look at everything at the U Express supermarket s’il vous plaît

Part 8 “Make Your Name Stand for Something,” says Writers’ Platform-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Part 9 “I’ll always cherish my time in Paris,” says Teresa LeYung-Ryan

For the slideshow  “We’ll always have Paris, my darling friends,” says author Teresa LeYung-Ryan on Teresa’s Youtube channel, please click on https://youtu.be/LbX50ojbc84

à bientôt!

Teresa LeYung-Ryan uses her fiction and nonfiction to advocate speaking openly about the stigmas associated with mental illness and the repercussions from family violence.

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She is the author of:

• the mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart (used as required reading in colleges)
• the workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days
• Coach Teresa’s Blog at http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/
• her monologue series “Talking to My Dead Mom” (her monologue “Answer Me Now” received an award from CWC Redwood Writers)

Creator of:

• the “Immigrant Experience” Writing Contest
• workshops including:
  • “For Theme’s Sake: Edit Your Own Manuscript Before Pitching to Agents or Self-Publishing”
  • “Heroes, Tricksters, Villains – Know Your Archetypes”
  • “Where Are You on Your Writer’s Journey?”
  • Build/Retrofit Your Writer’s Platform
  • her trademark Love Made of Heart

Affiliated with:

• Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter (member and past board member and officer)
• California Lawyers for the Arts (member)
• California Writers Club (member, San Francisco Peninsula Branch and Redwood Branch; a past president of the San Francisco Peninsula Branch); a recipient of the Jack London Award for outstanding service to California Writers Club

Advocate for:

• public schools and public libraries!

For other posts in my blog, please go to: https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog

If you’re looking for my blog posts pertaining to our Beautiful Brains and Neuroplasticity… https://lovemadeofheart.com/blog  look at right side of screen, you’ll see the category “Beautiful Brains Neuroplasticity”.  Please click on that category to get those posts.

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: “When a plotline and a theme work exceptionally well together, Hollywood producers invest in remakes.”

These 3 movies – Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Heaven Can Wait, Down to Earth – serve as an example.

THEME [ Be true to yourself and everything will be all right.] + PLOTLINE [a man who is sent to heaven before his time (due to an error by an angel) wants his old life back]  =

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Here Comes Mr. Jordan  1941  protagonist Joe Pendleton (a boxer) portrayed by Robert Montgomery

Writing Credits: Sidney Buchman & Seton I. Miller (screenplay); Harry Segall (from the play Heaven Can Wait)

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Heaven Can Wait  1978 – protagonist Joe Pendleton (a quarterback) portrayed by Warren Beatty

Writing Credits:  Elaine May and Warren Beatty (screenplay); Harry Segall (from the play); Robert Towne

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Down to Earth (2001) protagonist Lance Barton (a stand-up comedian) portrayed by Chris Rock.

Probably to honor the original script, the name (and body) that Lance Barton will use at the end of the movie is “Joe”

Writing Credits:   Chris Rock & Lance Crouther & Ali LeRoi & Louis C.K.

Above data regarding writers’ names are from http://www.imdb.com

I, Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan, recommend:

* Martha Engber’s book and workshops on how to write scenes

* Christopher Vogler’s book The Writer’s Journey (about Hero’s Journey and Archetypes)

* all books and workshops by Martha Alderson on plotting

* your rereading your favorite books and studying that authors’ techniques

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan aka Coach Teresa teaches writers how to transform their email signature-blocks, photos, videos, social media, website/blog descriptions into platform statements . . . to attract target audience/readers/fans . . . before and after publication.  http://WritingCoachTeresa.com and  https://www.youtube.com/user/teresaleyung

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She is the creator of:

• classes, including:
• *For Theme’s Sake: Edit Your Own Manuscript Before Pitching to Agents or Self-Publishing
• *Heroes, Tricksters, and Villains – What Do These Archetypes Want in Your Story World?
• *

• Immigrant Experience Writing Contest
• *

• interactive presentations, including:
  • *Help Your Fans Find YOU
  • *Build & Retrofit Your Writer’s Platform

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the author of:

• Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (workbook);
• *
• Love Made of Heart: a Daughter, a Mother, a Journey Through Mental Illness (novel used in college classes and archived at the San Francisco History Center);
• *
• “Talking to My Dead Mom Monologues” (the first monologue received an award from Redwood 10-Minute Play Contest and was staged at the 6^th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, CA);
• *
• her blog (which attracts tens of thousands of writers) at http://WritingCoachTeresa.com helps writers build their platforms before and after publication

*

and a proud member of:

• California Writers Club (3 branches! And a past president of the San Francisco Peninsula Branch); and a recipient of the Jack London Award for outstanding service to California Writers Club;
• *
• Women’s National Book Association-San Francisco Chapter (a past board member).

Author and 22-Day Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan meets Women Healing the World everywhere she goes

I am so proud of my pal and colleague Margie Yee Webb.   Margie is the author and photographer of Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life, a gift book for cat lovers. http://www.catmulan.com  Earlier this year, Margie shared exciting news regarding her role in the remarkable documentary FEMME: Women Healing the World directed by Emmanuel Itier of Wonderland Entertainment.

If you happen to be near Sacramento, CA on Dec. 5, 2013, please attend the screening of the movie and meet Margie Yee Webb.  For tickets: http://www.tugg.com/events/6292

FEMME is a celebration of women around the world actively transforming and healing our global society. Sharon Stone and leading experts in religion, science, history, politics and entertainment discuss solutions to the multiple crises we are faced with. FEMME focuses on utilizing a feminine approach with nurturing energy to inspire a new hope for the future. http://www.femmethemovie.com

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Diane Ichiyasu (a FEMME herself) cheers for Margie Yee Webb, producer of FEMME: Women Healing the World as well as for playwright Michael Milligan who uses his performance to show what happens to Americans who have no medical insurance in the U.S.A. Teresa LeYung-Ryan and Diane met through the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in the Berkeley Hills in California

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Janice Bohnert & Carol Budney are FEMMEs (women healing the world) in Wisconsin ! Teresa LeYung-Ryan met Janice and Carol at the Double Dragon Chinese Restaurant in West Allis!

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Author and Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan learns about Campaign for Healthy California from 3 FEMMEs - Joannie Grassi, Nel Benningshof, and Diane Ichiyasu

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Producer Margie Yee Webb says: "Please attend the exclusive screening of the award-winning documentary FEMME: Women Healing the World on Dec. 5, 2013 at Crest Theatre in Sacramento,CA Watch the trailer http://www.femmethemovie.com

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FEMME: Women Healing the World features Sharon Stone (Executive Producer), Marianne Williamson, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Riane Eisler, Maria Bello, Jean Houston, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Gloria Steinem, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Shirin Ebadi, Mairead Maguire, Jody Williams, Celeste Yarnall and many other notable women from around the world. Music is by Yoko Ono and Rickie Lee Jones. FEMME is distributed by Vision Films, a worldwide distributor of independent feature films, documentaries and music programming.

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Margie Yee Webb is author of the "red" gift book Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings and producer of the movie FEMME: Women Healing the World. Teresa LeYung-Ryan had met Margie through California Writers' Club when fellow member Dale King connected them for the Asian Heritage Street Celebrations in San Francisco.

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producer Margie Yee Webb chooses the historic Crest Theatre in producer Margie Yee Webb chooses the historic Crest Theatre in Sacramento for the screening of FEMME: Women Healing the World on Dec. 5, 2013 -- photo by TLR

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan here to say: “I know hundreds of FEMMEs (women healing the world). Producer Margie Yee Webb leads the beautiful parade!”

Sincerely,

Author Teresa LeYung-Ryan Deeply Moved by Professor Sheryl Fairchild and Her Students in Psychology of Women Class

author of Love Made of Heart Teresa LeYung-Ryan happy to be with Professor Sheryl Fairchild and her brilliant students in Psychology of Women--photo by author and producer Margie Yee Webb

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author of Love Made of Heart Teresa LeYung-Ryan thanks Professor Sheryl Fairchild and author Margie Yee Webb (Margie is also producer of FEMME: Women Healing the World)

Dear Professor Sheryl Fairchild and all the Beautiful Students in Professor Fairchild’s Psychology of Women class,

I am still speechless from the warm welcome you gave me on November 4, 2013.  Your questions about the themes in my mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart and your sharing of personal experiences touched me deeply.

My wish for you is hat you will always let “the-wise-one-within” embrace “the-child-within.”  You are all beautiful; the world is in good hands.

If you would like to write a short book review and focus on a theme in Love Made of Heart, please click here.  I so appreciate your comments.  I thank you all.

With deepest gratitude,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

“I rewrote Love Made of Heart when the voices of protagonist Ruby Lin, Vivien Lin, and Mrs. Nussbaum jumped into my head!”

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author Teresa LeYung-Ryan happy to be with the cast (Daniel, Ryan, Taylor, Sara) who read the first scene/chapter in Teresa's mother-daughter novel Love Made of Heart--photo by author and producer Margie Yee Webb

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author Teresa LeYung-Ryan THANKS Professor Sheryl Fairchild and her brilliant students in Psychology of Women--photo by author and producer Margie Yee Webb

Author Teresa LeYung-Ryan humbly thanks Professor Sheryl Fairchild (for assigning Love Made of Heart as required reading and extending the lovely invitation to meet her brilliant students) and dear pal & colleague Margie Yee Webb (for inspiration and support).  These three women will reunite on December 5, 2013 at the screening of FEMME: Women Healing the World (orchestrated by producer Margie Yee Webb) click http://www.tugg.com/events/6292 to reserve your tickets for Dec. 5, 2013

Author Teresa LeYung-Ryan says: "Ruby Lin the protagonist in Love Made of Heart learns compassion and self-forgiveness when her mom is 5150'ed." photo by Cheri Eplin

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Literacy advocate, playwright, radio show host Kim McMillon says:

*** Today, June 27, 2013, General Manager of East Bay Regional Park District sent “A Message to our Community – Possible Employee Strike Action at Regional Parks on July 4-5″  As I read the letter, lines from E. B. White’s children book Charlotte’s Web came to mind.

“What are you thinking about, Charlotte?” Wilbur asked.

“I was just thinking,” said the spider, “that people are very gullible.”

“What does ‘gullible’ mean?”

“Easy to fool,” said Charlotte.

If  we are to read the General Manager’s letter and accept the document as the whole truth (without conducting fact-checking), then, yes, we are gullible.

The letter says that the District is offering an overall pay increase of 8.5% over a four-year contract.  Why doesn’t it say that employees’ buying power has eroded by 11.5% over the past four years?

The District is offering 2% wage increase for July 1, 2013–March 31, 2014 (previous contract has already expired on March 31, 2013) while 2013 Consumer Price Index is 2.4%.

CPI figures confirmed by  http://www.bls.gov/ro9/9240.pdf

2010  2.4%

2011  2.1%

2012  3.5%

2013  2.4%

The letter says: ” . . . current average total compensation (wages and benefits) for the basic park maintenance worker as a Park Ranger 2 with a high school education and three years of service is $102,000.”  What it doesn’t say is that (according to District’s website) the minimum monthly salary for Park Ranger II is  $4,310.80 and maximum monthly salary is $4,693.87.  Office Assistant/Senior Office Assistant min. $3,800.88/month; max. $4,286.75/month.

And, those salary figures are gross, not net.  Ask a Park Ranger II or Office Assistant what his/her take-home pay is.  Ask a Park Ranger II or Office Assistant what losing 11.5% buying-power over the past four years means in terms of paying:

• rent or mortgage and property tax
• food
• utilities
• hygiene products & clothing
• transportation or gasoline, car maintenance and insurance
• home owner or tenant’s insurance
• doctor-visit co-pays
• living expense for dependents

What the letter doesn’t say is that while the EBRPD board members approve “merit increases” for managers . . . the  job classifications and salary schedules for many non-management positions are outdated.

EBRPD is a special district (not state, not city).  The District reports 2012 General Fund revenues exceeded expenditures by $9.7 million, or 10%, which means General Fund revenues grew by $3.4 million. In 2011, General Fund revenues exceeded expenditures by $9.3 million. In other words, the Park District is indeed financially healthy. Even during the recession, the District had a surplus of $5 million.  Why erode skilled and loyal employees’ wages/benefits/buying power?

How can we say "Thank you" to the employees who make East Bay regional parks and trails clean and beautiful?

On June 26, 2013 AFSCME Local 2428 had released this statement:

AFSCME LOCAL 2428 EAST BAY PARK WORKERS ARE PREPARING TO STRIKE JULY 4^TH AND 5^TH FOR A FAIR CONTRACT

WHY WOULD WE GO ON STRIKE ?

• We are trying to reach a fair contract with our employer the EBRPD. If we do not reach agreement by the evening of July 3rd, then, yes, we shall proceed with work-stoppage on July 4th and 5th; Local 2428 had already notified the public on June 26.
• Our wages are 17% less than our counterparts in other public agencies.
• The District’s offer does not keep pace with inflation (our buying power has already eroded by 11.5% over the past four years)
• The District’s offer amounts to a net wage increase of 1.125% each year over 4 years; if CPI stays at 2.4% each year, we would fall further and further behind.
• If Board Members grant merit increases to one group of employees (highest-paid group), then it’s only fair to not erode the wages of the lower-paid groups.

What is Local 2428 Negotiations Team asking on behalf of their 600+ members?

a 3-year contract April 1, 2013 — March 31, 2016 that offers:

• Year 1 – current CPI of 2.4 plus 1% = 3.4%
• Year 2 – CPI plus 1.75% — with 2.5% floor /  4.75% ceiling
• Year 3 – CPI plus 1.75% — with 2.5% floor /  4.75% ceiling

Here are names and email addresses of the 7 EBRPD Board Members and General Manager:

“EBRPD Board President John Sutter” <jsutter@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Vice President Ayn Wieskamp” <awieskamp@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Secretary Ted Radke”  <tradke@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Treasurer Whitney Dotson” <wdotson@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Member Beverly Lane” <blane@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Member Doug Siden” <dsiden@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD Board Member Carol Severin” <cseverin@ebparks.org>

“EBRPD GM Robert E. Doyle” <bdoyle@ebparks.org>

Please cc   “AFSCME Local 2428 President Cliff Rocha” local2428negotiations@gmail.com 510-566-5985

U.S. mailing address to Board Members and General Manager:    EBRPD Board, 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, CA 94605    1-888-EBPARKS (1-888-327-2757), extension 2020 for Clerk of the Board

Please cc Local 2428 President Cliff Rocha:  Local 2428 East Bay Parks, 80 Swan Way, Suite 110, Oakland, CA 94621   Tel:  510-566-5985

1.  Please click on the above blue title bar [ Books Referenced in Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan's Webinar for Author Learning Center on April 10, 2013 ] .

2.  Scroll down to get the empty boxes

3.  Fill in boxes

• your full name
• your email address
• in the large box– please tell me what genre you’re writing, what your themes are, and what you gained from my webinar

4.  Click on [ submit comment] button.

Thank you, Author Learning Center, especially Nicole Baker, Suzette Conway and Michael Franchetti.  Thank you to all the writers who tuned in or told their friends to tune in.

This webinar will be presented again on Thursday, April 25, 2013  at 4:30pm Pacific Time /  7:30pm Eastern Time; please tell your friends.

 Books Referenced in Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan’s Webinar for Author Learning Center

FICTION:

Bastard Out of Caroline by Dorothy Allison

Bear-ly There With Compass { the story of Compass Bear and his human friend Molly } by Mary B. French; illustrations by  Kevin Coffey

Bridget Jones’s Diary (chic lit) by Helen Fielding

Charlotte’s Web (a children’s classic) by E. B. White

Frankenstein (a classic) by Mary Shelley

Getting Old Is Murder (mystery) by Rita Lakin

Heroes Arise by Laurel Anne Hill

Husband May Come and Go, But Friends Are Forever by Judith Marshall

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

The Hobbit (fantasy/adventure classic) by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Last Queen (historical novel) by C. W. Gortner

Lost In Yonkers (a play) by Neil Simon

Love Made of Heart – mother-daughter novel by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Riding Godzilla  (young adult) by P.S. Foley

She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Straight Down the Middle by Margaret Davis

Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts

Wordsworth the Poet (children’s picture book) by Frances Kakugawa

NARRATIVE NONFICTION:

A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me by Lynn Scott

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Maya Roads:

The Secret Artist – Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine! by Mary E. Knippel

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

Wisdom Has a Voice: Every Daughter’s Memories of Mother – anthology edited by Kate Farrell

Woven of Water by Luisa Adams

POETRY:

A Dreamer’s Guide to Cities and Streams  by Joan Gelfand

Spinning the Arrow of Time by Ruth Hoppin

PRESCRIPTIVE NONFICTION:

Break Through the Noise: 9 Tools to Propel Your Marketing Message by Elisa Sasa Southard

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW  by Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Cat Mulan’s Mindful Musings: Insight and Inspiration for a Wonderful Life – photo/gift book by Margie Yee Webb

Correct Me If I’m Wrong: Getting Your Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage Right!  by Arlene Miller

Help Me Live: 20 Things People with Cancer Want You to Know by Lori Hope

How to Write a Book Proposal by Michael Larsen

My Dreams: A Simple Guide to Dream Interpretation by Angie Choi

Marriage Meeting Starter Kit  by Marcia Naomi Berger

No Red Pen: Writers, Writing Groups & Critique by Victoria A. Hudson, M.F.A.

Optimal Healing: A Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine by Patricia Tsang, M.D.

Social Media Just for Writers: The Best Online Marketing Tips for Selling Your Books by Frances Caballo

TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How To Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spiritby Lynn Cook Henriksen

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages: A Book Promotion Reference Guide for Authors and Small Press Publishers  by Christine Pinheiro  e-book published by http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

The Four Agreements:  a Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Power of Memoir by Linda Joy Myers

The Secret Artist – Give Yourself Permission to Let Your Creativity Shine! by Mary E. Knippel

The Step-by-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit! Start Your Own Home-Based Publishing Company and Publish Your Non-Fiction Book with CreateSpace and Amazon by C. Pinheiro’s & Nick Russell

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Tell me what your favorite books are – by using the [submit comment] box (follow instructions at the beginning of this post).

I’m cheering for you!

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cares about helping fiction and nonfiction writers build their platforms and work on their craft simultaneously with ease. She is one of the top 1% most endorsed editors on LinkedIn.

Coach Teresa says: “Wear the dual hats of writer and promoter; identify your themes and archetypes to structure your manuscript and create your platform-statement. Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.” http://writingcoachTeresa.com for Coach Teresa’s blog and list of events; see how she helps her clients.

She is the author of:

• Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (the workbook)
• Love Made of Heart (the mother-daughter novel used in college composition classes)
• Answer Me Now  (the award-winning short play)
• speeches advocating mental health and end violence against women and children

She is creator of The Immigrant Experience Writing Contest

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan teaches for Author Learning Center  -  free webinars for writers – tell your friends too!

Please register with https://www.authorlearningcenter.com

3 Top Tools for Editing Your Manuscript After You’ve Written Your First Draft  with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Wed.,  April 10, 2013  at 10:30am Pacific Time / 1:30pm Eastern Time

Thurs., April 25, 2013  at 4:30pm Pacific Time /  7:30pm Eastern Time

Learn from Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan, one of the top 1% most endorsed editors on LinkedIn and author of a novel that is used in college composition classes, how to edit the first draft of your fiction (including novels for adults and young adults, children’s picture books), narrative nonfiction (i.e. memoirs, biographies) or prescriptive nonfiction (aka “how to”) :

• even if you are in a critique group or preparing to hire a book doctor/editor

• whether you are planning to pitch to agents and acquisition editors or be your own publisher

• and save money, avoid headaches

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Please register with https://www.authorlearningcenter.com

3 Steps to Building Your Fanbase While Writing Your Fiction or Nonfiction Book with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Thurs., May 9, 2013  at 10:30am Pacific Time / 1:30pm Eastern Time

Tues., May 28, 2013  at 4:30pm Pacific Time /  7:30pm Eastern Time

Is your fiction or nonfiction project being turned down by agents or acquisition editors because you do not have a platform? Or, are you published and you want more readers? Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan will show you how to thrive in the publishing arena and have fun too. Platform made simple! By making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers (your fans)—who are likely to buy what you have to sell. Learn how to help your fans find you, before and after publication! From the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW.

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cares about helping fiction and nonfiction writers build their platforms and work on their craft simultaneously with ease. She is one of the top 1% most endorsed editors on LinkedIn.

As the author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW (the workbook),  Love Made of Heart (the mother-daughter novel used in college composition classes), Answer Me Now  (the award-winning short play), and speeches advocating mental health and end violence against women and children, Coach Teresa says: “Wear the dual hats of writer and promoter; identify your themes and archetypes to structure your manuscript and create your platform-statement. Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.” http://writingcoachTeresa.com for Coach Teresa’s blog; see how she helps her clients.

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan (a proud immigrant from Hong Kong, of Chinese heritage), here to cheer for author Laurel Anne Hill and everyone involved in the Shanghai Steam Anthology.

Shanghai Steam anthology, edited by Ace Jordyn, Calvin D. Jim and Renee Bennett; original artwork by James Ng; cover design by Janice Blaine

Laurel Anne tells me that Shanghai Steam Anthology will be launched November 1-4, 2012 at the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto, Canada.  So exciting!

If you had a role in creating this anthology, or, if you know any of the contributing authors, editors, art designers, please tell us by submitting a comment to this post.  Click on the blue header of this post, scroll down to get the boxes, fill in the boxes and press [submit comment] button.  Consider keeping a copy of your comment (before pressing submit-comment button) and use it in your own email signature-block and on other blogs.  Thank you!

Here’s Laurel Anne Hill’s blog post:

Steampunk, Wuxia and the Immigrant Experience
by Laurel Anne Hill

I stare at the crimson printing on my computer screen.  Crisp black lines frame electronic words of caution.  What is this, anyway?  The 1877 U.S. Senatorial report on Chinese immigration I Googled?  Or the “boxed warning” for a toxic drug?

The red letters form an introductory disclaimer of sorts, an alert regarding nineteenth-century political incorrectness.  The Senatorial report’s contents will reflect the attitudes of yesteryear’s Americans.  In other words, readers with sensitive ears, beware.  Still, I need to study sections of this 1,281-page document to blog about railroad workers from China.  My finger tabs through the report’s opening pages.

“There is a vast hive from which Chinese immigrants may swarm…,” the report indicates.  “They are cruel and indifferent to their sick…inferior in mental and moral qualities…”

Anger warms my face.  The historical report I prepare to read in depth is a verbal cesspool of toxic prejudice.  Worse than I expected.  Even the testimony of Charles Crocker–-the infamous railroad executive who respected the tremendous contribution of Chinese laborers in building the U.S. Transcontinental Railway–oozes stereotypes.  I just began this morning’s immigrant-experience research project and already my blood pressure soars.

Now please don’t consider me naïve.  Years ago, I learned about the anti-Chinese legislation passed in nineteenth-century America: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (to keep “them” out) and various anti-miscegenation laws (to prevent interracial marriages).  U.S. immigration policy muddle-ups are not confined to the twenty-first century.  That’s one of several reasons why I wrote my new short story, “Moon-Flame Woman.”  I hope “Moon-Flame Woman” will help readers picture all immigrants as distinct individuals with gifts, fears, hopes and dreams.

The setting for “Moon-Flame Woman” is a North American railroad construction camp in 1866.  In my story, Cho Ting-Lam has lost self-respect.  She, a slave, has neither a husband nor sons.  Disguised as a man, Cho Ting-Lam uses explosives, crystal technology and Qi to bore railroad tunnels through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Then a prejudiced railroad superintendent endangers her and her people.

“Moon-Flame Woman,” is scheduled for publication in the upcoming Shanghai Steam Anthology (Absolute XPress, November 2012).  Shanghai Steam is a unique mashup of steampunk (advanced technology through steam-age mechanical devices) and the Chinese literary genre known as Wuxia (loosely translated as martial hero).

I invite you to visit the worlds within Shanghai Steam.  From ancient China to a future Mars, from the British Empire to the Old West, nineteen authors will show you worlds with alcohol-fueled dragons, philosophical automatons, and Qi-powered machines both wondrous and strange in tales of vengeance, paper lantern revolutions and flying monks.  I also wish to thank Teresa LeYung-Ryan for her pre-submission review of my “Moon-Flame Woman” manuscript.  Teresa provided valuable advice which strengthened my story.

Below, I list the Shanghai Steam table of contents.  For more information about the anthology and its authors, visit the Shanghai Steam Facebook page.

Warm wishes,

Laurel Anne Hill
Author of Heroes Arise, an award-winning novel about breaking the cycle of vengeance.
http://www.laurelannehill.com

Shanghai Steam Anthology  edited by Ace Jordyn, Calvin D. Jim and Renee Bennett

Table of Contents

The Fivefold Proverbs of Zhen Xiaquan
Tim Ford

Qin Yun’s Mechanical Dragon and the Cricket Spies
Amanda Clark

Moon-Flame Woman
Laurel Anne Hill

Love and Rockets at the Siege of Peking
K. H. Vaughan

The Master and the Guest
Crystal Koo

Ming Jie and the Coffee Maker of Doom
Brent Nichols

A Hero Faces the Celestial Empire; A Death by Fire is Avenged by Water
Julia A. Rosenthal

Riding the Wind
William H. Keith

Mistress of the Pearl Dragon
Shen Braun

Song of My Heart
Jennifer Rahn

Last Flight of the Lóng Qíshì
Emily Mah

Protection from Assassins
Frances Pauli

Seeds of the Lotus
Camille Alexa

The Ability of Lightness
Tim Reynolds

Fire in the Sky
Ray Dean

The Legend of Wong Heng Li
Frank Larnerd

Flying Devils
Derwin Mak

Legend of the Secret Masterpiece
Nick Tramdack

Jing Ke Before the Principle of Order
Minsoo Kang

Hearty congratulations to my friend Laurel Anne Hill and all the contributing authors, editors, artwork designer, cover designer, and their advisors!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Please visit Coach Teresa’s Events Page

http://WritingCoachTeresa.com  Click on “Coach Teresa’s Blog”

http://www.facebook.com/Teresa.LeYung.Ryan
http://www.youtube.com/teresaleyung

Coach Teresa on CBS Bay Sunday with Host Frank Mallicoat

Celebrating Donna Rankin Love, her book Walking for Our Lives, and International Day of Peace September 21, 2012

Author Donna Rankin Love says:

“September 21, 2012, 6:30-8:00pm at Gallery Bookstore in Mendocino, CA, I will present Walking for Our Lives, my memoir of the 3700 mile peace walk in 1986 from Los Angeles to New York City to Washington, DC.  My Great Peace March tent-mate, Connie Fledderjohann, who lives in Fort Bragg, has arranged the book-signing event. She emailed recently to tell me that her Quaker community is planning a peace meditation and that perhaps the activist group Women in Black will hold a silent demonstration for peace at the Gallery Bookstore.

A celebration of Peace Day and, incidentally, my 85^th birthday!  What a gift to be a part of  peaceful consciousness. A day on which I can figuratively light candles of  hope,  blow out the birthday cake candles and wish those near and far”

Books by Donna Rankin Love:

Walking for Our Lives

To Make the House Complete

Tell Me a Story

I celebrate Donna Rankin Love (who is Plot Whisperer Martha Alderson’s beloved aunt) and all her work to promote peace.

We know what Donna cares about. 

What do you care about?  Tell us by submitting a comment to this post.  Click on the blue header of this post, scroll down to get the boxes, fill in the boxes and press [submit comment] button.  Consider keeping a copy of your comment (before pressing submit-comment button) and use it in your own email signature-block and on other blogs.

Sincerely,

“Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”
http://writingcoachteresa.com

Please click here to see Coach Teresa interviewed by Frank Mallicoat on Channel 5 Bay Sunday - the show was aired on September 9, 2012, 5:30am.