What Will You Read?

Have you ever read a book where some parts stay with you and really make you think? Well, that just happened to me. I recently read a book where the main character was able to get a glimpse of her mother in heaven where she saw her happy and reading a book. READING A BOOK? Yes, I thought that part was so sweet.

Here's my take on this. There are literally more books out there than we could count. Okay, maybe we could count them, but that part, I'd pass to someone else. But if there are books there to be read, I wonder which ones would make it, and which ones would not. For me, I'd like to think my grandmother would be holding mine. She passed years ago, but I felt her presence many days while writing ALTERED. If I could hear her, she'd probably tell me, in her spunky Italian way, "Laura, why did you work so hard. You just about drove your Granny crazy with worry." Then she'd smile and say, "I'm so proud of you. You did it. Now do something else that doesn't have you loosing sleep and not eating." If you know an Italian family, you'd know everything revolves around eating! :)

So here's my question for you. If you were granted a glimpse of a friend or family member who has passed and they were reading a book, what would you pick for them? Tough question, I know, but you can do it.

Happy Reading Everyone! :)

BLOGGERS

I love it when I read blogs from people so passionate about books, reading, and authors that they spend countless hours supporting their work. It's through this fairly new social explosion that so many of us who write have a chance to get to know, not only the bloggers personally, but followers as well. Gotta love social media, right? Where else can you meet people all over the world and not have to worry about your hair and make-up, or if you're still in your p.j.'s?

Yes, writing today is traveling down a new road with this type of marketing and we have bloggers to thank for letting us tag along for the ride.

When you get a chance, please visit my website http://www.lauraburks.com/ and scroll down the first page under "Appearances on the web" and show some love to the bloggers who have been so kind to me. Some even host contest with cool prizes!

So to make an ever growing story short, THANK YOU BLOGGERS, for making life a little sweeter!

B&N...Finally!

ALTERED is now available on the B&N site for Nook customers. YAY! It's great to be part of the family. Click on the cover for their direct link. Thanks! :)

ALTERED CHARM NECKLACE

ALTERED book charm necklace now available. I'm so excited!!  The handcuffs represent the cursed criminals and the heart is for the romance. If interested, click on the image to purchase. Order price is $12.75 each. Be sure to check out all the other beautiful creations at Etsy.com and Southwest Sky Jewelry. I promise it's worth a visit!!

Look Beyond What You See

I have to share this story because I think it's an eye opener.

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting a middle school student who reminded me of how any obstacle in our life we can overcome...and do it with style. This young boy is blind and partially deaf, and despite his challenges, stood in front of 100 students to present a bill.

Now, for those of you who do not know, I work with the youth in my area and this is the time of year where they participate in a youth legislator program designed to learn the legislative process. It’s in this process that I see so many mature and shine with pride as they see their hard work pay off. It really is a lot of fun for everyone, including me. Yes, I’m a lucky girl!

Anyway, back to my moment. As all the students and teachers listened to him read from his sheet in Braille, I stood by his side watching from the podium. Again, lucky me!

Here’s where the build-up moment happened. When it came time to vote, he had no idea what was happening. I helped him to the front of the podium, choking back tears the entire time, and I told him every single person was standing for his bill to pass. Not one single person voted against. He had a smile from ear to ear. And as I looked out into the crowd of middle school students, I saw something incredible…compassion and a truly humbling experience. Do I believe that they all voted because of what they saw? No. He did an awesome job, and I do believe they made a decision based on what they did not see.

Some days you don’t know what will come your way, but if you look beyond what you see with your eyes, you'll be amazed how much more is waiting for you. Once again, I'm one lucky girl!!

Have a great week everyone!!

CLUBING!

Some of you might think I'll start this blog talking about hitting the clubs on the weekend, right? Nope, not that type of clubing. Although those can be the topic of a great blog, I have another type that has proved to be more rewarding...and no headache the next day. Can you guess where I'm going with this?

Tonight, I was invited to dinner with a great group of ladies (The Baton Rouge Book Club) for their monthly meeting. Ah...now you know what type of club I'm talking about. And let me tell you, it can be just as much fun! They read ALTERED for February, and then we all gathered together for some interesting conversations. Questions flowed just as freely as the good food and wine. For me, it was exciting to learn first hand what drove them to certain scenes and kept them wanting more. Social media is nice, but it doesn't get any better than face to face contact.

This is the second book club meeting I've been invited to share my work, and I have to admit, I'm hooked. To see the look on someone's face when they're talking about their favorite character is priceless. And I thought I was the only one who could be that animated!

So to all of my book CLUBING friends, whether I've met you personally, or you've contacted me online...THANK YOU!  You are the reason I write with a smile.  :)




The Baton Rouge Book Club: back row...Susan Menard, Mary Speranza, Ellen Manint, Kirbye Hollier, Jenny Anding, Tammy Joseph.
front row...Leah Shelton, Gina Zeringue, Laura Burks, Sarah Munn, and Lisa Lloyd

 

YOU ROCK!!

If musicians’ have D.J.’s…writers have librarians, readers and booksellers. You are the D.J.’s for our work. You make our words come to life and ROCK!  With your enthusiasm and dedication, you set the rhythm and give our novels their beat. Without you, our fictional world sprawled out across the page would be silent.

Think of it this way, when you sit down to read, you’re entering your own private party. In your mind, you are creating the images and scenery, even if it’s written for you, you are still in control. Everyone has their own idea of how that character really looks. Okay, I’ll admit it, I had my own idea of how Edward Cullen looked and…well, let’s just leave it there. Now, if it weren’t for a diehard fan saying, “OMG…you have to read,” I wouldn’t have looked for it in the bookstore. Then if it weren’t for the life size cut-out of Jacob in the library (That made my daughter smile…big time) and their support of the book, lots of people would have missed out.

So where am I going with all of this? It’s simple. The constant chain of D.J.’s, encouraging writers to write, and readers to read…keep our world spinning. To you, I dedicate this blog. YOU ROCK!!!

If you have a special person you’d like to give a Shout Out, leave a comment. It’ll make their day!