write stories that inspire more courageous living

but the greatest of these is instagram

My valentine 💛 pretty sure he’s an influencer.
What @angelalduckworth said. 🙌🏻 Curious if you agree? Are you in a season of planting or harvest? In two months, #beyondthepointbook will be out in the world and I will begin the odd journey of promoting it so it actually sells a copy or two. It’s easy when you see someone else’s harvest to forget the rugged terrain they sowed to get there. It took four years for me to write the manuscript. Another year to get an agent. A year and a half to survive the publishing gauntlet. All while facing infertility and working to preserve and strengthen our marriage. Those years were full of hills and valleys - terrain that only our closest friends saw along the way. Wherever you are — know this. The ratio of sowing to reaping has got to be something like 7:1. I’m very well aware that this year of “harvest” will be over soon and new planting will begin. I’m okay with it.
One time when I was at West Point I told a group of Chinese tourists the COMPLETE wrong information about this statue. I said it was General MacArthur. It is not General MacArthur.⠀ ⠀ The TRUE story: This is General George S. Patton— West Point class of 1909. In WWII, He commanded the US Army forces in France and Germany after the invasion at Normandy.⠀ ⠀ I’ve heard they placed his statue in front of the library building because he was a terrible student, often putting off assignments until the very last minute. Now he’s locked in perpetuity, looking out with those binoculars, trying to “find the library.”⠀ ⠀ Patton is known for his hard-nosed leadership style. It’s worth spending some time studying his philosophy on war and life. ⠀ ⠀ “Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”⠀ ⠀ “Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”⠀ ⠀ “If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.”⠀ ⠀ “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”⠀ ⠀ “A pint of sweat saves a gallon of blood.” 📸: @chriswpestel
Next up, Virgil Wander by #leifenger. . . . I’m excited for this quirky tale but to be honest I have NO idea what it’s about. Have you read it? What are you reading this weekend? . . . #bookriot #bookaddict #bookstagram #bookstagrammers #badassbookbabes #eatsleepread #reads #readingtime📖 #readingweekend #readingrainbow #mybookshelf #historicalfiction #readingissexy #readingislife
Post nap - sweaty mama, smiling Sam. That’s about right. ☀️❄️
New kicks who dis? 😍 I’m obsessed with this insane gift from my friend and style guru, @dmcphatter. You always know exactly what I need D!!!
Finally made it to @booksaremagicbk and it was as magical as advertised! Huge thanks to @emmastraub and @mpluse for being such advocates for authors and book people! 🤓 Had a chance to pick up a copy of Eddie Joyce’s “Small Mercies” and hear from the hilariously witty @johnkenneywriter. (He’s brand new to social media so go give him some love and a follow!) His new book TALK TO ME will be my companion on the way home tomorrow. Which means I can’t wait to get on the plane ✈️! It was also great to meet @zibbyowens of @momsdonthavetimetoreadbooks and her husband Kyle who literally said “are you the author of Beyond the Point?” - which made me think he was making fun of me until I realized he was being sincere and so kind. 😵 Books really are magic guys. Thank goodness for the F train and for great friends like @jaymward14 who urged me to take a chance and drop my book at my bookstore crush! 😍
Missing this guy tonight. @thejpg123 is the most supportive husband. Holding down the fort (and wrangling a one year old) while I try to do my due diligence to get things ready for the book launch. I never imagined I’d be a “working mom” — sometimes I still don’t allow myself to admit that that’s true. But I’m beyond grateful to have a partner who sees me for who I am and encourages me to go for every opportunity, even if it means he has to work harder in my absence. RILY.
For some reason I’m hating social media more than ever. I am toying with the idea of getting a flip phone. I’ve been deleting the Instagram app every other day just to have breathing room. And yet - I did this thing and wrote this book and now I feel like I need social media in order to share about how you can find it. (Hint, @parnassusbooks on April 3rd.) 🌿 But do I really need social media? How did you decide to pick up the last book you read? Did Instagram really play into it at all? Or is it just a matter of luck and word of mouth and hoping that the pages stand on their own? 🌿 While I kvetch, here’s a picture of my book relaxing waiting for new eyes. Four months to go.
Saturday traditions ❄️#gibsontraditions