Quotes To Usher In 2012

Welcome 2012, I'm happily awaiting your arrival.
Just to start things off, I've compiled a few quotes that appealed to me.

Quote about life:

“Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quote about change:

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” –Life’s Little Instruction Book

Quote about talent:


“Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There's plenty of movement, but you never know if it's going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.”-- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Quote about motivation:


“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”-- Winston Churchill



Quote about writing:


Reading usually precedes writing and the impulse to write is almost always fired by reading. Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer.--Susan Sontag




Celebrate Life. Celebrate Love.
Michelle Monkou

Catching Up And Wrapping Up: Good-Bye 2011

Since my last post in May, I had launched a weight management overhaul between diet and exercise. Happy to report that both were and still are successful with over 55 pounds gone. That final target is closer and I can actually see the finish line in the not so distant future.

My writing mojo, on the other hand, was like a road twisting and winding over steep mountain terrain. At times, my GPS was spot on and I could navigate and enjoy the ride.  Other times, it felt as if I was driving at night, through a lunar eclipse, and my car was bumping against the guard rails like a freakish moment in a bump-a-car carnival. And yet, here I am still surviving and revving up for 2012.

Traveling has also been near and dear to my heart. I'm not a happy person unless I get to see a bit of the world outside of my usual stomping grounds. With less financial wiggle room, I curtailed my trekking, but still managed to see New York City (twice), Rochester, NY and Barbados.

I also suffered through an earthquake tremor, not my first, but definitely, the most memorable. My life didn't flash before my eyes. If I recall correctly, a string of curse words popped up like neon flashes in my mind. I thought it was unfair that I should end my days in the IRS office (a.k.a. hell on earth).

Somehow I still managed to complete two writing projects: If I Had You, March 2012 release and another book (untitled), December 2012 release.

Finally, happy to say that I received the rights for my first two releases: Open Your Heart and Finders Keepers.  I am working on Open Your Heart at this very moment for an e-book launch with fresh editing (I did write it back in 2000). The book will be re-titled (TBA) with a brand new cover THAT I PICK (that's reason enough for me to celebrate). Projected timeframe is end of December. Stay tuned for the announcement of the e-launch.

So 2011 didn't start and definitely didn't end to my specifications, but what year ever has--LOL!  I will continue to count my blessings, enjoy the warm friendships, and appreciate my new fans, along with those who have been at my side from the beginning.

Celebrate life. Celebrate love.
Michelle Monkou