Janet (Hope) DeMarco - Finding Hope

March is National Women's History Month and the theme is Women Weaving Stories of Women's Lives. I'm sharing the story of a different woman from my books every day in March. Meet Janet (Hope) DeMarco.



Hope. We all need a little hope now and then. I, however, needed a lot. Have you ever had the experience of having your buttons all pushed at once, your last nerve stepped on? Well, you've heard all the cliches used to describe that moment when you decide you are through. You're not putting up with things the way they are for one more minute. It was an unfortunate series of events that led me to quit my job, change my name, color my hair and resign from my family roles.

I even posted a letter of resignation. And since other women have read my story, they've told me how much they'd like to post the same or a similar letter. I encourage them to do so. It was very freeing for me. Well, here--you'll see what I mean. (Of course, it was a shock to my husband and two teenagers.)

Dear family,

I quit. Effective immediately, I am no longer the cook, laundress, shopper, housekeeper, chauffeur, landscaper or resident problem-solver. Oh, I’m also not the banker or the ATM. I am, however, the instructor. Classes will begin tomorrow and seating is limited, so you should sign up early.

A cooking class will be conducted at five-thirty sharp. Bring your inquiring mind and appetite. A cook book will be available. On Saturday, I will offer two sessions—general housekeeping and laundry. Supplies will be provided. However, if you are attending the laundry session, please separate clothing into lights and darks and bring those with you. This class begins at nine a.m. in the basement.

Housekeeping will commence at ten, once you have mastered washing machine settings and drying times. Rubber gloves are recommended for those who have delicate skin or have had expensive manicures recently.

Other workshops, such as money-management, will be scheduled as needed and announcements will be posted. Don’t be late and get left out in the cold.

Janet R. DeMarco,

Wife, Mother, Person

(not necessarily in that order)

I took the name Hope. I didn't know why at the time, it was just a name I'd always liked. I needed to remake myself. I became a blonde. And I met the most interesting woman--Joy. We joked at times that we just needed one more person--Faith--to round out our trio. Joy had every reason to not be joyful and yet she'd made peace with herself and her life. Not everyone understood Joy's decisions. Even I had a hard time coming to terms with the way she lived. She was a complete conundrum to me, but she taught me so much about being true to oneself even when that makes no sense to everyone around you. Because in the end, you have to make sense to yourself. I went on a search for hope and became Hope. As an added benefit, my husband learned to cook, my kids learned to clean, and my son will make some lucky woman a wonderful husband one day. And my daughter is already asking those important questions I waited years to ask. Yes!

You might find my story hopeful, too. Finding Hope (Also available in paperback at Wings ePress.)

Beth Rutledge - The Year I Lost My mind

March is National Women's History Month and the theme is Women Weaving Stories of Women's Lives. I'm sharing the story of a different woman from my books every day in March. Meet Beth Rutledge.

My name is Beth Rutledge. Today is my birthday. I am fifty-one years old. My mother will tell you I have been having a midlife crisis. My best friend will tell you I am courageous. My husband will tell you that, on my last birthday and for just a little while, I lost my mind.

That was the start of my story the year I turned fifty. That was the year I lost my mind. At least it seemed that way, even to me. So many women have told me they've shared my experience of confusion and questioning about their own lives around that age. How can you be happy and fulfilled and still feel that something's missing? It didn't make sense. My way of dealing with the question may seem impulsive or foolish to some. To others, it was a brave and bold move. Well, you'd have to judge that for yourself.

I still thank God for my loving family and my very, very understanding husband, David. Now that could have gone either way. I can't begin to tell you how scary that year was at times, how much I risked to answer that nagging question of what was missing in my life.

I will tell you this: Sometimes you have to lose something in order to reclaim it. Sometimes you have to trust the love that holds the seams of your life together and stretch it to a new limit. Sometimes you just have to lose your mind… and follow your heart.

Get the whole story here: The Year I Lost My Mind (or in paperback at Wings ePress.)

Claire Hutchings - Pieces

March is National Women's History Month and the theme is Women Weaving Stories of Women's Lives. I'm sharing the story of a different woman from my books every day in March. Meet Claire Hutchings.

Life can be full of the unexpected. One minute you're enjoying your happy family and, in the an instant, everything is called into question. I don't know exactly when I shifted from thinking it was all a nightmare to believing it was reality. I repeatedly awoke in a sweat, haunted by an image that stirred anxiety and the question, "Who am I really?" Something planted a seed of doubt that sent me on a quest for the truth. I was so sure I'd prove I was wrong. I hoped. I prayed. And then I accepted.

I was never a fan of jigsaw puzzles. My mother enjoyed them. My sister would sometimes help her. I never wanted to work that hard at trying to put the whole picture together.

Then suddenly I found myself doing just that--searching for one missing piece that would make my life fit. So many discoveries were unexpected, not the least of which was Lee Rowan.

The journey into deception that could have resulted in so much pain for everyone. Don't get me wrong. It was painful to learn the truths about my past and my family. The truth brought me to a crossroad, a decision where I had to choose between resentment or forgiveness, hate or love. I made the only choice I could.

You can get my whole story in Pieces. (Also available in paperback at Wings ePress.)

Kate Reynolds - And The Truth Will Set You Free

March is National Women's History Month and the theme is Women Weaving Stories of Women's Lives. I'm sharing the story of a different woman from my books every day in March. Meet Kate Reynolds.

I look at this picture, at the crooked boardwalk that has a vague destination and I think that sums up my story. I'm Kate Reynolds and, until I was fifty-two, my path was straight and sure and I knew exactly where I was going. And I believed that was a good thing. Now, in retrospect, my life was boring.

I worked in the same place for over thirty years. Sure, my job description changed and I moved up in pay scale and title, and I managed to convince myself I was really going somewhere. To the top. What can I say--we all have our illusions. I walked in one day to learn I'd been downsized, and not in the way we women generally wish to downsize. 

With a very brief marriage and divorce in my past, both 
parents deceased and my younger sister living across the state, I found myself feeling like a rudderless boat set adrift in a threatening ocean. I did what most women would do in my situation and I refuse to apologize for it--I ate ice cream and potato chips and then I crawled under the blankets and hid from the world.

Let me ask you this: Do you have a best girlfriend? You know the kind--the ones that know you better than you know yourself. The ones who call you on your rationalizations and denial and fear? In other words, the ones who recognize your bullshit. The ones who tell you the truth at the risk of hurting your feelings, then hold you while you cry. Yeah, well I have one of those. Actually, I was blessed with two of them. Terri and Lucy. Both are strong, self-possessed women who, if asked, would probably describe me in the same way. But I felt anything but strong and self-possessed when I was unceremoniously dumped from my career. Okay, so it was a job. But it was my job. Oh, I had enough money to live on for a while and I own my house. It wasn't about how I would live, it was about who I was now. The realization that my sense of self-worth could be so easily compromised scared the hell out of me.

I managed to avoid Terri and Lucy for almost a week before Terri showed up, key in hand, to let herself into my house and kick my ass for me. That's another thing best girlfriends do for us. They give us that good swift kick we need to get us moving again in the right direction. Terri reminded me of who I am and of a dream I'd long ago abandoned. She made me realize that this crisis I was in also presented an opportunity if I'd dare to embrace it. What is it about following our dreams that demands taking so many risks?

In any case, I pulled myself up by my sandal straps and took off in pursuit of that dream. I thought it was as simple as moving on--new location, new people, new work. Ha! You've heard the saying, "The truth will set you free." Well, trust me, it's not as easy as it sounds. No one tells you what you have to go through to get to that truth, or truths as in my case.

I can tell you this: I liked the woman I was before my crisis. I love the woman I am now, the woman whose mettle was tested and tried and proven. In the end, I'd have to say the truth did set me free (with a little help from my friends.) My life is rich and full to bursting.

You can read my story in And The Truth Will Set You Free. (Also in paperback at www.wingsepress.com.)

National Women's History Month -- Meet A Different Strong Woman Each Day

March is National Women's History Month. It turns out that the theme for 2015 is Women Weaving Stories of Women's Lives. My books all feature strong women or women who have to find their strength and become strong. 

I think of myself as being, first and foremost, a storyteller--a weaver, if you will. The name of this blog is One Woman's Write and, if you've visited my website at www.lindarettstatt.com, you've no doubt noticed that my brand is: Writing for Women--Stories of strength, love, humor and hope. So for the month of March, in keeping with the theme of weaving stories of women's lives, I'll be featuring a different heroine from one of my books every day and give you a glimpse into her life, struggles, and triumphs. The women whose stories I tell in my books are not unlike us. Women facing challenges in every day life, digging deep to find the resources to overcome obstacles, to heal from hurt, and searching for answers only they hold.

So I'll begin at the very beginning. Stop by tomorrow and meet Kate Reynolds whose story in And The Truth Will Set You Free started this whole writing journey.

Linda

Renting To Own (reprise)

I'm so excited to announce the reprise release of my book, RENTING TO OWN. I just love this new cover that captures the story of Lily, a young single mother trying to create a life of stability for herself and her four-year-old daughter, Chelsea.

The story has been tweaked and updated from the original printing as well. I have to say that as I went through the rewrites and editing with this story, I fell in love with it all over again. I hope you will, too.

Published by Turquoise Morning Press
Ebook available at Amazon.com and at Smashwords

My Rescue Story by Binky the Cat

I was six years old when my owner turned me over to a shelter because he was getting married to a lady with two kids who were allergic to me. I felt bad ‘cause I liked the kids. And I loved my owner who raised me. It took me a while to figure out that it wasn’t my fault I was put in kitty jail in a cage. I don’t think I’d ever been so scared in my life. I was still in quarantine when the shelter lady brought another lady into the quarantine area to look at some of us kitties. The lady said she wanted a younger cat, but not a kitten—maybe one that was about two years old. I felt sad, because I was six then, but she had no idea how young at heart I was. I knew I could be perfect for her if she gave me a chance.

Well, a couple of the other kitties made fools of themselves, swiping at her with their claws and leaping around in their cages. (I don’t have claws on my front paws. My first owner was afraid I’d ruin the furniture, so he had the vet cut them off—along with the tips of what would be my fingers. It hurt so much.) The shelter worker pointed to me huddled in my cage on the floor and said, “This could be a good cat for you.” But then the lady asked the big question—How old is she? I just stared. I didn’t want to make eye contact because what if I saw kindness in her eyes and then she walked away from me?

Both ladies left and closed the door. I shook a little bit in my cage, afraid I’d have to live here from now on. And I’d heard stories about cats and dogs that weren’t adopted soon, that they were pushed across the rainbow bridge. And they’d done nothing wrong to deserve it.

The shelter was closed for two days and the only people I saw were the workers who fed and watered us and cleaned out our litter boxes. They were nice enough, but no one touched me or talked to me.

Then the lady came back! She waited by my cage while the shelter lady opened the door and pulled me out. I wasn’t too willing to go at first. I didn’t know what they might do to me. I was at least safe in my cage. But the shelter lady handed me over to the other lady. She hugged me and rubbed her chin on my head and scratched under my ears. I wasn’t too used to being hugged and not all that sure I liked it, but I butted my head against her chin a few times to let her know I thought she was okay.

The lady gave the shelter worker some money and they put me in a little carrier and off I went. It was scary in the back seat of the car and I cried for a long time. The last time I went for a ride like this, it didn’t turn out so well. The lady talked to me and tried to make me feel better. Then we were home. She carried me up, up, up the steps and into her apartment. It was big and I didn’t know where anything was. She opened the carrier and let me come out when I was ready. Well, I explored a bit, and then she showed me my food and water dishes and my litter box. I had my own private bathroom! But I got scared because I wasn’t sure where I was and what might happen next. I needed to get up high where I could keep an eye on things, so I leaped up onto the kitchen counter, then the refrigerator, then the top of the cabinets.

I was the Queen of the World. And I found a secret place to hide—inside one of the cabinets in an empty space next to the wine glasses. She’d never find me there. So I thought. But the lady called to me and called to me and started opening doors and I was found. I did this a few times until I realized this lady was probably okay. She just wanted to love me.

So I came out of the cupboard and let her scratch my chin. 

And then I rescued her.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Did I mention my mom's a writer? She wrote a romance novel that includes the theme of animal rescue and benefits the Tunica Humane Society. Check it out!

Available at Amazon.com